Wildlife in Devon

Devon is unsurpassed for the beauty and quality of its landscapes. The beaches, shores and estuaries, the traditional farmed landscape with rolling hills, woods and hedgerows, the lowland heaths, the moors and uplands – all combine to make Devon one of the most stunning destinations in Great Britain.

Where else can boast two National Parks, five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and England’s first natural World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast? There are also twelve estuaries punctuating over 400 km of coastline and 210 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

But Devon’s wealth of natural beauty does not stop there. Look closer and you will find a sheer abundance and variety of wildlife that few areas in Britain can rival. The rich and largely unspoilt landscape supports many different habitats; these in turn provide a home to a fascinating diversity of plants and animals, too many to name here.

Don’t forget, Devon’s environment has something to offer throughout the year, not just in the spring and summer months. Many of the sites are best visited out of season, such as our estuaries which support large numbers of migrating and wintering birds. Our heaths and moorlands take on their own unique beauty during the winter months, and the stunning displays of spring flowers, such as wild daffodils and bluebells, are simply breath-taking.

Ashclyst Forest

Ashclyst Forest, one of Devon’s largest woodlands, lies just outside Exeter and offers a haven for wildlife and nature enthusiasts.

Heddon Valley

Heddon Valley is a National Trust site within Exmoor National Park – a stunning natural haven of wooded slopes, a

Blackdown Hills AONB

The Blackdown Hills AONB, spanning the Devon-Somerset border, is a tranquil landscape of rolling hills, steep valleys, and rich biodiversity.

Branscombe Beach

Branscombe Beach, located on the Jurassic Coast in East Devon, is a shingle and pebble beach backed by rolling cliffs

Berry Head

Berry Head is a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is a wildlife-rich

Meeth Quarry Nature Reserve

Meeth Quarry Nature Reserve, managed by Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT), is a vital wildlife site in North Devon, known for

Small Pearl bordered Fritillary Neil Hulme 2

Marsland Nature Reserve

Marsland Nature Reserve is a Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve, which is a mixture of woodland, coastline and butterfly-filled meadows

Stapleton Mire Culm Grassland

Stapleton Mire is a Culm grassland, rich in nationally rare plant and insect species. Some areas are almost dominated by

Chiffchaff National Trust Images Nick Upton

Yarner Woods

Yarner Wood is West of the town of Bovey Tracey and on the South East edge of Dartmoor National Park

Lee Bay

Lee Bay is on the South West Coast Path, on the coast road reached through the Valley of Rocks from

Tarr Steps

Tarr Steps is a must-visit destination in Exmoor National Park. This ancient “clapper bridge,” the longest and oldest of its

Shaugh Bridge

This landscape of woodlands and granite cliffs has been shaped by centuries of activity – you can find remnants of

Veilstone Moor Culm Grassland

Veilstone Moor is an area where every type of Culm is found here – from dry heathland grasses, to water-filled

Arlington Woods

Arlington Woods are surrounding the Arlington Court estate – which has over 2,700 acres to explore. The area is part

Meshaw Moor Culm Grassland

Meshaw Moor consists of a patchwork of 13 field of wildflower-rich Culm grasslands, surrounded by hedges. It is a really

Meresfelle Culm Grassland

Meresfelle is one of the Devonshire Culm grasslands that once dominated the landscape of this part of north-west Devon. It

Goren Farm

Goren Farm was an extensive dairy farm up until 1990, but since then, the fields have been set to hay

Dawlish Warren

Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve is over 500 acres of protected grassland, sand dunes, mudflats and centres home to over 600

Aylesbeare Common

Aylesbeare Common is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Natura 2000 site. You can enjoy

Black-a-Tor Copse

Black-a-Tor Copse National Nature Reserve is a narrow band of high-elevation ancient oak woodland, where the trees take on stunted,

Exeter Quay

Exeter’s Quayside situated next to the River Exe and the Exeter Ship Canal is a popular destination for locals and

Beer Head 10 Gun Battery

The beginning of the 19th century was a tense time in Britain, with a fear of invasion caused by political

Seaton Wetlands

Explore Seaton Wetlands and enjoy beautiful marshland and reedbeds alongside the River Axe. There are five bird hides and nearly

The Taw-Torridge Estuary

The extensive Taw-Torridge estuary has a typical range of saltmarsh communities, with plants such as glasswort, sea aster and sea

Photo across a dune slack to sand dunes in the background

Braunton Burrows

Situated at the entrance to the Taw-Torridge Estuary, Braunton Burrows is among Britain’s most significant sand dune systems and forms

Watersmeet, Exmoor

Watersmeet is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in the south west. Oak dominates the canopy, but other species

Slapton Ley

The main geological feature at this wonderful site is a dramatic shingle bar running from Strete Gate south to the

Andrew’s Wood

Developed on a series of fields once farmed by the villagers of Stanton, Andrew’s Wood now has a mix of

Photo of an orchid at Jetty Marsh, Newton Abbot

Jetty Marsh Reserve

The Jetty Marsh Reserve is a small site with a mosaic of reedbeds, scrub, grassland, open water and ditches and

Bovey Heathfield

Bovey Heathfield is a remnant of lowland heathland that was once much more common in the area. It has suffered

Dunsford Woodland Reserve

Dunsford Woodland Reserve lies on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park. This riverside woodland reserve consists primarily of sessile

Photo looking out over Stover Lake through trees

Stover Country Park Wildlife

Stover Country Park covers 114 acres which consist of six main habitats types: freshwater, marshland, coniferous plantation, mixed broadleaved woodland,

Photo of lichen on trees and rocks at Black-a-Tor Copse, Okehampton

The Granite Way

The Granite Way is an 11-mile cycle and walkway running between Okehampton and Lydford, mostly following the course of the