Rosenannon Downs nature reserve

Habitat type: Heathland and woodland Size of Reserve: 111ha (274 acres) OS Map No. 106 Grid reference: SW 956 676 Best time to visit: All year
Cornwall Wildlife Trust encourages the use of environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Click on the locator map above to go to the National Cycle Network website and view an Ordnance Survey map of this reserve highlighting nearby cycle routes.

Directions:

From the A30 near Victoria, take the B3274 towards Padstow. Take the second right turn, then first left towards Rosenannon. Go down the hill through the village on the Wadebridge road. The Downs lie either side of the road.

Access:

Limited roadside parking. Various tracks and paths give access across the reserve, but these can be wet and muddy.

Classification

Description:

Extensive tract of heathland, once more widespread in this part of Cornwall. Close to the road, a mire has developed, fed by many small springs and streams. Woodland and heath support a wide range of habitats and species.

Characteristic wildlife of this reserve:

The boggy areas have large populations of bog asphodel, round-leaved sundew and pale butterwort. Bog asphodel, a member of the lily family, with spiky yellow star-like flowers, blooms in July and its warm orange fruit capsule lasts until September. The yellow seeds have long tails at each end which help them to float and disperse in flood water.

Cornish bladderseed grows on the southern edge of the Downs on the edge of the scrub.

Small heath, grayling and green hairstreak butterflies can be seen on summer days on the short heath areas.

Skylarks are rather drab in appearance, but their songflight is exhilarating. The little bird rises up and up with quivering wings, singing all the while as though it were full of the joy of life, until it becomes a mere dot in the sky, where it may stay for several minutes. Then it descends, haltingly and still singing until, when it is near the ground, it suddenly drops to earth.

Other information:

Three Bronze Age barrows are present on site, part of a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves

List of reserves ... Armstrong Woods Bakers Pit Beales Meadow Bissoe Valley Bosvenning Common Cabilla and Redrice Woods Caer Brân Carn Moor Chûn Downs Churchtown Farm Chyverton Devichoys Wood Downhill Meadow Fal-Ruan Estuary Five Acres Fox Corner Greena Moor Halbullock Hawkes Wood Helman Tor Kemyel Crease Kennall Vale Lanvean Bottoms Loggan's Moor Loveny Lower Lewdon Luckett Maer Lake Nansmellyn Marsh North Predannack Downs Park Hoskyn Pendarves Wood Penlee Battery Phillips's Point Priddacombe Downs Prideaux Wood Quoit Heathland Redlake Cottage Meadows Ropehaven Cliffs Rosenannon Downs St Erth Pits St George's Island Swanvale Sylvia's Meadow Tamar Estuary Tincombe Trebarwith Tresayes Tywardreath Marsh Upton Meadow Upton Towans Ventongimps Moor Welcombe & Marsland Windmill Farm

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