Exposed soil, devoid of vegetation, is not often considered to be a valuable habitat. Such bare ground is regularly viewed by conservation – and other land-managers as a negative feature, the results of unwelcome erosion, in need of remedial action so that it can be colonised by vegetation. This is often most unfortunate, as bare ground is an essential habitat feature for a wide variety of organisms, including many fungi, lichens, mosses, vascular plants, reptiles, birds and a whole lot of different groups.
