A large fire which started on land off The Moor, Fradley, Staffordshire, two weeks ago was deemed to be deliberate
A grassfire can reduce a thriving habitat to blackened ground in a matter of hours – but recovery is a much slower story.
Recent fires have torn through nature reserves, beauty spots, farmland and open countryside, leaving conservationists and land managers facing the difficult task of helping to restore habitats and prevent further damage.
But can these places bounce back? And what can be done to protect them in a hotter, drier future?
Dan Brown, deputy chief executive of Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, said the loss of habitat was a big problem.
"When we lose grasses, wildflowers and trees to fire, we lose the food plants that invertebrates rely on, taking away spaces in which butterflies and bees can thrive. That impact cascades upwards to birds and mammals who would normally use invertebrates as a food source," he said.
Dan Brown said the damage to Portway Hill, pictured behind him, was extensive after flames broke out last week
Thirty firefighters tackled a blaze at Portway Hill in Oldbury, West Midlands, last week, an area of land managed by the trust.
The site was home to scarce plants including pyramidal and bee orchids, and a rare colony of marbled white butterflies that had relied on common knapweed and red fescue.
"We've lost these plants now, and it will take years of work to restore the meadow so that marbled white butterflies can return," said Brown.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended about 600 outdoor fires in July, roughly double the number recorded in the same month last year.
Three of them were at Cannock Chase, a protected area of countryside, forest, and lowland heath, where animals including adders and toads were killed.
Fifteen fire crews were sent to tackle the largest of three fires at Cannock Chase on Wednesday
Jeff Sim, head of nature reserves at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said the fires had been devastating years of conservation work.
"Each day we're seeing fires devastate green spaces and my team is incredibly worried," he said. "In an instant we could lose years of careful restoration work. It can take decades for land to recover from fire, even with dedicated intervention and restoration work."
