Rodney Stoke SSSI
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| Rodney Stoke | |
|---|---|
| Area of Search | Somerset |
| Grid Reference | ST492507 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 69.6 hectare (172.0 acre) |
| Notification | 1957 |
| Location Map | English Nature |
Rodney Stoke (grid reference ST492507) is a 69.6 hectare (172.0 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, just north of the village of Rodney Stoke in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1957.
Part of the site is a National Nature Reserve and part a Nature Conservation Review Woodland site. This site supports a mosaic of ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland, scrub and species-rich unimproved grassland. Rodney Stoke occupies steep south west facing slopes of the Mendip Hills. The underlying rock types belong to the Dolomitic Conglomerate facies of the Triassic, and to the Carboniferous Limestone series. The latter are restricted to the woodlands Big Stoke and Little Stoke, which along with Calve's Plot Wood are ancient woodland sites. Big Stoke and Little Stoke were almost entirely clear-felled during World War I. Two nationally rare plants occur at Rodney Stoke: Purple Gromwell (Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum) and the endemic Whitebeam (Sorbus anglica). The site supports a diverse fauna. Badgers (Meles meles) are common and two or three setts are occupied each year. Noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) and Pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) roost in Big Stoke. Breeding birds include Buzzard (Buteo buteo) and Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata). Small enclosures and tall hedges provide sheltered conditions that are ideal for many species of invertebrate. Butterflies are well represented with Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), Purple Hairstreak (Quercusia quercus), Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) and Grayling (Hipparchia semele).[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Rodney Stoke. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
Settlements: Ashwick | Axbridge | Banwell | Bishop Sutton | Blagdon | Bleadon | Burrington | Charterhouse | Cheddar | Chewton Mendip | Compton Bishop | Compton Martin | Cross | Draycott | East Harptree | Easton | Hinton Blewitt | Hutton | Leigh-on-Mendip | Litton | Oakhill | Priddy | Rodney Stoke | Rowberrow | Sandford | Shepton Mallet | Shipham | Ubley | Webbington | Wells | West Harptree | Westbury-sub-Mendip | Winscombe | Wookey Hole
Rivers and lakes: Blagdon Lake | Cheddar Reservoir | Chew Valley Lake | River Chew | River Yeo | Litton Reservoirs
Caves and gorges: Aveline's Hole | Axbridge Ochre Mine | Banwell Caves | Banwell Ochre Caves | Burrington Combe | Cheddar Gorge and Caves | Compton Martin Ochre Mine | Cox's cave | Eastwater Cavern | Ebbor Gorge | Fairy Cave Quarry | GB Cave | Goatchurch Cavern | Gough's Cave | Hunter`s Hole | Lamb Leer | Longwood Swallet | Manor Farm Swallet | Priddy Caves | Shatter Cave | Sidcot Swallet | St Cuthberts Swallet | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Stoke Lane Slocker | Swildon's Hole | Thrupe Lane Swallet | Tyning`s Barrow Swallet | Upper Flood Swallet | Wigmore Swallet | Wookey Hole Caves
Quarries: Barnclose Quarry | Batts Combe quarry | Callow Rock quarry | Cloford Quarry | Colemans quarry | Cook's Wood Quarry | Draycott Quarry | Dulcote quarry | Emborough Quarries | Fairy Cave Quarry | Gurney Slade quarry | Halecombe | Hobbs Quarry | Holwell Quarries | Moon's Hill Quarry | Shipham Quarry | Torr Works | Viaduct Quarry | Westbury Quarry | Whatley quarry | Windsor Hill Quarry |
SSSIs: Asham Wood | Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill | Banwell Caves | Banwell Ochre Caves | Barns Batch Spinney | Blagdon Lake | Bleadon Hill | Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins | Burledge Hill | Burrington Combe | Chancellor's Farm | Cheddar Complex | Cheddar Reservoir | Cheddar Wood | Chew Valley Lake | Cloford Quarry | Compton Martin Ochre Mine | Cook's Wood Quarry | Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill | Dolebury Warren | Draycott Sleights | Ebbor Gorge | Emborough Quarries | Harptree Combe | Hobbs Quarry | Holwell Quarries | Kingdown and Middledown | Lamb Leer | Priddy Caves | Priddy Pools | Perch | Rodney Stoke | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Sandpit Hole and Bishop's Lot | Shiplate Slait | Viaduct Quarry | Windsor Hill Quarry | Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
Councils: Bath and North East Somerset | Mendip | North Somerset | Sedgemoor
Surrounding areas: Chew Valley | Somerset Levels | North Somerset Levels
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
SSSIs: Aller and Beer Woods | Aller Hill | Asham Wood | Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill | Babcary Meadows | Barle Valley | Barrington Hill Meadows | Berrow Dunes | Black Down and Sampford Commons | Brean Down | Bridgwater Bay | Briggins Moor | Catcott, Edington and Chilton Moors | Chancellor's Farm | Cheddar Complex | Cheddar Reservoir | Cheddar Wood | Cleeve Hill | Cogley Wood | Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill | Curry and Hay Moors | Deadman | Draycott Sleights | Dunster Park and Heathlands | East Polden Grasslands | Ebbor Gorge | Edford Woods and Meadows | Exmoor Coastal Heaths | Fivehead Woods and Meadow | Freshmoor | Friar's Oven | Ge-mare Farm Fields | Great Breach and Copley Woods | Grove Farm | Hardington Moor | Hestercombe House | Holme Moor & Clean Moor | King's Sedgemoor | Kingdown and Middledown | Kingweston Meadows | Lang's Farm | Langford Heathfield | Langmead and Weston Level | Long Lye | Long Lye Meadow | Longleat Woods | Millwater | Moorlinch | Nettlecombe Park | North Brewham Meadows | North Curry Meadow | North Exmoor | North Moor | Old Ironstone Works, Mells | Perch | Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh | Postlebury Wood | Priddy Pools | Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood | Quantocks | Quants | Ringdown | River Barle | Rodney Stoke | Roebuck Meadows | Ruttersleigh | Severn Estuary | Shapwick Heath | Sharpham Moor Plot | South Exmoor | Southey and Gotleigh Moors | Southlake Moor | Sparkford Wood | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Stowell Meadow | Street Heath | Tealham and Tadham Moors | Thurlbear Wood and Quarrylands | Twinhills Woods and Meadows | Vallis Vale | Walton and Ivythorn Hills | West Moor | West Sedgemoor | Westhay Heath | Westhay Moor | Wet Moor | Whitevine Meadows | Windsor Hill Marsh | Wookey Hole | Woolhayes Farm
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