20 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF BLACKPOOL AND DISTRICT 



of sand as elsewhere. From South Shore to St. Annes, the only portion of 

 the coastline still unprotected, dunes of blown sand are covered principally with 

 starr grass (Psamma arenaria, Beauv.). These dunes are in need of protection 

 from wind erosion and holiday-makers. 



From St. Annes as far as Lytham, sea walls again form the coastline ; beyond 

 this to Preston salt marsh reigns again. 



IV. 



PHYTOGEOGRAPHY 



BY 



MARGARET DUNLOP. 



The utilisation of the Fylde for food production and recreation has been carried 

 so far that opportunities for natural vegetation have been much reduced, and 

 most former peat bogs are identifiable only by their flatness, the high organic 

 content of their soil, and the regularity of their field divisions. 



The resultant vegetation is rich with a tendency to rankness, resulting from 

 heavy manuring, and, inland, sluggish drainage. There is not the slower and 

 steadier growth associated with the drier soils of the Midlands or Southern 

 England, where there is, in addition, a longer ripening period. Dense hedge- 

 rows above wide alga- filled ditches along the lanes and masses of Funaria among 

 grazed turf, also testify to this. 



Only in one or two centres is the vegetation a direct reflection of topographic 

 conditions. South-west of Winmarleigh (Sheet 24, H 12), 1 at distances of 

 one mile and one-and-a-half miles from the village, are two patches of woodland, 

 largely coniferous timber and elm, founded on two deposits of Preesall shingle, 

 and quite distinct from the former peat bog surrounding them. Thistleton is 

 largely an area of woodland, to some extent planted on sands and gravels. 

 There have been mosses all around the village in former times. As at Win- 

 marleigh, many houses date from the early eighteenth century, i.e., before the 

 main reclamation, indicating early recognition of the value of sands and gravels 

 in mainly Boulder Clay country. Cockerham, at the north-eastern extremity 

 of our region, is above the marshes, but it is on the solid, the main road from 

 the west entering the village through a small cutting. 



There are no extensive woodlands, and no trees of any antiquity to record. 

 The largest in natuial woodland are probably those by the brook near Kirkham 

 Railway Station. Very often the tree belts are narrow, and are preserved only 

 as wind-breaks. Nevertheless, in cultivated areas the relatively undisturbed 

 surface which the woods provide continues to support a few heaths and, less 



1 The 1 in. (Popular Edition) Ordnance Survey Maps. 



