Rainforest Magic on the Doorstep
Last March, by accident I found myself in the middle of a rainforest. No, I wasn’t in in Brazil or Malaysia or anywhere tropical. I was in Devon, south-west England, less than an hour’s drive from the busy cities of Plymouth and Exeter.
By accident? Let me explain.
I was staying with family on the edge of Dartmoor. The weather was unsettled - read ‘stormy and likely to rain’ - so we were looking to walk somewhere more sheltered than the open moor. And so we chose somewhere pretty much at random on the map - a strip of green in a deep, winding valley, with a few footpaths marked but no road . Perfect! Peaceful as well as sheltered.
When we reached the valley it was like being transported to a fantasy elven forest in Middle Earth. Pale skeletons of dormant trees reached thier arms towards the sky; the ground was littered with fallen branches and rotting leaves, and patches of bright green highlighted black boggy patches waiting to engulf our boots more than once. Massive granite boulders were scattered everywhere - on the ground and amidst the tumbling water of the river bed - all smothered in mantle of soft green moss. Grey fronds of lichen fringed the naked boughs like beards. Apart from a few sketchy paths and a rickety log bridge the place appeared untouched by humans. It was bewitching. Only later did I learn that this is a pocket of ‘temperate rainforest’.
If you’ve spent some time in south-west England, you’ll know that it rains a lot! So perhaps the concept of a rainforest here is not so strange. What was strange to me was the use of this term to describe these ancient woodlands. I’ve spent a lot of time in the region over the years and have clambered over many a mossy boulder in the woods. But until the last couple of years, I never heard these places described as rainforests. What’s behind the use of this new terminolgy, I wondered?
Perhaps its the dramatic appeal. This habitat is also known as Atlantic Woodland or Upland Oak Woodlands, but those names don’t have quite the same ring to them. Maybe defining it as Temperate Rainforest is a type of rebranding, a way of highlighting the need to protect these special places. And it seems to be working - a quick Google search brings up many recent articles and websites describing what they are and where they can be found.
So why do these temperature rainforests of need to be protected? Because of their magical atmosphere of course! And although they used to be much more widespread, but the little that now remains is very fragmented and degraded. And, apart from their magical atmosphere, they also have a wider value.
Like all forests worldwide, they’re incredibly important for the health of our atmosphere, by producing oxygen and capturing the carbon that is contributing to global warming.
On top of this, the temperate rainforests are hotspots for biodiversity - the wide range of living things that’s vital for maintaining a healthy environment. Not just greenery either - during our walk we came across with two researchers who were surveying the river bank in order to estimate the population of otters. What, otters live here? How delightful! They told us there’s little chance of actually seeing otters themselves, unfortunately - they were looking for spraints (aka poo).
What makes these rainforests really special, though, is the rich variety of moisture-loving species growing on the trees and rocks: moss, fungi, lichens. And it seems the Amazon basin isn’t the only rainforest that’s home to rare and unusual vegetation - a recent project by Plantlife.org.uk, recorded over sixty new lichen species. Somebody had fun naming them, too - how do you like ‘String-of Sausages, Tumbling Kittens; or Tattered Jelly-skin?
The temperate rainforest that we visited was in the Bovey Valley on the edge of Dartmoor. There are similarly magical places nearby, in the upper Teign and Dart valleys. Do visit, at any time of year, if you find yourself in need of a little enchantment!
Find out more about temperate rainforests in south-west England :
Image credit:
All photos were taken by me
There are several woods in Devon and Dorset that are thousands of years old - most of what is now arable pasture was once woodland. The woods along the course of the River Dart, especially the difficult to access upper section - are wonderful.