Ventongimps Moor is a moorland

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological characteristics, in mid

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England, United Kingdom. The site, important for the occurrence of the plant Dorset heath, was the first reserve to be purchased by the

Cornwall Wildlife Trust The Cornwall Wildlife Trust is a charitable organisation founded in 1962 that is concerned solely with Cornwall, England. It deals with the conservation and preservation of Cornwall's wildlife, geology and habitats managing over 50 nature reser ...

History

The moor was mentioned in 1311, being called "Funtenvaes", meaning

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. Ventongimps Moor was the first nature reserve to be bought by the newly founded

in 1966. The site was spotted by a Trust volunteer, Dr Frank Smith, and purchased because it was under threat from intensive

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

activities. A Second World War

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

was discovered on the site in 1977 and subsequently removed for restoration, leaving behind a new pond on the moor.

Geography

The SSSI, notified in 1951, is located within

Perranzabuloe Perranzabuloe (; kw, Pyran yn Treth) is a coastal civil parishes in England, civil parish and a hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Perranzabuloe parish is bordered to the west by the Atlantic coast and St Agnes, Cornwall, St Agnes par ...

civil parish, near the hamlet of Ventongimps, north-west of the city of

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...

.Ordnance Survey: Explorer Map 104 ''Redruth & St Agnes'' The nature reserve is currently owned and managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Wildlife and ecology

The moor's predominant habitat is wet dwarf shrub

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

, although others include bogland,

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

land, mixed deciduous woodland and open water. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust utilises periodic burning and partial removal of scrub to manage the site. Of particular interest to the site are two Red Data Book plants, Dorset Heath ('' Erica ciliaris'') and Cornish eyebright ('' Euphrasia vigursii''). Other flora found on the site include Cornish Moneywort (''

Sibthorpia europaea ''Sibthorpia europaea'' is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Cornish moneywort. It can be found as a disjunct distribution in Western Europe from the Azores, Portugal and Spain to south-western Ireland and south-western Unite ...

''), the hybrid heath 'Dawn' ('' Erica x watsonii''), Hay-scented Buckler Fern (''

Dryopteris aemula ''Dryopteris aemula'', the hay-scented buckler-fern or hay-scented fern, is a species of perennial leptosporangiate fern. Description ''Dryopteris aemula'' grows as a crown of fronds arising from a short ascending rhizome. The rachis is dark ...

''), Wavy-leaved St John's Wort ('' Hypericum undulatum''), Yellow Bartsia ('' Parentucellia viscosa'') and Yellow Centaury ('' Cicendia filiformis''). The nationally rare

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly The scarce blue-tailed damselfly or small bluetail (''Ischnura pumilio'') is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae. The species occurs throughout Europe except in the north. To the east it occurs from Asia Minor to SiberiaTo the south ...

(''Ischnura pumilio'') is one of the 13 species of dragonfly and

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

that the ponds on the moor supports. The site also supports 99 recorded species of Lepidoptera.

References

External links

BBC Doomsday Project - Ventongimps
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological Nature reserves of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1951