'Machair' is one of the rarest habitats in Europe. This distinctive coastal grassland is found only in north and west Scotland and western Ireland. The soil is mixed with wind-blown shell sand and is traditionally enriched with seaweed gathered from the beaches. The machair is often the main area of cultivation and may include grassland pasture, hay meadow, rotational arable and wetlands.

The departure from traditional cropping, increased use of fertilisers and pesticides and more intensive stocking with sheep have led to a decline in the variety of plants and the characteristic animal species they support.

The practice of leaving an area fallow for a couple of years while another area is cultivated allows annual and short-lived plants to germinate, flower and set seed. This helps to create the spectacular display of flowers for which the machair is well known, and very varied and rich habitats for other wildlife.

Machair supports high numbers of breeding waders including oystercatcher, lapwing, ringed plover, redshank dunlin and snipe. It is also a critical habitat for corncrake. Earthworms, snails and flies, spiders, harvestmen and various bees are commonly found over the herb-rich machair.

Northern colletes bee

Found on the western seaboard of Scotland, notably the Outer Hebrides, this bee is usually associated with extensively grazed flower rich grassland. It depends upon banks of bare sandy soil in which it makes its burrows so machair areas are ideal habitat. Such banks and other areas of bare soil within herb rich dune grassland may be under-valued, and the bee populations limited by their occurrence.
Photo: Mike Edwards - SNH