Polruan to Polperro

Polruan to Polperro
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Coastline to the east of the SSSI
Location within Cornwall
Area of Search	Cornwall
Grid reference	SX170509
Coordinates	50°19′57″N 4°35′16″W / 50.3325°N 4.5877°W / 50.3325; -4.5877Coordinates: 50°19′57″N 4°35′16″W / 50.3325°N 4.5877°W / 50.3325; -4.5877
Interest	Biological
Area	213.4 hectares (2.13 km²; 0.824 sq mi)
Notification	1951 (1951)
Natural England website

Polruan to Polperro is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in south-east Cornwall, England, UK, noted for its biological interest. It contains a wide variety of plant species and is a site for populations of breeding birds.

Geography

The 213.5-hectare (528-acre) site, notified in 1951, is located on the south-east coast of Cornwall along the English Channel, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Fowey. It starts in the west outside the fishing village of Polruan and ends at the start of the fishing harbour and village of Polperro to the east, all within the civil parishes of Lanteglos and Lansallos.^[1]^[2]

The South West Coast Path runs through the SSSI and the majority of the coastline is owned by the National Trust.^[2]

Wildlife and ecology

Flora

The SSSI and SAC supports various different habitats, including shingle beaches, maritime grassland, scrubland, abandoned field systems and several cliff communities.^[3]^[4] For this reason this SSSI falls within Plantlife's Polruan to Looe Cliffs Important Plant Area.^[5]

The shingle beach habitat contains some flora that has a very limited coverage within Cornwall, as well as the rest of the UK. Examples include Babington's orache (Atriplex glabriuscula), Ray’s knotgrass (Polygonum oxyspermum), sand couch (Elymus farctus), sea bindweed (Calystegia soldanella), sea kale (Crambe maritima), sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) and sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides).^[3]

The nationally scarce ivy broomrape (Orobanche hederae), lanceolate spleenwort (Asplenium billottii) and maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) can be found in within rock crevices along the cliff habitats. Various calcicole and lichen species are also present here.^[3]

The limited areas of maritime grassland have an abundance of red fescue (Festuca rubra), also present within rock crevices and rocky ledges. Other areas of maintained grassland contain flora such as common bent (Agrostis capillaris), common bird'sfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), common cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata), common dog-violet (Viola riviniana), common milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), common knapweed (Centaurea nigra), common restharrow (Ononis repens), ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), sweet vernal-grass, yarrow (Achillea millefolium), woodrush (Luzula campestris), wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus). Also present in the grassland and grassy embankments are the nationally scarce slender bird'sfoot trefoil (Lotus angustissimus) and hairy bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus subbiflorus).^[3]

Large areas of unimproved grassland can also be found within the site. These contain a very wide variety of species within the good-quality, neutral grassland and are considered very nationally scarce as well as being exceptionally rare for Cornwall.^[3]

Fauna

The site contains many invertebrates including the uncommon scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula) and the nationally scarce pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne). Pasture areas within the site supports the scarce hornet robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis).^[3]

Numerous breeding bird colonies can be found, with examples of the Red Data Book species Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) being recorded on the site.^[3]

References

↑ "Polruan to Polperro map". Natural England. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
1 2 Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 Plymouth & Launceston ISBN 978-0-319-23146-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Polruan to Polperro" (PDF). Natural England. 1997. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
↑ "SAC: Polruan to Polperro". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
↑ "Polruan to Looe Cliffs". Plantlife. Retrieved 7 February 2012.

Ceremonial county of Cornwall

Cornwall Portal

Unitary authorities	Cornwall Council Council of the Isles of Scilly

Major settlements	Bodmin Bude Callington Camborne Camelford Falmouth Fowey Hayle Helston Launceston Liskeard Looe Lostwithiel Marazion Newlyn Newquay Padstow Par Penryn Penzance Porthleven Redruth Saltash St Austell St Blazey St Columb Major St Ives St Just in Penwith St Mawes Stratton Torpoint Truro Wadebridge See also: List of civil parishes in Cornwall

Rivers	Allen Camel Cober De Lank Fal Fowey Gannel Gover Hayle Helford Inny Kensey Looe Lynher Menalhyl Ottery Par Pont Pill Port Navas Red Seaton St Austell Tamar Tiddy Truro Valency

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Penwith North Cornwall

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Amble Marshes Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Boconnoc Park and Woods Bodmin Moor, North Borlasevath and Retallack Moor Boscastle to Widemouth Brendonmoor Breney Common Bude Coast Cabilla Manor Wood Caerthillian to Kennack Carnkief Pond Carrick Heaths Carricknath Point to Porthbean Beach Carrine Common & Penwethers Chyenhal Moor Cligga Head Coombe Mill Coverack to Porthoustock Crow's Nest Crowhill Valley Dozmary Pool Draynes Wood East Lizard Heathlands Eglarooze Cliff Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Goonhilly Downs Goss and Tregoss Moors Greenamoor Greenscoombe Wood, Luckett Grimscott Gwithian to Mexico Towans Hayle Estuary & Carrack Gladden Kelsey Head Kennack to Coverack Kernick and Ottery Meadows Loe Pool Loggans Moor Lower Bostraze and Leswidden Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Lymsworthy Meadows Lynher Estuary Malpas Estuary Marazion Marsh Meddon Moor Meneage Coastal Section Merthen Wood Minster Church Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Nance Wood Newlyn Downs Ottery Valley Park Wood Penhale Dunes Pentire Peninsula Phoenix United Mine Plymouth Sound Shores And Cliffs Polruan to Polperro Polyne Quarry Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Red Moor Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor Retire Common River Camel Valley and Tributaries Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenannon Bog and Downs St Austell Clay Pits St John's Lake St Nectan's Glen Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth Swanpool Sylvia's Meadow Talland Barton Tamar–Tavy Estuary Tintagel Cliffs Treen Cliff Tregonetha & Belowda Downs Tregonning Hill Trehane Barton Trelow Downs Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Upper Fal Estuary and Woods Upper Fowey Valley Ventongimps Moor West Cornwall Bryophytes West Lizard

Isles of Scilly	Annet Big Pool and Browarth Point Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down Eastern Isles Great Pool Gugh Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool Lower Moors Norrard Rocks Peninnis Head Pentle Bay, Merrick And Round Islands Plains and Great Bay Pool Of Bryher & Popplestone Bank Rushy Bay and Heathy Hill Samson Shipman Head & Shipman Down St Helen's St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Western Rocks White Island Wingletang Down

Neighbouring areas Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

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