Wildlife

The rich and varied scenery of Somerset also provides the habitat for a diverse and fascinating wealth of wild creatures and plants.

The upland moors of Exmoor, the dry limestone grassland of Mendip, the rolling lowlands and the luch wet meadows of the Levels, together with a coast which varies from towering cliff to estuary mud flats, all combine to provide wildlife heritage of interest to the casual observer and serious student alike.

The county boasts four National Nature Reserves, over 60 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and a further 36 nature reserves owned or managed by voluntary bodies such as the Somerset Trust for Nature Conservation and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Somerset's woodlands vary from ancient stands of magnificent Oak or Ash to more recent plantations of conifers such as Douglas Fir or Larch. In the native broadleaved woods, centuries of careful management have produced balanced communities of trees, flowering plants, animals and insects. Carpets of bluebells may be interspersed with the rare orchid, next the sunny glade where spectacular displays of butterflies decorate the warm summer day.

On the coast waders and wildfowl can be seen in company with the true seabirds, especially on Bridgwater Bay. To the north and west, sand and mud flats give way to cliffs, the lonely haunts of gulls and auks.

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