Uphill Cliff () is a 19.8
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
biological 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 ...
near the village of
Uphill
Uphill is a village in the civil parish of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England, at the southern edge of the town, on the Bristol Channel coast.
History
Bone and stone tools found in caves at Uphill provide evidence of human activity i ...
,
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
, although it is in the
Avon Area of Search
The following is a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by area of search, in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are areas of conservation, consisting of protected areas, recognised for their biological or geological significance. In Northe ...
used by
English Nature
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Environmen ...
which is based on the
1974-1996 county system.
The site was
notified as an SSSI in 1952 and the area increased in a 1984 Revision. The site excludes Uphill Church and grounds.
It consists of species-rich calcareous grassland and rock-face situated on Carboniferous Limestone. Steeper banks and knolls in the grassland have a flora which includes
orchids
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
Somerset Hair Grass (''
Koeleria vallesiana
''Koeleria vallesiana'', the Somerset hair grass, is a grass species of the genus ''Koeleria''. It grows in Europe, temperate Asia, and North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely withi ...
''), and Honewort, (''
Trinia glauca
''Trinia glauca'' (honewort) is a low-growing umbellifer found in rocky areas.
Description
Honewort is a low-growing glabrous plant. Its stems can reach 20 cm, and are surrounded by abundant fibrous remains of petioles at the base. It is mu ...
'') and the Goldilocks Aster (''
Galatella linosyris
''Galatella linosyris'' (also called goldilocks aster, and often known by the synonyms ''Aster linosyris'' and ''Crinitaria linosyris'') is a species of perennial plant from family Asteraceae found in Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. It can ...
'') along with several species of
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
and
Weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They b ...
(''Curculionoidea'').
The site is approximately co-terminus with two
local nature reserves, Uphill Hill and Walborough Common.
References
{{SSSIs Avon biological
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1952
Weston-super-Mare
Cliffs of England