Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth

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Coordinates: 50°54′54″N 4°33′36″W / 50.9149°N 4.5599°W / 50.9149; -4.5599
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Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth
Notification
1973 (1973)
Natural England website

Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Cornwall, England, UK, noted for its biological characteristics.

Geography

The 343-hectare (850-acre) site, notified in 1973, is situated on the north Cornish coast, within

Marsland Mouth in the north, which is on the Cornwall-Devon border. This site is contiguous with the Bude Coast, Duckpool to Furzey Cove and Marsland to Clovelly Coast (in Devon) chain of SSSIs on this section of coastline.[1][2]

The

National Trust. The SSSI also covers the Cornish side of Marsland Valley nature reserve, jointly owned by the Devon and Cornwall Wildlife Trusts.[2][3]

Wildlife and ecology

The SSSI is sited on a geological formation of

cliffs.[4]

Flora

Amongst the cliff edge grassland buckshorn plantain (

Calluna vulgaris), burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia), catsear (Hypochaeris), eyebright (of the genus Euphrasia), western gorse (Ulex gallii) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium) grow in the heathlands.[4]

Fauna

The SSSI supports a wide variety of invertebrates, in particular butterflies and 14 species of dragonfly.[4]

Uncommon species of butterfly found include

large blue butterfly (Maculinea arion), which was declared nationally extinct in 1979. Thereafter, from 1983 the butterfly was reintroduced to the country, including at locations on this site.[4][5]

The coastal habitats support bird-life including the

Accipiter nisus) and wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) can be found in the woodland areas.[4]

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are also found in the Marsland Valley section of the site.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth map". Natural England. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-319-23145-6
  3. ^ a b "Marsland Valley Nature Reserve". Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth" (PDF). Natural England. 4 December 1987. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  5. National Trust
    . Retrieved 1 December 2011.
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