7. Plant Life

The mild climate, ample rain, and long growing season in Britain support a great variety of plants, which grow exceptionally well. Most of Britain was once covered with thick, forests in which oak trees predominated. (Deciduous trees are those that lose their leaves every year.) The impact of centuries of dense human population has massively altered the flora of Britain, and only tiny remnants of these forests remain today. Although 10 percent of Britain is still forested, most of this area consists of commercially planted, fast-growing forests in Wales and northeastern Scotland.

Forests were unable to establish themselves in the poorer soils of the mountains, wetlands and moorlands. The plants common to these wilder areas are heather, gorse, peat moss, rowan, and bilberry. These regions have been altered by heavy grazing of livestock and by controlled burning. Controlled burning creates environments suitable for game birds, which feed on the shoots of the new plants that spring up after the older plants are burned away. Some wetland areas have been subjected to massive draining efforts for hundreds of years and are now covered by towns and farmland.

8. Animal Life

An estimated 30,000 animal species live in Britain, although many have limited distribution and are on the endangered list. The only surviving large mammals are red deer, which live in the Scottish Highlands in southwestern England, and roe deer, found in the woodlands of Scotland and southern England. Semiwild ponies also inhabit Exmoor and the Shetland Islands. At one time wild boars and wolves roamed Britain, but they were hunted to extinction.

Many smaller mammals inhabit Britain, including badgers, foxes, otters, red squirrels, and wildcats. Other species introduced from elsewhere include rabbits, black rats, muntjac deer, wallabies, and mink. Britain has five species of frogs and toads and three species of snakes, of which only the adder is venomous. Northern Ireland has no snakes.

Birdwatching is an important national pastime. Britain is home to a large variety of birds, due in large measure to its position as a focal point of a migratory network. About 200 species are regularly seen in Britain.

Saltwater fish are important to Britain's economy. Cod, herring, plaice, sole, and mackerel are all caught off the coasts of Britain, although there are grave concerns about the depletion of stocks, particularly by the fishing efforts of nearby European nations. Lobster, crab, and other shellfish are caught along inshore waters. Freshwater fish in Britain include game fish, salmon, and trout, while so-called coarse fish include perch, pike, and roach.

Seminar 1 Additional Reports

 Soil and Vegetation (Some Facts on Britain: p. 9, 13-14; Spotlight

on English-Speaking Countries: p. 16-17);

 Population (Some Facts on Britain: p. 18-21);

 Varieties of Speech (Some Facts on Britain: p. 24-26);

 Ecology (English-Speaking Countries: p. 13-14);

 Religions (English-Speaking Countries: p. 15);

 England: Places of Interest (English-Speaking Countries: p. 18-21);

 Scotland: Places of Interest (English-Speaking Countries: p. 22-24);

 Wales: Places of Interest (English-Speaking Countries: p. 24-25);

 Northern Ireland: Places of Interest (English-Speaking Countries: p. 25-26);

 National Emblems.