Devil's Spittleful

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.3726, -2.2827

Also within

Worcestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Recovering (2) Favourable (3)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SO804750 Unfavourable Recovering 10.88 2013-09-30
SO807754 Favourable 15.96 2010-08-31
SO808752 Favourable 6.19 2010-08-31
SO809748 Favourable 64.07 2013-09-30
SO810752 Unfavourable Recovering 2.18 2013-09-30

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

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.

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Sandstone

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Area, 98.4 ha. 243.1 ac. Description This site lies to the southwest of Kidderminster on extensive deposits of Bunter Sandstone. The thin acidic soils derived from these rocks support one of the largest remnants of lowland heathland in Worcestershire. The vegetation of the Devil’s Spittleful consists of a mosaic of dwarf shrub heath, scrub, bracken Pteridium aquilinum and acid woodland which is largely dominated by silver birch Betula pendula and pedunculate oak Quercus robur. The shrub/heath community is dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris and wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa with abundant bell heather Erica cinerea and western gorse Ulex gallii. Because of its scarcity in Worcestershire, this habitat supports a number of species with very restricted distributions in the county. These include heath dog violet Viola canina, sheep’s bit Jasione montana and buck’s horn plantain Plantago coronopus which is more common near the sea. Also present are annual knotted clover Trifolium striatum, small cudweed Logfia minima, early forget-me-not Myosotis ramosissima, bird’s foot Ornithopus perpusillus and annual knawel Scleranthus annuus. Of special interest is the presence of the rare grey hair grass Corynephorus canescens, a plant normally found on coastal sands in the East of England, which occurs here at its only known location in the county. In addition to the heathland the site includes small areas of unimproved acidic grassland dominated by wavy hair grass and common bent Agrostis capillaris, with viper’s bugloss Echium vulgare and moonwort Botrychium lunaria. The site supports a wide range of breeding birds and invertebrates, the latter includes the pearl bordered fritillary Boloria euphrosyne, purple hairstreak Favonius quercus, silver washed fritillary Argynnis paphia and the scarce micro moths Trichopteryx polycommata and Perconia strigillaria.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
silver-washed fritillary Argynnis paphia LC butterfly nymphalidae
pearl-bordered fritillary Boloria euphrosyne VU butterfly nymphalidae
purple hairstreak Favonius quercus LC butterfly lycaenidae
moonwort Botrychium lunaria VU fern ophioglossaceae
bracken Pteridium aquilinum LC fern dennstaedtiaceae
common bent Agrostis capillaris LC grass poaceae
grey hair grass Corynephorus canescens NT grass poaceae
wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa Not listed in GB list grass poaceae
viper's bugloss Echium vulgare LC herb asteraceae
sheep's bit Jasione montana VU herb campanulaceae
slender cudweed Logfia minima LC herb asteraceae
early forget-me-not Myosotis ramosissima LC herb boraginaceae
bird's foot Ornithopus perpusillus LC herb fabaceae
buck's-horn plantain Plantago coronopus LC herb plantaginaceae
annual knawel Scleranthus annuus DD herb carophyllaceae
knotted clover Trifolium striatum LC herb fabaceae
heath dog violet Viola canina EN herb violaceae
grass wave Perconia strigillaria Not listed in GB list moth geometridae
barred tooth-striped Trichopteryx polycommata Not listed in GB list moth geometridae
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
birch Betula pendula LC tree betulaceae
common oak Quercus robur LC tree fagaceae

Plant communities

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Salix 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

Hedera 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

Hedera 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

Hedera 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