Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG
132.
Cutting water lilies at Oxwich in the 1970s using a purpose-built raft. (Countryside Council for Wales)
SLUXTON MARSH
In dramatic contrast to the vast area of Oxwich Marsh, Sluxton Marsh at Whitemoor consists of a single
fieldtotheeastofRhossiliDown.Itisofspecialinterestbecauseofthevarietyofhabitatsassociatedwith
the marshy grassland; these include reedbeds, swamp and an area of acidic flush, together with scattered
blocks of willow scrub. The majority of the marshy grassland is dominated by purple moor-grass along
with sharp-flowered rush
Juncus acutiflorus
,sweet vernal-grass, sheep's-fescue, Yorkshire-fog, carnation
sedge
Carex panicea
and tormentil. The stands of fen meadow are particularly interesting as the veget-
ation is generally richer in species than the purple moor-grass pasture, with plants such as tawny sedge
C. hostiana
and flea sedge
C. pulicaris
present. Other areas consist of rush pasture, dominated by sharp-
floweredrushandincludingcommonmarshbedstrawandgreaterbird's-foot-trefoil
Lotus uliginosus
.The
acid flush is dominated by the sharp-flowered rush, purple moor-grass and various species of bog-moss.
Thesmallareasofreedbedaredominatedbycommonreed,togetherwithsmooth-stalkedsedge
Carex
laevigata
, bog-bean and broad buckler-fern, while the swamp is dominated by greater tussock-sedge
C.
paniculata
. There are few records of invertebrates, but the shallow, warm and permanently flowing wa-
tercourses that cross the site hold a population of southern damselfly.
POOLS AND PONDS
While pools and ponds have been a feature of the British landscape for thousands of years it is only fairly
recently that their importance as a habitat has been recognised. Nationally they support at least two-thirds
of Britain's freshwater plant and animal species, including many that are uncommon. Despite their im-
portance towildlife these water bodiesareconsistently undervalued, probablybecause oftheir small size,
familiarity and perceived abundance. In Gower, because of the other attractions of the area, they are for
the most part simply overlooked.
