Treen Cliff
Encyclopedia
Treen Cliff is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) located on the Penwith Peninsula in Cornwall
, UK, 10 km south-west of Penzance
. First notified in 1951, with a revision in 1973, and a further notification on 1st July, 1986, it is 48.56 ha in area, stretching from grid reference SW387220 to SW402225. Designated for both for its biological and geological interest, part of the site, Treryn Dinas, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
consisting of a "cliff castle" with four ramparts and ditches and the Logan Rock
. It is within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Penwith Heritage Coast
and is part owned and managed by the National Trust
.
beach in the west to Penberth Cove
in the east. Several rare plant species occur and the site is of particular importance for its maritime heath. At the last site assessment on 12th August, 2010, the SSSI was described as ″Unfavourable recovering″ because scrub
and bracken Pteridium aquilinum
encroachment are diminishing the interest, and the site needs to be grazed
. Removal of sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
would enhance the site as well as the control of other invasive species
. Maritime cliff habitat types, National Vegetation Classification
, (NVC) MC1
and MC5 need to be added to the notifiable features.
, bell heather Erica cinerea
and western gorse, Ulex gallii. Maritime grassland occurs on the steeper cliff slopes and is dominated by red fescue Festuca rubra, with spring squill Scilla verna, wild carrot Daucus carota
, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria and sea plantain Plantago maritima
. The Red Data Book (RDB) western clover Trifolium occidentale and the nationally rare hare’s foot clover Trifolium arvense grow here as well as hairy bird’s-foot trefoil Lotus subbiflorus
and bird-s-foot fenugreek Trifolium ornithopodioides.
Large areas are covered by scrub, dominated by gorse Ulex europaeus and blackthorn Prunus spinosa
and provide habitat for invertebrates and birds. Common dodder, Cuscuta epithymum
parasitises the gorse. A number of wet flushes occur along the coast dominated by common reed Phragmites australis. A small area of woodland dominated by elm Ulmus glabra and sycamore has developed on abandoned horticultural plots.
A description by Jean Lawman sums up the area eloquently:
Rock Sea Lavender Limonium loganicum
is an endemic plant that is found only along this part of the coast from Carn Les Boel to the Logan Rock
. all the colonies are within a SSSI but may be vulnerable from climbers or walkers on the lower slopes where it occurs.
Anthonomus rufus occurs on the cliffs and is associated with blackthorn the larvae
almost certainly in the flower buds. Formerly widespread in coastal Britain, now localised.
There are butterfly colonies of the Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene on Cribba Head in the eastern part of the site as well as the Thrift Clearwing Synansphecia muscaeformis a day–flying moth.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) located on the Penwith Peninsula in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK, 10 km south-west of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
. First notified in 1951, with a revision in 1973, and a further notification on 1st July, 1986, it is 48.56 ha in area, stretching from grid reference SW387220 to SW402225. Designated for both for its biological and geological interest, part of the site, Treryn Dinas, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
consisting of a "cliff castle" with four ramparts and ditches and the Logan Rock
Logan Rock
The Logan Rock near the village of Treen in Cornwall, England, UK, is an example of a logan or rocking stone. Although it weighs some 80 tons, it was dislodged in 1824 by a group of British seamen, intent on showing what the Navy could do...
. It is within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Penwith Heritage Coast
Heritage Coast
A Heritage Coast is a strip of UK coastline designated by the Countryside Agency in England and the Countryside Council for Wales as having notable natural beauty or scientific significance.- Designated coastline :...
and is part owned and managed by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
Description
The SSSI extends from PorthcurnoPorthcurno
Porthcurno is a small village in the parish of St. Levan located in a valley on the south coast of the county of Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is approximately to the west of the market town of Penzance and about from Land's End, the most westerly point of the English mainland...
beach in the west to Penberth Cove
Penberth
Penberth is a coastal village and cove on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately seven miles southwest of Penzance.Penberth Cove is one of the last remaining traditional fishing coves in Cornwall...
in the east. Several rare plant species occur and the site is of particular importance for its maritime heath. At the last site assessment on 12th August, 2010, the SSSI was described as ″Unfavourable recovering″ because scrub
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
and bracken Pteridium aquilinum
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
encroachment are diminishing the interest, and the site needs to be grazed
Conservation grazing
Conservation grazing is the use of semi-feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats....
. Removal of sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
would enhance the site as well as the control of other invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
. Maritime cliff habitat types, National Vegetation Classification
British National Vegetation Classification
The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain....
, (NVC) MC1
British NVC community MC1
British NVC community MC1 is one of the maritime cliff communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of five communities categorised as maritime cliff crevice and ledge communities.This community is found locally in coastal areas of western and southern Britain...
and MC5 need to be added to the notifiable features.
Plant communities
The main habitats are maritime heath and martime grassland, heath, scrub, flush and deciduous woodland. The maritime heath is dominated by heather Calluna vulgarisCalluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
, bell heather Erica cinerea
Erica cinerea
Erica cinerea is a species of heather, native to western and central Europe. It is a low shrub growing to tall, with fine needle-like leaves long arranged in whorls of three...
and western gorse, Ulex gallii. Maritime grassland occurs on the steeper cliff slopes and is dominated by red fescue Festuca rubra, with spring squill Scilla verna, wild carrot Daucus carota
Wild carrot
Daucus carota is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate regions of Europe, southwest Asia and naturalised to northeast North America and Australia; domesticated carrots are cultivars of a subspecies, Daucus carota subsp...
, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria and sea plantain Plantago maritima
Plantago maritima
Plantago maritima is a species of Plantago, family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, northwest Africa, northern and central Asia, northern North America, and southern South America...
. The Red Data Book (RDB) western clover Trifolium occidentale and the nationally rare hare’s foot clover Trifolium arvense grow here as well as hairy bird’s-foot trefoil Lotus subbiflorus
Lotus subbiflorus
Lotus subbiflorus, Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil, is a flowering plant of the pea family Fabaceae.It is a finely hairy annual plant, growing in dry, sandy ground, often near the sea, and producing sprawling stems with clusters of two to four lemon-yellow pea-type flowers, often with some borne...
and bird-s-foot fenugreek Trifolium ornithopodioides.
Large areas are covered by scrub, dominated by gorse Ulex europaeus and blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
and provide habitat for invertebrates and birds. Common dodder, Cuscuta epithymum
Cuscuta epithymum
Cuscuta epithymum L., is a parasitic plant assigned to the Cuscutaceae or Convolvulaceae family, depending on the taxonomy. It is red-pigmented, not being photosynthetically active. It has a filiform habit, like a group of yarns...
parasitises the gorse. A number of wet flushes occur along the coast dominated by common reed Phragmites australis. A small area of woodland dominated by elm Ulmus glabra and sycamore has developed on abandoned horticultural plots.
A description by Jean Lawman sums up the area eloquently:
Also in June, many of the cliffs are bright with Oxeye Daisies Leucanthemum vulgare and they are particularly abundant around Logan Rock and Porth Curnow area where they mix with foxgloves and button like, mauve Sheepsbit Jasione montanaJasione montanaSheep's bit scabious, Jasione montana, is a low-growing plant in the Campanulaceae family found in rocky places and upland regions of Europe and western Asia...
. The spectacle of all these flowers strewn along the cliff edge, with the classically beautiful PednevounderPedn VounderPedn Vounder is a tidal beach on the south coast of the Penwith peninsula, Cornwall, UK. It is immediately to the west of the Logan Rock headland, below Treen Cliff.The name of this location is from the Cornish 'pedn' and 'vounder' ....
beach below and the rugged headland of Treryn Dinas in the distance, must be one of the loveliest in Cornwall.
Rock Sea Lavender Limonium loganicum
Limonium binervosum
Limonium binervosum, commonly known as the Rock Sea Lavender, is an aggregate species in the family Plumbaginaceae.Despite the common name, Rock Sea Lavender is not related to the lavenders or to rosemary but is a perennial herb with small violet-blue flowers with five petals in clusters..Eight...
is an endemic plant that is found only along this part of the coast from Carn Les Boel to the Logan Rock
Logan Rock
The Logan Rock near the village of Treen in Cornwall, England, UK, is an example of a logan or rocking stone. Although it weighs some 80 tons, it was dislodged in 1824 by a group of British seamen, intent on showing what the Navy could do...
. all the colonies are within a SSSI but may be vulnerable from climbers or walkers on the lower slopes where it occurs.
Invertebrates
A nationally rare weevilWeevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
Anthonomus rufus occurs on the cliffs and is associated with blackthorn the larvae
Larvae
In Roman mythology, lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae as disturbing or frightening...
almost certainly in the flower buds. Formerly widespread in coastal Britain, now localised.
There are butterfly colonies of the Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene on Cribba Head in the eastern part of the site as well as the Thrift Clearwing Synansphecia muscaeformis a day–flying moth.