Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG
117.
Western gorse on the Bulwark, an Iron Age hillfort on Llanmadoc Hill, with Hills Tor and the Burry Inlet
in the background. (Harold Grenfell)
Incontrastthewetheaths,mainlyPengwern,Fairwood,ClyneandWelshMoorandthenorthernparts
of Cefn Bryn Common, are defined by vegetation communities dominated by deergrass and cross-leaved
heath, along with purple moor-grass and heather, and it is the mixture of these four species that gives the
vegetationoftheseareasitsparticularcharacter.TheGowercommonsareconsideredtobeoneofthebest
areas in Britain for wet heath communities, and their importance will increase as this habitat continues to
decline elsewhere in Britain. Particular species of note include the marsh fritillary butterfly
Euphydryas
aurinia
and whorled caraway
Carum verticillatum
. Whorled caraway is a medium-height perennial with