Gorse

One of the glories of the countryside at this time of year is the gorse, it has a multitude of perhaps surprising uses for both animal and human species!

In Devon we have two different types of gorse – common or European gorse Ulex europaeus and western gorse U. gallii. Common gorse, also called furze (and in Devon ‘vuzz’) or whin, is in flower almost throughout the year, hence the expression: “When furze is out of bloom, kissing’s out of fashion”. The much smaller western gorse flowers in late summer/autumn (July-Oct).

Whereas European gorse reaches 7-10 feet in height, western gorse only grows 12-15 inches high. At this time of year the scent of the bright yellow flowers is unforgettable, variously described as creamy coconut/almond/etc. Seeds are produced in dark-coloured, elongated pods that when ripe, burst noisily open on hot summer days, scattering far and wide their seeds.

Gorse flowers are edible and can be used in salads, in tea, and to make a non-grape-based fruit wine. Gorse is high in protein and may be used as feed for livestock, particularly in winter when other green vegetation is not available. Traditionally it was used as fodder for cattle, being made palatable either by ‘bruising’ (crushing) with hand-held mallets, or grinding to a moss-like consistency with hand or water-driven mills, or being finely chopped and mixed with straw chaff. Often growing in almost impenetrable clumps, gorse provides ideal shelter from the weather for Dartmoor ponies, and despite its rigid, barbed spikes, is an important source of food for the stock, especially in late-winter when alternatives are in short supply.

Nowadays, rotational heathland burning removes the stems of old, woody gorse bushes and encourages regeneration of fresh, new shoots. The swaling season on Dartmoor is from 1 November to 31 March (there is a ‘swaling code of conduct’ on the DNPA website).

There are many local names for birds nesting in and around gorse; these include furze chat, fuzz chat (Wheatear), furze chitter (Stonechat), furze hacker, whin lintie (Whinchat), whin sparrow (Dunnock), and furze bird (Linnet); Linnets often nest in loose ‘colonies’ in areas of gorse. Other birds using gorse regularly include Dartford warbler and Yellowhammer. In Wales, once Shelduck have paired in the spring they move away from water to the hills, where they search out a large rabbit hole for a nest. Often these holes lie beneath old gorse bushes – hence the Shelduck’s Welsh name, Hwyaden yr Eithin - the furze or gorse duck.

Bees are important pollinators of gorse. Other insects whose larvae (caterpillars) feed on gorse include two butterflies - green hairstreak and silver-studded blue - and six ‘macro’ moths - grass emerald, grass wave, July belle, lead belle, double-striped pug and Spanish carpet, as well as at least eight ‘micro’ moths. Large numbers of insects shelter within the confines of gorse, including multitudes of spiders. Dartford warblers manage to find a way through gorse's prickly maze of branches, searching for the spiders, and other insect prey, whilst Stonechats use the upper reaches as lofty perches for song-posts.

In late summer and autumn you may occasionally see the parasitic plant Dodder growing on gorse or heather, especially on the coast. This forms a dense network of reddish-pink stems and pale pink flowers trailing over the gorse. A very characteristic yellow/orange fungus (Tremella mesenterica) can often be seen growing on gorse stems.

Gorse has been used for many different purposes. On one Welsh island that I know, gorse is used for spreading out damp washing for drying in warm sunny weather. Some local gardeners placed chopped gorse or ‘fuzz’ over germinating or emerging peas to deter mice and pigeons. Gorse bushes are highly flammable and in many areas bundles of gorse were used to fire traditional bread ovens. On the island of Guernsey, many traditional farms had furze brakes. The prolific gorse and bracken would be cut, dried and stored to be used as fuel, with farmhouses having purpose-built furze ovens. In former days gorse was also used as a thatching material.

Tony John