Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2013/January 2014 | Page 48

COUNTRY LIFE

10 THINGS YOU NEVER

knew about Chines

Richard Grogan
Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust

Y

ou’ve probably heard of the
Isle of Wight’s chines. But
do you know what they are
or why they’re important for
wildlife? Richard Grogan, the Wildlife
Trust’s Head of Conservation on the
Island, reveals some important facts.
Chines are steep-sided stream valleys
found on the soft, easily-eroded
coastline of the Isle of Wight. There
are more than 20 named chines
stretching from Linstone Chine on
the far north-west coast around the
Needles and St Catherine’s Point to
Small Hope Chine in Shanklin.
In 2009, the Wildli fe Trust launched
a partnership called The Isle of Wight
Soft Cliffs and Chines Project to learn
more about the wildlife, geology,
archaeology and cultural history of
the chines and their surrounding
soft cliffs. Now over, the project
provided a fascinating glimpse into the
evolution of these unique geological
formations. The chines continue to
develop and evolve on the Island’s
coast and provide both challenges
and opportunities for those who live
and work around the Island’s dynamic
coastline.

1) Chines are formed by the rapid
erosion of soft clays and sands by
water flowing out to sea. Over time the
sea level has risen and the coastline
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Chines are steep-sided stream valleys found on the soft,
easily-eroded coastline of the Isle of Wight. There are more
than 20 named chines across the Island. In 2009, the Wildlife
Trust launched a partnership called The Isle of Wight Soft Cliffs
and Chines Project to learn more about the wildlife, geology,
archaeology and cultural history of the chines and their
surrounding soft cliffs.
has been eroded and is retreating
backwards leaving a line of cliffs and
cutting short the river valleys. With the
short distance from source to sea, the
force of the water cuts deep into the
soft cliffs producing the steep-sided
narrow gullies we see today.
2) Chines are found only on rapidly
eroding sea cliffs where rainwater
drains into streams or gullies that then
head towards the sea. New chines form
on the coast during periods of rapid
erosion by both sea and rainwater
following prolonged spells of heavy
rain.

Twenty-eight invertebrate species on
the cliff-top vegetation are nationally
scarce or rare.
5) The Island’s soft cliffs are the only
native British home for the Glanville
fritillary butterfly. This beautiful, small
orange and brown butterfly flies in May
and June.
6) Rapidly declining breeding birds
such as skylarks, yellowhammers,
linnets and meadow pipits feed
and make their nests in the cliff-top

3) Surprisingly, plant communities
found on the cliff-face look nothing
like those on the cliff-top, as
plants able to withstand the
unstable nature of eroding
cliffs replace the relatively
stable maritime grassland
communities. So thrift
and wild carrot give way
to coltsfoot and ribwort
plantain.
4) Over 121 species of ant,
bee and wasp make their
homes on these soft cliffs.
The soft clays and sand, water
seepages and varied nectar
sources make this ideal habitat
for mining bees and potter wasps.

Photo: Da rin Smith