Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath

Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath is a nature reserve of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, near the village of Winfrith Newburgh in Dorset, England. There is heathland and wetland in the reserve.

Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath
A scrape for birds in the reserve
Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath is located in Dorset
Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath
Location in Dorset
Locationnear Winfrith Newburgh
OS gridSY 804 863
Coordinates50°40′33″N 2°16′44″W / 50.67583°N 2.27889°W / 50.67583; -2.27889
Area181 hectares (450 acres)
Operated byDorset Wildlife Trust
Websitewww.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/tadnoll-winfrith-heath

Winfrith Heath is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1] The wetland is designated a Ramsar site, and the reserve has been listed as a Special Area of Conservation.[2]

Description

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The total area of the reserve is 181 hectares (450 acres). The chalk stream Tadnoll Brook, a tributary of the River Frome, runs through the site.[2]

The heathland has common heather, bell heather and gorse. Species of birds include nightjar and Dartford warbler, and the silver-studded blue butterfly may be seen.[2]

In the boggy areas of heathland there is sphagnum moss, bog asphodel and sundew.[2] The wetland habitat supports important species of plant and insects including marsh clubmoss and the small red damselfly. In new ponds, colonies of pillwort, a rare aquatic fern, have formed in less than a decade.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Winfrith Heath SSSI" Natural England. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tadnoll & Winfrith Heath" Dorset Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Tadnoll Flagship Site" Freshwater Habitats Trust. Retrieved 27 August 2021.