White Island (off St. Martin's)
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV921178 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV924174 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV924177 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV925176 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV925177 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV926170 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV926175 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV926176 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
| SV927175 | — | Favourable | 15.6 | 2023-01-13 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Raised Beach · Geological Period: Quaternary · Rock Type: Breccia
Landscape processes: Coastal, Volcanic / Igneous
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| fulmar | Breeding |
| herring gull | Breeding |
| kittiwake | Breeding |
| lesser black-backed gull | Breeding |
Description
Area, 16.55 ha40.9 ac1,10,000, Description White Island is located off the north west side of St. Martin’s on the northern margins of the Isles of Scilly archipelago. This small uninhabited island is connected to St. Martin’s by a boulder covered, intertidal causeway and is particularly important for the suite of Late Pleistocene deposits in Chad Girt. Maritime heathland, maritime grassland and scrub habitats also occur here whilst the isolated cliffs support small colonies of breeding sea birds. Chad Girt is a site of longstanding importance for Quaternary studies in the Scillies. It shows a sequence of deposits comprising, 1. raised beach; 2, granitic head Porthloo Breccia; 3, soliflucted material containing glacially derived clasts and loess Hell Bay Gravel; 4, head containing erratics Brad and Cheese Breccia. Chad Girt is a classic site providing important lithostratigraphic evidence for interpreting the Late Pleistocene succession in the Isles of Scilly. Thin skeletal soils and extreme exposure have lead to the development of wind pruned “waved” maritime heath dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris, bell heather Erica cinerea and western gorse Ulex gallii together with common bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, heath bedstraw Galium saxatile and English stonecrop Sedum anglicum. The more sheltered areas with deeper soils have bracken Pteridium aquilinum, bramble Rubus fruticosus and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. Small areas of short turfed maritime grassland occur along the western coastal margin where thrift Armeria maritima, sea beet Beta vulgaris sp maritima, red fescue Festuca rubra, common scurvy grass Cochlearia officinalis and buck’s horn plantain Plantago coronopus are common. In addition the isolated habitats on White Island support five species of breeding sea birds including lesser black backed gull Larus fuscus, herring gull Larus argentatus, great black backed gull L. marinus, kittiwake Rissa tridactyla and fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. Notified to the Secretary of State on 31 March 1989
Species mentioned
Show the 18 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fulmar | Fulmarus glacialis | CR (Breeding) | bird-fulmar | procellariidae |
| herring gull | Larus argentatus | EN (NonBreeding), EN (Breeding) | bird-gull | laridae |
| lesser black-backed gull | Larus fuscus | DD (Breeding) | bird-gull | laridae |
| kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla | EN (Breeding) | bird-gull | laridae |
| bracken | Pteridium aquilinum | LC | fern | dennstaedtiaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| thrift | Armeria maritima | CR | herb | plumbaginaceae |
| sea beet | Beta vulgaris sp maritima | Not listed in GB list | herb | chenopodiaceae |
| scurvy grass | Cochlearia officinalis | LC | herb | brassicaceae |
| heath bedstraw | Galium saxatile | LC | herb | rubiaceae |
| honeysuckle | Lonicera periclymenum | LC | herb | caprifoliaceae |
| birdsfoot trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | LC | herb | fabaceae |
| buck's-horn plantain | Plantago coronopus | LC | herb | plantaginaceae |
| bramble | Rubus fruticosus | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| English stonecrop | Sedum anglicum | LC | herb | crassulaceae |
| western gorse | Ulex gallii | LC | shrub | leguminosae |
| bell heather or ling | Calluna vulgaris | NT | shrub dwarf | ericaceae |
| bell heather | Erica cinerea | NT | shrub dwarf | ericaceae |
Plant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas
W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas
W25 — Bracken scrub
Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub
Show 53 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas