Caerthillian to Kennack
Encyclopedia
Caerthillian to Kennack is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall
, England
, UK
, noted for both its biological
and geological
interest. It is of great botanical importance, with several Red Data Book of rare and endangered plant species
being found on the site, as well as being a breeding site for Cornish Choughs
.
of the British
mainland, from Caerthillian Cove in the west to Kennack Sands in the east, within the civil parishes of Grade–Ruan and Landewednack
.
The South West Coast Path
runs through the SSSI and most of the coastline is owned by the National Trust
. The site falls partly within the Lizard
National Nature Reserve
and contains 2 Geological Conservation Review
locations.
The rocks off the coast are a notorious hazard to shipping and have led to numerous shipwrecks.
exist which support vegetation such as sea aster, rock samphire
(Crithmum maritimum) and sea thrift with red fescue, sea carrot (Daucus carota), Yorkshire fog
, cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata
) and the nationally rare Scilla autumnalis being found further up the cliff profile.
The eastern side of the site is protected form the prevailing westerly winds on the Atlantic meaning that less hardy plants are able to grow in areas of cliff scrub. Species include common gorse (Ulex europaeus), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa
) and wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare
) as well as more woodland plants of common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), red campion (Silene dioica), hart's-tongue (Phyllitis scolopendrium) and common dog-violet (Viola riviniana
).
The nationally scarce the nationally scarce galingale (Cyperus longus), yellow-vetch (Vicia lutea
) and bird’s-foot clover (Trifolium ornithopodioides) can be found in a disused serpentinite
quarry at Church Cove
.
The only cliff woodland of the Lizard is at the Devil’s Frying Pan on the SSSI and contains Cornish Elm
, Dutch Elm
and an intermediate variety of elm. Other inland woodland does occur around Poltesco.
Red Data Book of rare and endangered plant species
within the site include fringed rupturewort (Herniaria ciliolata), long-headed clover (a subspecies of Trifolium incarnatum), wild asparagus (a subspecies of Asparagus officinalis), early meadow-grass (Poa infirma
), Cornish heath
(Erica vagans) and one of only two populations of four-leaved allseed (Polycarpon tetraphyllum
) on the British mainland
.
(Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), a rare crow–like bird in Cornwall, have produced clutches of eggs in a cave at Lizard Point
, within the site. In 2002 this pair was the first Choughs to breed in the county in 50 years, with other pairs around Cornwall having bred since.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, noted for both its biological
Flora and fauna of Cornwall
Cornwall is the county that forms the tip of the southwestern peninsula of England; this area has a mild and warm climate regulated by the Gulf Stream...
and geological
Geology of Cornwall
The Geology of Cornwall is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county...
interest. It is of great botanical importance, with several Red Data Book of rare and endangered plant species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
being found on the site, as well as being a breeding site for Cornish Choughs
Red-billed Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
.
Geography
The 141 hectares (348.4 acre) site straddles the south coast of the Lizard Peninsula, covering the most southerly pointExtreme points of the United Kingdom
This is a list of the extreme points of the United Kingdom: the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. Traditionally the extent of the island of Great Britain has stretched "from Land's End to John o' Groats" .This article does not include references to the...
of the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
mainland, from Caerthillian Cove in the west to Kennack Sands in the east, within the civil parishes of Grade–Ruan and Landewednack
Landewednack
Landewednack is a civil parish and a hamlet in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated approximately ten miles south of Helston.Landewednack is the most southerly parish on the British mainland...
.
The South West Coast Path
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
runs through the SSSI and most of the coastline is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The site falls partly within the Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
and contains 2 Geological Conservation Review
Geological Conservation Review
The Geological Conservation Review is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological and geomorphological features of Britain...
locations.
History
The SSSI, first notified in 1951, was previously known as South and East Lizard SSSI. It was renamed after boundary expansions and deletions.The rocks off the coast are a notorious hazard to shipping and have led to numerous shipwrecks.
Flora
A variety of habitats exist within the site. To the south-west of the SSSI a number of maritime cliff communitiesMaritime cliff communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system
This article gives an overview of the maritime cliff communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.-Introduction:The maritime cliff communities of the NVC were described in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities, first published in 2000, along with the other maritime...
exist which support vegetation such as sea aster, rock samphire
Rock samphire
Samphire or rock samphire, Crithmum maritimum, is the sole species of the genus Crithmum. It is an edible wild plant found on southern and western coasts of Britain and Ireland, on mediterranean and western coasts of Europe including the Canary Islands, North Africa and the Black Sea...
(Crithmum maritimum) and sea thrift with red fescue, sea carrot (Daucus carota), Yorkshire fog
Yorkshire Fog
Yorkshire Fog or Velvet Grass, Holcus lanatus, is a perennial grass in the Poaceae Family. 'Lanatus' is latin for 'wooly' which describes the plant's hairy texture....
, cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata
Dactylis glomerata
Dactylis glomerata, Cock's-foot and orchard grass, is a common species of grass in the genus Dactylis, native throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa.-Distribution:...
) and the nationally rare Scilla autumnalis being found further up the cliff profile.
The eastern side of the site is protected form the prevailing westerly winds on the Atlantic meaning that less hardy plants are able to grow in areas of cliff scrub. Species include common gorse (Ulex europaeus), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
) and wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare
Ligustrum vulgare
Ligustrum vulgare , is a species of Ligustrum native to central and southern Europe, north Africa and southwestern Asia, from southern England and southwestern Sweden south to Morocco, and east to Poland and northwestern Iran.It is a semi-evergreen or deciduous shrub, growing to 3 m...
) as well as more woodland plants of common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), red campion (Silene dioica), hart's-tongue (Phyllitis scolopendrium) and common dog-violet (Viola riviniana
Viola riviniana
Viola riviniana, the Common Dog-violet, is a species of the genus Viola. It is also called wood violet or dog violet. It is a perennial herb of woodland rides, grassland and shady hedge banks...
).
The nationally scarce the nationally scarce galingale (Cyperus longus), yellow-vetch (Vicia lutea
Vicia lutea
Vicia lutea is a plant species of the genus Vicia. It is native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, and it is known on other continents as an introduced species. It is an annual herb. It has leaves made up of several pairs of oblong or linear leaflets each 1 to 2 centimeters long...
) and bird’s-foot clover (Trifolium ornithopodioides) can be found in a disused serpentinite
Serpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...
quarry at Church Cove
Church Cove
Church Cove is a hamlet in the civil parish of Landewednack in Cornwall, England. Its nearest town is Helston, which lies approximately north-west from the hamlet. The parish is notable for being the most southern point on British mainland....
.
The only cliff woodland of the Lizard is at the Devil’s Frying Pan on the SSSI and contains Cornish Elm
Cornish Elm
Ulmus minor Mill. subsp. angustifolia Stace , often known as the Cornish Elm, is a species of deciduous tree...
, Dutch Elm
Dutch Elm
Although all naturally occurring Field Elm × Wych Elm hybrids are loosely termed 'Dutch elm' , Ulmus × hollandica Major is a distinctive cultivar that in England came to be known specifically as the Dutch Elm...
and an intermediate variety of elm. Other inland woodland does occur around Poltesco.
Red Data Book of rare and endangered plant species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
within the site include fringed rupturewort (Herniaria ciliolata), long-headed clover (a subspecies of Trifolium incarnatum), wild asparagus (a subspecies of Asparagus officinalis), early meadow-grass (Poa infirma
Poa infirma
Poa infirma is a species of grass known by the common names weak bluegrass and early meadowgrass. It was first described from a specimen found in Colombia, but it is actually an introduced species in the Americas and is native to Europe. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas...
), Cornish heath
Cornish heath
The Cornish heath is a species of heath that bears pink flowers and mid-green foliage. This is a shrub, reaching 0.75 m by 0.75 m. Its English name comes from the fact that, in Great Britain, it is only found on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, where the unusual geology gives rise to the alkaline...
(Erica vagans) and one of only two populations of four-leaved allseed (Polycarpon tetraphyllum
Polycarpon tetraphyllum
Polycarpon tetraphyllum, commonly known as Four-leaved Allseed , is a plant of the family Caryophyllaceae . An annual herb growing to 15 cm in height, it is found on sandy soils, in coastal areas and on wasteland. Native to Europe, it is also naturalised in parts of North America, Australia and...
) on the British mainland
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Fauna
A breeding pair of Cornish ChoughsRed-billed Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
(Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), a rare crow–like bird in Cornwall, have produced clutches of eggs in a cave at Lizard Point
Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point in Cornwall is at the southern tip of the Lizard Peninsula. It is situated half-a-mile south of Lizard village in the civil parish of Landewednack and approximately 11 miles southeast of Helston....
, within the site. In 2002 this pair was the first Choughs to breed in the county in 50 years, with other pairs around Cornwall having bred since.