March 2026

Over the last few weeks, our Conservation Officers have been out on sites managing areas of scrub to maintain this often overlooked but very important habitat. 

What is scrub? 

Scrub is a transitional habitat with edges that flow naturally into other surrounding habitats. A good scrub habitat has a diverse structure with different heights (usually less than 5 metres tall) and has a variety of native species like hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel and bramble. When patches of scrub grow in habitats like grassland it is described as a scrub mosaic.  

Why is scrub important? 

Often found on the edges of woodland, parkland and fields, scrub supports a range of wildlife from invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Many bird species also use scrub as vital breeding, roosting and feeding sites.  

Species such as Dunnocks, Bullfinch, Song Thrush, Mistley Thrush, Greenfinch and Cuckoos all rely on scrub and are species listed on the BoCC5 (Birds of Conservation Concern 5) Red or Amber List and are NERC (Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) Section 41 Species of Principle Importance. 

Grazing animals such as deer, cattle and sheep will also browse on scrub, opening pathways and creating patches of bare ground that are good for invertebrates, basking reptiles and wildflower germination. However, high levels of browsing can damage scrub and cause decline in scrub species, so managing livestock levels is also a part of conservation management.  

Why managing scrub is important

As scrub is a transitional habitat it spreads and succeeds into other habitats quickly. In areas where livestock grazing in not possible, we manage scrub by hand. By retaining and reducing encroachment, we can maintain a mosaic of habitats; by creating structural diversity of different heights and age of scrub we can also encourage a habitat rich in biodiversity.  

Lopwell Dam, Devon

In January 2026, work was carried out to clear bramble encroachment from Lopwell’s Butterfly Meadow. In the summer many butterflies including the Silver-washed Fritillary can be spotted swooping through the woodlands and glades. By retaining scrub along the meadows edge, we provide a food source from both bramble and wildflowers such as Knapweed and Common Fleabane, a food source for many invertebrates including the Silver-washed Fritillary. 

College, Cornwall 

In areas of mixed scrub and bracken at College, we have been maintaining pathways and creating scalloped indents to create a complex structure. Areas with blackthorn and bramble scrub have been retained and edges cut to reduce the encroachment of grassland. Oak tree saplings can also be spotted growing in this section, along with hawthorn and gorse shrubs. 

Crowdy, Cornwall

Within the Nature Reserve at Crowdy Reservoir, we have not only been opening the area to allow for easier public access to the bird hide and pond scrapes, but to also restore the area which was once open glade habitat within the dense monoculture of coniferous woodland. Whilst we intend to maintain a mosaic of scrub by restoring the glade, we will be encouraging butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies back into this mosaic of habitats.  

So next time you are out and about at the lakes, do have a look at what you may find in our scrub habitats.

You can send us your wildlife sighting to [email protected].