page_title: Sound Heath
section_title: Heath and grassland
hierarchical_section_title: Sound Heath / Habitats / Heath and grassland
caption_attribution_description: English: Heath and grassland at Sound Heath, Cheshire. (This view is not within the area of the SSSI/LNR.)
context_page_description: Sound Heath, also known as Sound Common, is an area of common land in Sound, near Nantwich in Cheshire, England, which includes heathland, grassland, scrub, woodland and wetland habitats. The majority of the area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve.
  One of the very few lowland heaths in Cheshire, Sound Heath is a valuable habitat for heathland plants and animals, although its heathland character is currently under threat from the spread of trees and scrub. The common's ponds form one of the most important sites in the county for freshwater invertebrates. Three nationally rare or endangered species have been found within the area: the mud snail, great raft spider and the Enochrus isotae species of water scavenger beetle, as well as the nationally scarce beautiful snout moth. The first sightings of the migrant hawker dragonfly in Cheshire were at Sound Heath, and many other locally rare species have been recorded here. The site is also an important breeding site for birds.
context_section_description: Lowland heath (heathland below 300 metres elevation) is an internationally scarce habitat which is rare within Cheshire. A survey in 1995 found only 60 Ha in the administrative county, of which as little as 11 Ha were wet heath. Sound Heath is one of only four lowland heath SSSIs in the county.
  In the areas of damp heath, the predominant species when the site was designated an SSSI in 1963 were common heather (Calluna vulgaris), cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix), common gorse (Ulex europaeus), western gorse (U. gallii) and purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea). These areas also of bog moss (Sphagnum). A total of 50 species of bryophytes have been recorded at the site, including the large white-moss (Leucobryum glaucum), which is rare in Cheshire. Other locally rare species that have been observed here include bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), common lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) and round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia).
  The drier areas of heath have a grassy character, with typical species being matgrass (Nardus stricta) and wavy hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa). Common tormentil (Potentilla erecta), dovesfoot cranesbill (Geranium molle), heath bedstraw (Galium saxatile), heath milkwort (Polygala serpyllifolia) and heath rush (Juncus squarrosus) have also been recorded, as has the locally rare bird's-foot (Ornithopus perpusillus) and shepherd's cress (Teesdalia nudicaulis).
  During the late 20th century, the area of heathland has been substantially reduced by the encroachment of scrub, birch, alder and willow. The incursion of trees has caused the heath to become drier, resulting in the loss of some wet heath plants, including bog asphodel and round-leaved sundew.
caption: Grassy heathland and scrub
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