Peatland ‘time capsule’ reveals prehistoric woodland habitat and insects which still exist today - National Trust
An area of buried prehistoric woodland, plant and insect remains, has been discovered on land cared for by the National Trust on Exmoor in Somerset.
The findings were unearthed during a year-long peatland restoration project at the charity’s Holnicote Estate in partnership with the South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) to improve the health of degrading peatlands across the South West.
The SWPP received funding from Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme (NCPGS) in 2021, with match funding provided by South West Water, Duchy of Cornwall, National Trust and Cornwall Council for work across Exmoor, Dartmoor and Cornwall.
The work included constructing leaky log dams to help slow the flow of water through the valley and to improve water quality. This higher, more stable water table within the peat will also help to reduce carbon emissions and to increase the resilience of the landscape to climate change as well as preserving archaeology.
The woodland and insect remains, dating between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, were found preserved in the peatland ‘time capsule’ taken from an area on the estate called Alderman’s Barrow Allotment, providing a snapshot of when and how the peat formed, as well as the kinds of species of plants and insects which lived in the landscape, many of which still live in similar wet woodland areas today.
Samples were taken at 5cm intervals to create a 1.5m deep sequence of peat, which was taken to a specialist lab at Wessex Archaeology in Salisbury to be analysed.
Discoveries included over 100 fragments of Hydraena riparia beetles, a semi-aquatic beetle that flourishes in damp conditions that still exists today, and prehistoric samples of dung beetles, rove beetles, moss mites and water scavenger beetles.
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Posted On: 07/02/2024