The Vadills

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 60.2766, -1.4755

Open in the interactive map →

Also within

Shetland County

Condition (NatureScot)

Favourable (3)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
F1 Saline lagoon Favourable — 2005-03-31
F2 Tidal rapids Favourable — 2005-03-31
F3 Egg wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii) Favourable — 2005-03-31

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.

Habitats

Coastal vegetated shingle, Saline lagoon

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial

Description

The Vadills The Vadills, at the head of Brindister Voe, is an excellent example of a complex lagoon system of eight shallow basins with examples of both sea inlets and silled basins. This is an extremely sheltered, undisturbed and natural environment and contains a wide range of habitats and species, with the notified features being the beds of egg-wrack Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackayi on sheltered mid-shore substrata, the saline lagoon and the tidal rapids. The basins are separated from the outer voe and each other by shallow rock, boulder or shingle narrows, several of which are intertidal. Water turnover is restricted and hence there is considerable freshwater influence, with the salinity range grading habitats from brackish through fully marine to hypersaline conditions, from still to fast-flowing water and from soft, floculent, peaty mud through course sediments to boulders and bedrock. The beds of the free-living variety of egg-wrack Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackayi and the biotope of which it is a part, is unknown elsewhere in Shetland and scarce in Britain. In the tide swept rapids that occur between individual basins the dominant egg-wrack is associated with a rich fauna of sponges and ascidians together with foliose and filamentous red algae. This biotope is restricted and nationally scarce. Elsewhere are good examples of habitats and communities representative of the littoral zones of very sheltered shores in Shetland, dominated by serrated wrack Fucus serratus, channel wrack Pelvetia canaliculata, egg wrack Ascophyllum nodosum, bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus, spiral wrack F.spiralis and F.ceranoides. Small areas of extremely sheltered sediment in the upper reaches of the Vadills support beds of tasselweed Ruppia maritima.

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites		 Latin name
search with Google		 IUCN / Red List Type Family
egg wrack Ascophyllum nodosum Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
no common name Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackayi Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
serrated wrack Fucus serratus Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
channel wrack Pelvetia canaliculata Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
beaked tassel-weeds Ruppia maritima LC herb ruppiaceae

Plant communities

MC6 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Hard cliff and cliff slope

Atriplex prostrata-Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima sea-bird cliff community

Daucus carota, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum officianalis, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Cochlearia officinalis, Silene uniflora, Spergularia rupicola, Atriplex hastata, Malva arborea, Plantago coronopus, Armeria maritima, Polygonum aviculare, Rumex crispus, Bromus hordeaceous, Catapodium marinum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra

SD1 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Rumex crispus-Glaucium flavum shingle community

Solanum dulcamara, Crithmum maritimum, Cirsium arvense, Cirsium vulgare, Helminthotheca echioides, Hypochaeris radicata, Jacobaea vulgaris, Lactuca serriola, Leontodon saxatilis, Senecio viscosus, Sonchus arvensis, Sonchus asper, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Crambe maritima, Cerastium fontanum, Honckenya peploides, Sagina apetala, Silene uniflora, Atriplex prostrata, Sedum acre, Euphorbia paralias, Lathyrus japonicus, Geranium robertianum, Glaucium flavum, Plantago coronopus, Plantago lanceolata, Rumex crispus, Potentilla anserina, Ammophila arenaria, Arrhenatherum elatius, Elytrigia atherica, Elytrigia juncea, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne

SD2 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Honkenya peploides-Cakile maritima strandline community

Salsola kali, Achillea millefolium, Cirsium arvense, Eryngium maritimum, Hypochaeris radicata, Senecio vulgaris, Sonchus arvensis, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Cakile maritima, Cerastium diffusum, Honckenya peploides, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Atriplex glabriuscula, Atriplex laciniata, Atriplex littoralis, Atriplex patula, Atriplex prostrata, Sedum acre, Polygonum oxyspermum subsp. Raii, Rumex crispus, Potentilla anserina, Agrostis stolonifera, Ammophila arenaria, Arrhenatherum elatius, Elytrigia juncea, Elytrigia repens, Festuca rubra, Leymus arenarius, Poa annua

SD3 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Matricaria maritima-Galium aparine strandline community

Bolboschoenus maritimus, Juncus bufonius, Juncus gerardii, Ligusticum scoticum, Matricaria discoidea, Sonchus arvensis, Sonchus asper, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Mertensia maritima, Cakile maritima, Cochlearia officinalis, Honckenya peploides, Stellaria media agg., Atriplex glabriuscula, Atriplex patula, Atriplex prostrata, Triglochin maritimum, Plantago maritima, Armeria maritima, Rumex crispus, Glaux maritima, Galium aparine, Agrostis stolonifera, Elytrigia repens, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Leymus arenarius, Poa annua

SM19 — Saline lagoon, Salt marsh

Blysmus rufus salt-marsh community

Blysmus rufus, Carex extensa, Carex lepidocarpa, Carex nigra, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Eleocharis uniglumis, Juncus articulatus, Juncus gerardii, Amblystegium serpens, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Drepanocladus polygamus, Leptodictyum riparium, Oenanthe lachenalii, Scorzoneroides autumnalis, Cochlearia anglica, Trifolium repens, Triglochin maritimum, Triglochin palustre, Plantago maritima, Armeria maritima, Glaux maritima, Potentilla anserina, Agrostis stolonifera, Alopecurus geniculatus, Festuca rubra, Puccinellia maritima

SM20 — Saline lagoon, Salt marsh

Eleocharis uniglumis salt-marsh community

Bolboschoenus maritimus, Carex distans, Carex extensa, Carex nigra, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Eleocharis uniglumis, Juncus articulatus, Juncus gerardii, Leptodictyum riparium, Oenanthe lachenalii, Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Scorzoneroides autumnalis, Atriplex hastata, Trifolium repens, Triglochin maritimum, Triglochin palustre, Plantago maritima, Armeria maritima, Glaux maritima, Samolus valerandi, Potentilla anserina, Galium palustre, Agrostis stolonifera, Alopecurus geniculatus, Festuca rubra