Dry Stone Walls

In parts of Britain, where stone is more readily available, walls made without mortar (‘dry stone walls’ or in parts of Scotland ‘dykes’) are used frequently as boundaries. In these areas, campuses may contain old walls, or there may be scope to build new ones.

Dry stone walls provide an important habitat for many plants and animals and can act as a corridor between larger areas of other habitats. They are particularly important for lichens, mosses, ferns, and a number of invertebrates. Several bird species (e.g. tits) use dry stone walls as nest sites.

Walls, like hedges, support the maximum amount of wildlife when they are mature, but before they become derelict. Once a wall drops below 600mm in height, the number of species using it will decline. Rebuilding is initially destructive to biodiversity, but within a few years the wall will have been re-colonised.

Think about how you will reduce damage through restoration of your wall.

Get an expert to check for any species that will need to be protected or, perhaps moved in advance of work.
If possible, repair only small sections at a time, to enable easier re-colonisation by plants and animals from un-restored sections.
Replace stones 'green side out' if they are colonised with lichens or mosses.

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Dry Stone Walls

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