© UKCEH
The following is a short summary of the habitat type and how to create/enhance it to a "good" condition. For an informed position, please refer to official up-to-date UKHAB documentation or the UK Government's Condition Assessment Sheet.
Description: Short patchy plant associations of ruderal or ephemeral species with greater than 5% cover and perennial grass species with less than 75% cover. Typical of unmanaged areas in the arable landscape, derelict urban sites, roadsides, newly developed sites, quarries and railway ballast.
If you wish to select this habitat on a habitat selection screen, it can be found under Sparsely vegetated land (see guide).
Top tip
Ruderal: first plants to colonise disturbed ground such as Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Thistle (Cirsium spp.) and Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)
Ephemeral: plants with a short life cycle or period of active growth such as Chickweed (Stellaria media), Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta).
The vegetation usually lacks a clear dominant species, but consists of a mixture of low-growing (usually shorter than 25 cm) plants such as Greater Plantain (Plantago major), Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens), White Clover (Trifolium repens), Black Medick (Medicago lupulina), Colt’s-foot (Tussilago farfara), Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) and groundsels/ragworts (Senecio spp.), or of taller species such as Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale) or Melilot (Melilotus sps.), and can include a low abundance of Nettle (Urtica dioica), Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense), Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium).
How to Create / Enhance to a "Good" condition
How to create
Ruderal/Ephemeral habitat often develops due to a lack of management on bare or sparsely vegetated areas, so advice has not been included in Nataural England's guides.
How to get a "moderate" rating
At least two of the following will be true:
1. Vegetation structure will be varied, providing opportunities for vertebrates and invertebrates to live, eat and breed. A single structural habitat component or vegetation type will not account for more than 80% of the total habitat area.
2. The habitat parcel will have different plant species that are beneficial for wildlife, for example, flowering species providing nectar sources for a range of invertebrates at different times of year.
3. Invasive non-native plant species and others which are to the detriment of native wildlife will cover less than 5% of the total vegetated area. Information about non-native species will be taken from Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), Natural England's Horizon-scanning for invasive non-native plants in Great Britain and GB non-native species secretariat
How to get a "good" rating
All of the following will be true:
1. Vegetation structure will be varied, providing opportunities for vertebrates and invertebrates to live, eat and breed. A single structural habitat component or vegetation type will not account for more than 80% of the total habitat area.
2. The habitat parcel will have different plant species that are beneficial for wildlife, for example, flowering species providing nectar sources for a range of invertebrates at different times of year.
3. Invasive non-native plant species and others which are to the detriment of native wildlife will cover 0% of the total vegetated area. Information about non-native species will be taken from Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), Natural England's Horizon-scanning for invasive non-native plants in Great Britain and GB non-native species secretariat
Please note that this is a simple guide to help identify the habitat. For a definitive description, please refer to UKHab documentation. Joe's Blooms takes no responsibility for the content of external links.