NEN Gallery

The Malvern Hills are like an ecological island with habitats ranging from low level marshland to acid grassland along the ridge. Much of the land is scheduled as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and contains a wide variety of plants, some quite rare. The lower slopes are clothed in woodlands which in recent years have spread up the hillsides. This spread is due to a reduction in grazing stock. Less grazing means more scrub and consequently more trees. There is a rich variety of butterflies. Some species, dying out in other parts of the country, are being encouraged here through special management by the Malvern Hills Conservators.