|
|
|
Links to other Museums and Sites of interest South West Museums, Libraries and Archives Council |
Wildlife of the Axe Valley
With some 16 species of dragonfly known in Devon, over a dozen have been identified in the Axe Valley area. These include the keeled skimmer and ruddy darter, and also the white-legged damselfly. Other invertebrates of interest are the fairy shrimp, medicinal leech, and the rare species of caddis fly - leptocerus interruptus.
Salmon and sea trout both occur in the River Axe. The Axe Valley is well provided with mammals and these include:- badger, stoat, weasel, mink, shrew, mole, rabbit, hare, grey squirrel, dormouse, bank vole, field vole (but not water vole), harvest mouse, wood mouse, fox and roe deer. Otters have returned and are being encouraged to breed.
|
The Axe Valley and
surrounding areas are rich in wildlife. Rising in Dorset the River Axe flows
round the edge of Somerset before reaching Devon. Most of the area is within an
'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (AONB) and contains 21 'Sites of Special
Scientific Interest' (SSSI), 2 'Local Nature Reserves' (LNR) and 1 'National
Nature Reserve' (NNR) Two SSSI's are under consideration as 'Special Areas of
Conservation'
The flora is diverse.
Primroses in flower can be seen throughout the winter months, as is also red
campion. In Spring Alexandus, a plant introduced by the Romans, blooms near the
coast. Orchids in variety include:- green winged, fragrant, bee and southern
marsh. Two rare plants are the purple gromwell - lithospermum purpurus -
caerulum, and heath lobelia - lobelia urens.
Of the 14 species of
bat in Britain, 7 species are known in the Axe Valley area, and include some 40%
of the population of the second rarest in Britain, Bechstein's bat.
It is the variety of
birdlife that makes the Axe Valley area so important for wildlife, with 17
orders of birds of the 19 recognised in the British Isles. Among the breeding
species of special mention are:- merlin, peregrine, the shy and elusive water
rail, barn owl, kingfisher, sand martin, dipper, cetti's warbler and dartford
warbler. Little egrets have settled but not yet bred. Passage migrants, such as
osprey are seen. Odd visits from hoopoe and squacco heron have also been noted.