Chudleigh Knighton Heath, near

Chudleigh Knighton Chudleigh Knighton is a small village in Devon, England, near to Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey. Amenities Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School has around 167 pupils, aged 5 to 11. The school has six classrooms on two floors. Ther ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, so designated because of its rare lowland heath vegetation. It is a habitat for many rare species including the ant, ''

Formica exsecta ''Formica exsecta'' (the narrow-headed ant or excised wood ant) is a species of ant found from Western Europe to Asia. A rare formicine ant with a deeply excised head, ''F. exsecta'' forms small mounds up to around a foot in height consisting ...

''. This is one of only two wild colonies in England, the other being at

Bovey Heath Bovey Heath is a 32 hectare (50 acre) area of heathland between Bovey Tracey and Heathfield in south Devon, England. Although primarily heathland habitat, the site has some wet mature oak woodland, and is home to rare species such as ...

."A colony of a rare species of ant has been returned to its home in Devon six years after it was rescued by Paignton Zoo"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, 25 February 2004. The site is leased by the

Devon Wildlife Trust The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's ...

from formerly WBB Minerals. The Trust have created several ponds noted for 12 breeding species of dragonfly including the scarce Keeled Skimmer."Quarry company extends lease of heathland nature reserve"

Western Daily Press The ''Western Daily Press'' is a regional newspaper covering parts of South West England, mainly Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset as well as the metropolitan areas of Bath and North East Somerset and the Bristol area. It is published Mon ...

, 29 November 2005. The Heath was once the village's main football pitch and was the venue for many sports days for Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School. However the pitch fell into disrepair and was unsuitable for sporting activities, so the School opened its own private sports field opposite to the village play park. The football pitch is now used by local dog walkers, the football posts are still standing today, though they are a little rusty.

References

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