Polruan to Polperro


Polruan to Polperro is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation 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 site, notified in 1951, is located on the south-east coast of Cornwall along the English Channel, 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.
The South West Coast Path runs through the SSSI and the majority of the coastline is owned by the National Trust.

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. For this reason this SSSI falls within Plantlife's Polruan to Looe Cliffs Important Plant Area.
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, Ray’s knotgrass, sand couch, sea bindweed, sea kale, sea spurge and sea sandwort.
The nationally scarce ivy broomrape, lanceolate spleenwort and maidenhair fern can be found in within rock crevices along the cliff habitats. Various calcicole and lichen species are also present here.
The limited areas of maritime grassland have an abundance of red fescue, also present within rock crevices and rocky ledges. Other areas of maintained grassland contain flora such as common bent, common bird'sfoot trefoil, common cat's-ear, common dog-violet, common milkwort, common knapweed, common restharrow, ribwort plantain, sweet vernal-grass, yarrow, woodrush, wild thyme and Yorkshire fog. Also present in the grassland and grassy embankments are the nationally scarce slender bird'sfoot trefoil and hairy bird's-foot trefoil.
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.

Fauna

The site contains many invertebrates including the uncommon scarlet tiger moth and the nationally scarce pearl-bordered fritillary. Pasture areas within the site supports the scarce hornet robberfly.
Numerous breeding bird colonies can be found, with examples of the Red Data Book species Dartford warbler and peregrine falcon being recorded on the site.