Twelve dormice hibernating, eleven willow tits foraging, ten string-of-sausages lichens hanging… the traditional carol has been given a Devon wildlife twist this Christmas.
Nature conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust is focusing on twelve special species that find a home on DWT nature reserves across Devon in a festive fundraising campaign.
Consisting of six insect species, two wildflowers, a tree, a lichen, a mammal and a bird, this ‘Devon dozen’ forms part of a wider list of species of conservation concern.
The Devon Special Species list was first created in 2017, identifying the wildlife that needed more focused species recovery work in the county.
From this list 96 species demanded particular attention because their remaining footholds in Devon were of national – even international - importance.
Earlier this year, an update on these species showed they still desperately need conservation help: they need the best habitat management on wildlife-friendly land where they are currently found. This will give some individuals the chance to move and re-colonize former sites to give each species a more secure future in Devon.
Many of these Devon special species find a home on DWT’s 58 nature reserves.
With the best habitat management in place, DWT nature reserves are where dormice can find plenty of food, where willow tits can use damp scrub to excavate their nest holes, where rare butterflies can find the right habitats to complete all the stages of their life cycle and where trees and wildflowers now found hardly anywhere outside Devon can continue to thrive.
DWT’s Director of Conservation Pete Burgess said: “Some of our rarest and most threatened wildlife relies on the landscapes - and people - of Devon. DWT has an ambitious plan to double the amount of wildlife-rich land in Devon in coming years. But nature reserves will remain the wildlife reservoirs needed to restore life to the wider landscape. Nature reserves are where good habitat management can help species to recover and find their way to new places. And Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserves are where anyone can help Devon’s special species with a donation to this fundraising appeal.”
The twelve Devon Special Species highlighted in Devon Wildlife Trust’s festive fundraising campaign include:
- the hazel dormouse, already lost from so many other parts of England
- the brown hairstreak butterfly – this species overwinters as an egg laid on blackthorn stems so populations of this butterfly can be devastated by severe cutting of Devon hedges in autumn and winter.
- the southern damselfly, a vivid blue-coloured insect lost from several heathland sites that DWT successfully re-introduced to an East Devon nature reserve
- the Devon whitebeam, a tree that is so special to Devon it takes its name from the county
- the sand crocus, a shy spring flower located on the golfing greens at Dawlish Warren and only found in one other place in the whole of England
- the heath potter wasp, the six-legged artisan whose habit of constructing clay pots makes it the Grayson Perry of the insect world
DWT Engagement Officer Dan Smith said: “The limitations placed on our movements during this difficult year inspired many people to explore nature close to home and notice more of the creatures who share the Devon landscape with us. Some of those rare and threatened species are very special to Devon. Their future depends on the action we take now. That’s why DWT has launched a fundraising campaign to help the Trust manage the habitats on 58 nature reserves across Devon so they are in perfect condition for these species to thrive.”
Entry to Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserves has not been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Most Devon residents will be within a short cycle ride or car journey from a DWT nature reserve. More information on these 58 places for wildlife and people – and details on how to support the Devon Special Species appeal - can be found at www.devonwildlifetrust.org
- Heath potter wasp – DWT Bovey Heathfield, (near Bovey Tracey)
- Southern damselfly – DWT Venn Ottery, (in Otter Valley)
- Willow tit – DWT’s Culm grassland nature reserves, northwest Devon
- Brown hairstreak butterfly – 3 DWT-managed Exeter Valley Parks
- Sand crocus – DWT Dawlish Inner Warren
- Bog hoverfly – DWT Emsworthy Mire, (near Haytor)
- Heath lobelia – DWT Andrew’s Wood, (in Avon Valley)
- Devon whitebeam – DWT’s Culm grassland sites, north-west Devon
- Dormouse – DWT nature reserves across Devon including Lady’s Wood (near South Brent) and Meeth Quarry (near Hatherleigh)
- String of sausages lichen – DWT’s Dartmoor oak woodland reserves such as Dart Valley and Blackadon
- & 12. Pearl bordered fritillary & small pearl bordered fritillary butterflies – DWT Marsland nature reserve, on the Atlantic coast where Devon meets Cornwall
