Category: Conservation
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Reawakening The Lizard
Wildlife Groundswell’s exciting new project: nature recovery across the Lizard peninsula Drawing together and expanding on Wildlife Groundswell’s existing projects, and in collaboration with other organisations, Reawakening The Lizard is our most ambitious project to date! It aspires to restore nature on the Lizard peninsula to create a connected, diverse landscape, rich in plants and animals,…
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Willow woes
During the summer of 2023 there was a subtle but significant browning of the leaves on some of the Grey Willow, Salix cinerea, in the willow carr (wet woodland) at Penrose. Although noticeable we were unable to get to the bottom of the issue then. However, this year the browning leaves have returned with a vengeance…
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Conservation Ponies Part 2
What is it? Benefits and Breeds What is it?Managing interesting landscapes in a low intensive way to encourage the wildlife and plants that these areas support. • Conservation grazing is livestock grazing that promotes biodiversity. • Many nature reserves are now managed using grazing animals.• Due to their typically hardy and thrifty nature, our…
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Conservation Ponies Part 1
History For many people the bleak looking downs and moors of the Lizard are iconic parts of its landscape.Due to their wild appearance it is easy to imagine the downs and moors simply as natural landscapes, but their character has in part been formed, and maintained, by thousands of years of human activity, principally through…
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Lowland Point (Coverack)
Mention The Lizard, and you may think of the wild west coast, with its serpentine cliffs and iconic coves, or the open expanse of heathland at Goonhilly. Delve a little deeper though and there are many less well known treasures waiting to be explored. One such place is Lowland Point, forming the northern edge of…
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Digging beneath the surface – the importance of soils
Picture the stark landscapes synonymous with Cornwall; such as the purple heathers that contrast with the blue of the ocean below. I’ve included a beautiful reminder. This landscape is not only maintained by ungulate grazing, but is built upon the soil that not only holds so much life, but is vital to its continuation. The…
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The Helford River
….. a dynamic ever changing habitat, shaped by wind and tide. The wild weather we are having now has prompted me to write something about the dynamic nature of an estuary and the effect of the wind. Estuaries can vary widely in character depending upon their aspect and exposure to prevailing winds. The Helford Stretches…
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Expanding the Lizard NNR Video(s)
See some of the species that will benefit from additional protection, hear what members of the public value about this significant development, and meet one of the farmers who grazes the cliffs and coastal fields for wildlife.
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Expanding NNR Video
The video highlights some of the species that will benefit from additional protection, hear what members of the public value about this significant development, and meet one of the farmers who grazes the cliffs and coastal fields for wildlife.
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Lizard farmers win a national ‘Farming with nature’ award
One of our local farming families were awarded one of the food and farming industry’s highest honours, a National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award at BBC Countryfile Live earlier this summer, with the Lizard’s Tregullas Farm, the most southerly farm on mainland Britain, winning the National Trust’s first-ever ‘Farming with Nature’ award.
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National Trust scything a way forward
National Trust Rangers on the Lizard are turning back the clocks, by putting their faith in the humble scythe. These simple tools, which were the only way to gather in the harvest of hay and corn just a few generations ago, are making a come back for tasks such as cutting footpaths. Martin McDowall Ranger…
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The Helford River Survey– regular long term monitoring of the Helford intertidal areas
Thirty years ago when the Helford River was designated as a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area a survey was established to provide baseline information and ongoing monitoring of the intertidal in this area. It was designed to be a simple, inexpensive and therefore easily repeatable, a non-destructive baseline monitoring system to be carried out at regular…
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Windmill Farm Report Spring and Early Summer
Spring arrivals and passage, of Warblers, was good in April with decent numbers of Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler arriving to breed on the Farm. Grasshopper Warbler numbers appear down; I have only heard reeling in 3 locations this year – the farm normally holds at least 6 pairs. A notable omission…
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‘Swailing’ – where there’s smoke there’s a reason
Those of you who are regular watchers of the sky may have noticed in the last few weeks that it changed from its more traditional winter colour of battleship grey to something approaching a pleasing shade of blue. Yet, at this time of year, cometh the blue sky, cometh the smoke as farmers and conservationists…
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A year in the life of a National Trust pony
Grazing the heath at Beagles The National Trust has had ponies here on the Lizard for over 20 years, grazing the coastal heaths and grasslands for the benefit of wildlife. Our original herd, now aged over 30, is still going strong, proving a life of sea air does you good! These purebred Shetland ponies came…
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Historic Boundary Hedge Restoration at Teneriffe
Predannack Cliffs and Teneriffe Farm on the west coast of the Lizard are an extremely diverse historic landscape. There is the coastal grassland and heathland of the National Nature Reserve, and the ancient and unchanged coastal fields where the boundaries have always remain untouched. And then there are the slightly inland fields, which are a…