Few larvae were found in dew droplets or concealed within heather leaflets; most larvae were recovered from the plant surface.
They vary from heather moorland to agrostis pastures invaded by gorse and bracken.
This may be particularly important since heather is a structurally complex plant.
The percentage cover of grasses, bracken, heather, and moss was estimated using ten randomly positioned 0.25 m2 quadrats.
This should reduce the possible variability associated with heather stand age and the actual amount of heather present in the vegetation.
However, all the seedbank data were derived from sites where heather was the dominant species, usually in the mature phase.
All three figures were estimated from stands of mature heather with c. 100% cover.
As he says, 'many a heather-covered hillside is a gravestone to a once awe-inspiring volcano'.