UKH

In Pembroke last week I noticed that a lot of the bracken had sprouted but was now dead. As someone who has spent a lot of June and July wrestling with the accursed stuff beneath bouldering crags in the Peak, I felt a little bit of joy at seeing this.

Anyone know what causes bracken to die like this - see photo? 

I think something was done to the slope beneath Stanage Popular a few years ago that temporarily killed off the bracken. I wonder if something similar has been done to NT land in Pembroke or probably more likely it was the very dry June that snuffed the growth early on. However the same dry spell doesn't seem to have had an impact in the Peak where the stuff has taken over again as it always does. 

Alan

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax: I was at Bamford last week and there was a warning sign informing people that a helicopter was spraying the bracken. I assume this was some sort of herbicide?

Maybe the bracken that you saw had been sprayed?

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Lots of dead bracken up here (Scotland) - part of the change into autumn and happens ever my year no? 

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

As J72 has said, there is an increasing amount of dead (as well as enormous, living) bracken in the Lakes atm. I think it's normal seasonal change...?

So much damnable wet head-height bracken... Struggling through it this summer after rain showers call of climbing really rubs salt in the wound...

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Interesting commentary on bracken here (this guy's book is an interesting read)

https://lostrainforestsofbritain.org/2022/02/03/using-bracken-maps-as-a-gui...

In reply to J72:

Well yes, although the Peak stuff doesn't fade until October usually, but this stuff has barely sprouted and I remember the same approach walk having bracken over my head in places in previous years.

Alan

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Walking back and forth to Kettle Crag yesterday the bracken had definitely lost a lot of its vigour. Plenty still standing but yellowing at the base and much of it brown and on the floor.

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

We noticed a large patch of cleared/dead bracken a couple of weeks ago, where the paths up to High Neb leave the causeway. Still plenty left though, it seems to have been a bumper year.

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

The tawny owls already seem to think it is October!

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Same on Dartmoor, it seems to be browning off and dying back early. 

I can only assume unseasonable cool July/August is to blame?

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

isn’t this phenomenon the namesake of a popular E2 on Pavey Ark?

Andy