Annet ( kw, Anet, ''
kittiwake
The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-l ...
'') is the second largest of the fifty or so uninhabited
Isles of Scilly, west of
St Agnes with a length of and approximately in area. The low-lying island is almost divided in two by a narrow neck of land at West Porth which can, at times, be covered by waves. At the northern end of the island are the two granite carns of Annet Head and Carn Irish and three smaller carns known as the Haycocks. The rocky outcrops on the southern side of the island, such as South Carn, are smaller. Annet is a bird sanctuary and the main seabird breeding site in Scilly.
[Robinson, P. (2003) The Birds of the Isles of Scilly. London: Christopher Helm.]
The island is closed to the public all year round to limit the disturbance to the breeding seabirds during the summer months and breeding Atlantic Grey Seals during the winter months, for which it has been designated a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is also within part of the Isles of Scilly
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of th ...
(AONB),
Isles of Scilly Heritage Coast and part of
Plantlife's,
Isles of Scilly Important Plant Area The island is managed by the
Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust[Parslow R (2007) ''The Isles of Scilly''. London: HarperCollins] who lease it from the
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...
.
History
Little has been found on Annet in the way of human remains apart from a prehistoric
hut circle
In archaeology, a hut circle is a circular or oval depression in the ground which may or may not have a low stone wall around it that used to be the foundation of a round house. The superstructure of such a house would have been made of timber an ...
, a fragmentary field system and several limpet
middens
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecof ...
. Bones of cattle and sheep were found indicating that they were eaten here and probably grazed the island.
It is proposed to designate the whole of Annet as a
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
. The name of the island is first recorded in 1302 as ''Anet''. Also recorded as ''Anete'' in 1305, ''Anet'' in 1339, ''Agnet'' in 1570 and ''Agnet iland'' alias ''Annett'' in 1650.
In the 19th century Annet was ″''used for pasturage by the inhabitants of other islands''″
although with only one freshwater seepage there could not have been many animals grazing on the island.
The SS ''Castleford'' struck the
Crebawethans in June 1877 and led to some of her cargo of 250 to 450 cattle being landed on the island and staying there for up to 10 days. Gurney (1889) reported that "... the animals trampled everything and would have caused an immense amount of damage at the peak of the shearwater and storm petrel nesting season". It seems unlikely that many stayed for 10 days because of the need for fresh water. Cattle were washed up on the Cornish coast as far as
Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay ( kw, Baya an Garrek) is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head. In the north of the bay, near Marazion, is St Michael's Mount; the origin o ...
and
St Ives.
Another ship wrecked nearby, the world's only seven-masted schooner,
''Thomas W Lawson'' spilled her cargo of oil on 14 December 1907 causing the loss of many birds. In 1971 Rex Cowan found the wreck of
VOC ''Hollandia'' together with a large quantity of coins, bronze cannons and mortars. The ship hit Gunner Rock on 13 July 1743 with the loss of 276 lives.
Natural history
The geology of Annet is of
Hercynian granite overlain with
raised beach
A raised beach, coastal terrace,Pinter, N (2010): 'Coastal Terraces, Sealevel, and Active Tectonics' (educational exercise), from 2/04/2011/ref> or perched coastline is a relatively flat, horizontal or gently inclined surface of marine origin, ...
deposits. On the southern end there is a "thick bed of soil, part sand and part soil".
[ The island is low-lying with a top height of 18 m and the coast consists of boulder storm beaches. The effects of wind exposure, salt spray and lack of topography, restricts diversity and only 53 species of vascular plants have been recorded. The north of the island is dominated by a well developed, thick, thrift ('']Armeria maritima
''Armeria maritima'', the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink ...
'') turf whilst the southern part is dominated by dense stands of bracken (''Pteridium aquilinum
''Pteridium aquilinum'' (bracken, brake or common bracken), also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North America, the extreme lightness o ...
''), bramble (''Rubus fruticosus
''Rubus fruticosus'' L. is the ambiguous name of a European blackberry species in the genus '' Rubus'' in the rose family. The name has been interpreted in several ways:
*The species represented by the type specimen of ''Rubus fruticosus'' L ...
'') and bluebells (''Hyacinthoides non-scripta
''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is k ...
''), with some sand sedge (''Carex arenaria
''Carex arenaria'', or sand sedge, is a species of perennial sedge of the genus ''Carex'' which is commonly found growing in dunes and other sandy habitats, as the species epithet suggests (Latin , "sandy"). It grows by long stolons under the soi ...
'') and Yorkshire fog (''Holcus lanatus
''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial grass. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive ...
''). Thickets of tree mallow ('' Lavatera arborea'') have developed at the back of some of the boulder beaches. There were scattered colonies of shore dock ('' Rumex rupestris'') until a storm in 1982 swept away some of the boulder beaches. One colony remains in the corner of a relatively sheltered beach in the south of the island at a freshwater seepage. Shore dock is one of the primary reasons for the selection of the Isles of Scilly as a Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...
(SAC). Annet is the ″British stronghold″ for the lichen '' Roccella fuciformis''.
A description of the island by Hilda Quick, a former resident of St Agnes published in 1964 is still relevant today:
Many people are disappointed at being unable to visit the famous bird sanctuary, but in fact, there is very little to see there by day. There will be shearwater corpses lying about, (victims of the gulls) several large colonies of gulls, some oystercatchers, rock pipits, and wrens. The walking on the island is horrid, much of it over loose stones hidden in long grass, some bramble and bracken, and awkward great clumps of thrift. What Annet is famous for is its colonies of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels; but since they nest underground, and only come and go in the dark, there is nothing to be seen of them by day. One has to camp out for the night, which is often a chilly process, and requires special permission. The puffins that to breed there in such numbers that their bodies were used for paying rent are now few, and can best be seen from a boat as they swim on the water.
Fauna
Annet is considered to be of outstanding importance as a seabird colony. Twelve species nest here, of which two, European storm–petrel ('' Hydrobates pelagicus'') and lesser black-backed gull ('' Larus fuscus'') have nationally important breeding populations. The storm–petrel breeds amongst the boulders of the more stable storm beaches. The largest population of Manx shearwater (''Puffinus puffinus
The Manx shearwater (''Puffinus puffinus'') is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx shearwaters were called Manks puffins in the 17th century. Puffin is a ...
'') in the islands breed here and the other annual breeding species are puffin ('' Fratercula arctica''), greater black-backed gull ('' Larus marinus''), razorbill ('' Alca torda''), kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla
The black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' as ''Larus tridactylus''. The English ...
''), fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis
The northern fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis''), fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is a highly abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hemis ...
''), herring gull ('' L. argentatus'') and shag ('' G. aristotelis''). Common tern (''Sterna hirundo
The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migrat ...
'') breed on the island most years as do cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...
'') and very rarely Arctic tern ('' S. paradisaea'').
Breeding birds
Annet has long had a reputation for being the best island for breeding birds and Jessie Mothersole
Jessie Mothersole (1874–1958) was an English archaeologist, artist, and author.
Early life and education
Mothersole was born in Essex in 1874 and trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1891/92 until 1896. During this time Mo ...
visiting in 1910 described the island thus:
Annet is known by the name of "Bird Island" from the immense numbers that breed there. In the early summer the sea all round is black with puffins and razor-bills, their white breasts being hardly noticeable as they sit on the surface of the water ; and the air above is dark with clouds of gulls, and full of their ceaseless cry. Puffins (also called sea-parrots) have bred on the islands from time immemorial.
Numbers of breeding birds have fallen over the years and in the last 150 years some of the threats have been recorded.
The Reverend Smart recorded his visit in 1885,
To land on Annet, when thousands of young birds are fledged and making their first essays at flight, is one of the best bits of fun imaginable, especially within a couple of hundred yards of the usual place of debarcation. The sandy, peat-coated soil is honeycombed by the birds. The young one has come out of the nest and with two or three steps you will get him. Do you though? In an instant one or both legs have suddenly sunk in the burrowed ground and birdie has escaped you. So the sport goes on, and it is a genuine romp for bird and follower. If you capture young ones you release them again. No gun has killed or lacerated; no stick has harmed; there is but a moment's scare for the palpitating, pecking fledgling, and he is off again, to join his parents, who hover near, and by their plaintive cries cheer up his beating heart and tell him they are at hand.
J. H. Gurney visited the island in May 1887 and estimated the population of Manx shearwater to be 200 pairs. He reported: There had been a terrible robbery on Annet, a few days before our visit, of Shearwaters or their eggs, or both, and the south end of the island was dug over in all directions. Notwithstanding this, we had no difficulty in finding the objects of our search; indeed the ground was so honeycombed, that it was impossible in some places to avoid stepping on, and breaking into, their domiciles.
The raid on the colony had been carried out by men from Tresco and they were brought before the Lord Proprietor Thomas Smith-Dorrien-Smith
Lieutenant Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien-Smith (7 February 1846 – 6 August 1918) was Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly from 1872 until his death in 1918.
Family
Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien-Smith was born on 7 February 1846 at Berkha ...
; Gurney did not report on their punishment if any. He also reported that Annet was the only island without rats. A few weeks later cattle from the SS ''Castleford'' were landed on Annet after she hit the nearby Crebawethans and was said to have "trampled everything to pieces, broke in all the Shearwaters' holes, probably destroying many birds, and made a ruin of everything". Another wreck, the ''Thomas W Lawson'' on 14 December 1907, spilled her cargo of oil and many of the rabbits and birds on Annet "were seen to lie upon the shore". The smell of oil could still be smelt on nearby St Agnes 18 months later.
At the time of Jessie Mothersole's visit in 1910, visitors were only allowed one hour on the island and shooting and egg collecting was forbidden. Despite this, Annet figured highly on the list of places to visit for egg collecting. An examination of the egg collection at the Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...
(NHM) shows forty-five eggs taken between 1880 and 1936 by fourteen individuals from Holloway College; doubtless there are many more eggs in private collections. Names on the data cards include well known wildlife experts such as Charles Rothschild
Nathaniel Charles Rothschild (9 May 1877 – 12 October 1923), known as "Charles", was an English banker and entomologist and a member of the Rothschild family. He is remembered for The Rothschild List, a list he made in 1915 of 284 sites acro ...
and Frederick William Frohawk
Frederick William Frohawk (16 July 1861 – 10 December 1946) was an English zoological artist and lepidopterist.
Frohawk was the author of ''Natural History of British Butterflies'' (1914), ''The Complete Book of British Butterflies'' (1934) ...
. An indication of how common and acceptable egg collecting was at the time, is the issue of day permits to visit uninhabited islands by the warden Arthur Dorrien-Smith of Tresco. A NHM data card for three eggs in the collection, has a permit for landing on Annet on 24 May 1931 attached, and allowed the Souter brothers to land on any island, except tern islands, for up to one hour.
European storm–petrel
The only breeding sites for European storm-petrel in England are on the Isles of Scilly with 11 colonies and an estimated 1,475 occupied sites (i.e. breeding pairs). Annet had the majority of breeding pairs with 938 occupied sites during the Seabird 2000 survey declining to 788 occupied sites in a repeat survey in 2006.
Other species
The most recent count of seabirds on the Isles of Scilly was the Seabird 2000 count and on Annet 209 nests were found to be occupied by shag out of a total of 1,109 for the islands. On Scilly, they breed almost exclusively beneath boulder beaches or holes in low cliffs. Manx shearwater was estimated to occupy 123 burrows out of a total of 201 for the islands’ – a 74% decrease from a previous survey in 1974.
On 22 September 2002 the first lanceolated warbler (''Locustella lanceolata'') recorded on the Isles of Scilly was found during a search for migrant birds. Also seen was two sedge warbler (''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') and four willow warbler
The willow warbler (''Phylloscopus trochilus'') is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strongl ...
(''Phylloscopus trochilus'').
Mammals
In 1996 the Isles of Scilly was designated a European Marine Site and the Marine Management Organisation is required to monitor the site at least every six years. The grey seal ('' Halichoerus grypus'') is a named species and surveys were carried out in 2005 and 2010. Annet is one of the top four sites within the islands for numbers of seals and, during August to December 2010, over half of the observed pups seen were on Annet (46 out of 85). Records of some of the rarer cetaceans
Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel t ...
are from strandings and the British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...
was the first organisation to publish such reports for Britain. Strandings are often the only indication that rare species live, or pass through, an area and in 1917 an endangered species, a male fin whale
The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of c ...
(''Balaenoptera physalus'') was washed up.
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna ...
(previously English Nature) began a rat extermination programme in the 1990s with systematic baiting now being carried out by the Wildlife Trust. Brown rats (''Rattus norvegicus
''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus.
Species and description
The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'' ...
'') have been eradicated from Annet and a feasibility study has found that the eradication of rats from St Agnes and Gugh
Gugh (; kw, Keow, meaning "hedge banks") could be described as the sixth inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, but is usually included with St Agnes with which it is joined by a sandy tombolo known as "The Bar" when exposed at low tide. Th ...
would benefit the breeding birds on Annet by removing the most likely source of invasion. The study also found that small mammals also benefit from the eradication programme which should help the Annet population of Scilly shrew ('' Crocidura suaveolens''). A rat eradication programme started on St Agnes and Gugh on 8 November 2013 and seems to be successful as none have been recorded in December. The eradication team will visit Annet in January 2014 to check for signs of rats.
Rabbit ('' Oryctolagus cuniculus'') has also been recorded.
A gull pellet found in 2002 contained the skull of a small mammal and when examined was found to be a water vole ('' Arvicola terrestris'') which has never been found on the Isles of Scilly. Water vole is extinct at the nearest possible mainland source, Cornwall, and the original location of the skull is unknown.
Invertebrates
The lepidopterist
Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.
Origins
Post- Renaissance, t ...
Austin Richardson made annual visits to the Isles of Scilly from 1956 to 1962 recording the moths and butterflies. On 14 September 1958, during a visit to Annet, he saw a crimson speckled (''Utetheisa pulchella
''Utetheisa pulchella'', the crimson-speckled flunkey, crimson-speckled footman, or crimson-speckled moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Sub ...
''); a migrant moth whose larvae have never been found in Britain. He did not see any larva of the grass eggar (''Lasiocampa trifolii
''Lasiocampa trifolii'', the grass eggar, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775 and found in Europe.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Europe in coastal dunes.
Life ...
'') but the imago
In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the fi ...
was found there the following August. K Smith visited Annet in June 1961 to record the diptera and also found a moth, the garden tiger ('' Arctia caja'').
Odonata
Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. Members of the group first appeared during the Triassic, though members of their total group, Odonatoptera, first appeared in Late Carboniferous.
The two co ...
* Red-veined darter ('' Sympetrum fonscolombii'') photographed on 23 September 2002
Dictyoptera
*Lesser cockroach (''Ectobius panzeri
''Capraiellus panzeri'' is a species of non-cosmopolitan cockroach in the subfamily Ectobiinae: commonly known by its original (genus) name ''Ectobius panzeri''.
This European species extends into NW Africa and is localised in southern Great Br ...
'') found at Smith's Carn on 20 June 2002 by Rosemary Parslow
Lepidoptera
*''Aristotelia brizella
''Aristotelia brizella'' is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Switzerland and most of the Balkan Peninsula. Outside of Europe, it is found in North Africa and the Near East
The ''Near East''; ...
'' larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
(recorded in 1903)
*''Lobesia littoralis
''Lobesia littoralis'' is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is distributed wherever the foodplant occurs around the coasts of Europe, including the Faroes, Iceland and St Kilda.
Life history
The wingspan is 11–16 mm. The forewing ...
'' (1934, 1994, 1995 and 1996)
*Grass eggar (''Lasiocampa trifolii
''Lasiocampa trifolii'', the grass eggar, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775 and found in Europe.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Europe in coastal dunes.
Life ...
'') (1959)[ and empty pupal cases, September 1993][
*Crimson speckled ('']Utetheisa pulchella
''Utetheisa pulchella'', the crimson-speckled flunkey, crimson-speckled footman, or crimson-speckled moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Sub ...
'') (1958 and 1995)
*Garden tiger ('' Arctia caja'') (1961)[
*Knot grass larva ('' Acronicta rumicis'') (2011)
Diptera
* '']Medetera saxatilis
''Medetera'' is a large genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It includes about 350 species worldwide. The adults are commonly found resting on vertical surfaces such as tree trunks. The larvae are predators of bark beetle larvae.
A 201 ...
'' (recorded in 1961)
* '' Fucellia maritima'' (1961)
* ''Mydaea setifemur
''Mydaea setifemur'' is a fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single p ...
'' (1961)
* ''Minettia rivosa
''Minettia'' is a genus of small flies of the family Lauxaniidae. They have almost worldwide distribution, is one of the most species rich genera of the family with more than 120 described species. The Palaearctic is the most diverse with som ...
'' (1961)
* '' Sphaerophoria scripta'' (1961)
* '' Phryxe nemea'' (1961)
* '' Pherbellia cinerella'' (1961)
* ''Limonia unicolor
''Limonia'' can mean:
;Living things
* ''Limonia'' (fly), an insect genus
* ''Limonia'' (plant), a flowering plant genus
;Other
* Limonia (food), an Italian recipe
{{disambiguation
Genus disambiguation pages ...
'' (1961)[
Hymenoptera
* '']Bombus lapidarius
''Bombus lapidarius'' is a species of bumblebee in the subgenus ''Melanobombus''. Commonly known as the red-tailed bumblebee, ''B. lapidarius'' can be found throughout much of Central Europe. Known for its distinctive black and red body, this so ...
'' (recorded in 1961)
* '' B. terrestris'' (1961)
* '' B. hortorum'' (1961)
* '' B. muscorum'' (1961)
Flora
At the time of publication of Lousley's flora in 1971, 53 species of ferns, flowering plants and grasses had been recorded on Annet. They are as follows:-
* Bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produ ...
(''Pteridium aquilinum'')
* Sea spleenwort (''Asplenium marinum'')
* Lesser celandine
''Ficaria verna'' (formerly ''Ranunculus ficaria'' ), commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and Western Asia. It has fleshy da ...
(''Ranunculus ficaria'')
* Common scurvy-grass (''Cochlearia officinalis'')
* Danish scurvy-grass (''C. danica'')
* Common dog-violet
''Viola riviniana'', the common dog-violet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae, native to Eurasia and Africa. It is also called wood violet and dog violet. It inhabits woodland edges, grassland and shady hedge banks. It is ...
(''Viola riviniana'')
* Pale wood-violet (''V. reichenbachiana'')
* Sea mouse-ear (''Cerastium diffusum'')
* Common chickweed
''Stellaria media'', chickweed, is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.Fernald, M. L. 1950. “Gray's Manual of Botany”. Eight Edition. American Book Company, New York, NY. 1632 pp. It is native to Eur ...
(''Stellaria media'')
* Sea pearlwort (''Sagina maritima'')
* Cliff sea-spurry (''Spergularia rupicola'')
* Sea beet
The sea beet, ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''maritima'' ((L.) Arcangeli.), is a member of the family Amaranthaceae, previously of the Chenopodiaceae. Carl Linnaeus first described ''Beta vulgaris'' in 1753; in the second edition of ''Species Plantarum ...
(''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''maritima'')
* Hastate orache (''Atriplex prostrata'')
* Babington's orache (''A. glabriuscula'')
* Frosted orache (''A. laciniata'')
* Prickly saltwort (''Kali turgida'')
* Tree mallow (''Lavatera arborea'')
* Dove's–foot crane's–bill (''Geranium molle'')
* Sea stork's–bill (''Erodium maritimum'')
* Common bird's–foot trefoil (''Lotus corniculatus'')
* Bird's–foot (''Ornithopus perpusillus'')
* Bramble
A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inc ...
(''Rubus fruticosa'')
* English stonecrop
''Sedum anglicum'', the English stonecrop, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Sedum'' in the family Crassulaceae.
Description
''Sedum anglicum'' is a low-growing perennial with stubby, succulent, untoothed, alternate leaves. These ar ...
(''Sedum anglicum'')
* Navelwort (''Umbilicus rupestris'')
* Rock samphire (''Crithmum maritimum'')
* Sheep's sorrel (''Rumex acetosella'')
* Curled dock (''R. crispus'')
* Shore dock (''R. rupestris'') RDB, six plants found in 1994 and 51 in 1996.
* Nettle (''Urtica dioica'')
* Thrift
Thrift may refer to:
* Frugality
* A savings and loan association in the United States
* Apache Thrift, a remote procedure call (RPC) framework
* Thrift (plant), a plant in the genus ''Armeria''
* Syd Thrift (1929–2006), American baseball exec ...
(''Armeria maritima'')
* Early forgot-me-not (''Myosotis ramosissima'')
* Bittersweet
Bittersweet, bitter-sweet, or bitter sweet may refer to:
Biology
* A vine in the nightshade family, ''Solanum dulcamara''
* Some species of vines in the genus ''Celastrus'', including American bittersweet (''C. scandens'') and Oriental bitters ...
(''Solanum dulcamara'')
* Black nightshade (''Solanum nigrum'')
* Buckshorn plantain (''Plantago coronopus'')
* Cleavers
''Galium aparine'', with common names including cleavers, clivers, catchweed and sticky willy among others, is an annual, herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae.
Names
''Galium aparine'' is known by a variety of common names in English. They ...
(''Galium aparine'')
* Ragwort
''Jacobaea vulgaris'', syn. ''Senecio jacobaea'', is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere.
Common names inc ...
(''Senecio jacobaea'')
* Heath groundsel (''Senecio sylvaticus'')
* Common groundsel (''Senecio vulgaris'')
* Sea mayweed
''Tripleurospermum maritimum'' (syn. ''Matricaria maritima'') is a species of flowering plant in the aster family commonly known as false mayweed or sea mayweed. It is found in many coastal areas of Northern Europe, including Scandinavia and I ...
(''Tripleurospermum maritimum'') including some plants with double flowers (fl. ''pleno'')
* Slender thistle
''Carduus tenuiflorus'', known variously as slender-flower thistle, sheep thistle, shore thistle, slender thistle, winged plumeless thistle, winged slender thistle and winged thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It ...
(''Carduus tenuiflorus'')
* Spear thistle (''Cirsium vulgare'')
* Prickly sow-thistle (''Sonchus asper'')
* Bluebell (''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'')
* Sand sedge
''Carex arenaria'', or sand sedge, is a species of perennial sedge of the genus '' Carex'' which is commonly found growing in dunes and other sandy habitats, as the species epithet suggests ( Latin , "sandy"). It grows by long stolon
In biolo ...
(''Carex arenaria'')
* Heath-grass
''Danthonia decumbens'' (formerly ''Sieglingia decumbens'') is a species of grass commonly known as the heath grass, heath-grass, or staggers grass It is a tussock grass native to Europe and adjacent parts of Asia and North Africa. It may also b ...
(''Sieglingia decumbens'')
* Red fescue (''Festuca rubra'')
* Darnel fescue (''Catapodium marinum'')
* Annual meadow-grass
''Poa annua'', or annual meadow grass (known in America more commonly as annual bluegrass or simply poa), is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Notwithstanding the reference to annual plant in its name, perennial bio-type ...
(''Poa annua'')
* Cocksfoot
''Dactylis'' is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the bluegrass subfamily within the grass family. ''Dactylis'' is native to North Africa, they are found throughout the world, and are an invasive species. They are known in English ...
(''Dactylis glomerata'')
* Sand couch (''Elytrigia juncea'' subsp. ''boreoatlantica'')
* Yorkshire fog
''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial grass. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive sp ...
(''Holcus lanatus'')
* Creeping bent (''Agrostis stolonifera'')
References
External links
The Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Beauty
The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust
Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project
Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project: Frequently asked questions
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological
Uninhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Isles of Scilly
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1971
Special Areas of Conservation in England
Seabird colonies