Annet () is the second-largest of the fifty or so uninhabited

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...

, west of St Agnes with a length of and approximately in area. The low-lying island is almost divided in two by a narrow neck of land at West Porth which can, at times, be covered by waves. At the northern end of the island are the two granite carns of Annet Head and Carn Irish and three smaller carns known as the Haycocks. The rocky outcrops on the southern side of the island, such as South Carn, are smaller. Annet is a bird sanctuary and the main seabird breeding site in Scilly.Robinson, P. (2003) The Birds of the Isles of Scilly. London: Christopher Helm. The island is closed to the public all year round to limit the disturbance to the breeding seabirds during the summer months and breeding Atlantic Grey Seals during the winter months, for which it has been designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI). It is also within part of the Isles of Scilly

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

(AONB), Isles of Scilly Heritage Coast and part of Plantlife's, Isles of Scilly Important Plant Area The island is managed by the

Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, formed in 1985, is a Wildlife Trust covering the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands off the coast of Cornwall. It became the 46th member of The Wildlife Trusts in 2001 and is dedicated to ensuring that the a ...

Parslow R (2007) ''The Isles of Scilly''. London: HarperCollins who lease it from the

Duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

History

Little has been found on Annet in the way of human remains apart from a prehistoric hut circle, a fragmentary field system and several limpet middens. Bones of cattle and sheep were found indicating that they were eaten here and probably grazed the island. It is proposed to designate the whole of Annet as a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The name of the island is first recorded in 1302 as ''Anet''. Also recorded as ''Anete'' in 1305, ''Anet'' in 1339, ''Agnet'' in 1570 and ''Agnet iland'' alias ''Annett'' in 1650. In the 19th century Annet was ″''used for pasturage by the inhabitants of other islands''″ although with only one freshwater seepage there could not have been many animals grazing on the island. The SS ''Castleford'' struck the Crebawethans in June 1877 and led to some of her cargo of 250 to 450 cattle being landed on the island and staying there for up to 10 days. Gurney (1889) reported that "... the animals trampled everything and would have caused an immense amount of damage at the peak of the shearwater and storm petrel nesting season". It seems unlikely that many stayed for 10 days because of the need for fresh water. Cattle were washed up on the Cornish coast as far as

Mount's Bay Mount's Bay () is a bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall, England, stretching from the Lizard Point, Cornwall, Lizard Point to Gwennap Head. In the north of the bay, near Marazion, is St Michael's Mount; the origin of name of the bay. ...

and St Ives. Another ship wrecked nearby, the world's only seven-masted schooner, ''Thomas W Lawson'' spilled her cargo of oil on 14 December 1907 causing the loss of many birds. In 1971 Rex Cowan found the wreck of VOC ''Hollandia'' together with a large quantity of coins, bronze cannons and mortars. The ship hit Gunner Rock on 13 July 1743 with the loss of 276 lives.

Natural history

The geology of Annet is of Hercynian granite overlain with

raised beach A raised beach, coastal terrace,Pinter, N (2010): 'Coastal Terraces, Sealevel, and Active Tectonics' (educational exercise), from 2/04/2011/ref> or perched coastline is a relatively flat, horizontal or gently inclined surface of marine origin, ...

deposits. On the southern end there is a "thick bed of soil, part sand and part soil". The island is low-lying with a top height of 18 m and the coast consists of boulder storm beaches. The effects of wind exposure, salt spray and lack of topography, restricts diversity and only 53 species of vascular plants have been recorded. The north of the island is dominated by a well developed, thick, thrift ('' Armeria maritima'') turf whilst the southern part is dominated by dense stands of bracken (''

Pteridium aquilinum ''Pteridium aquilinum'', commonly called bracken, brake, pasture brake, common bracken, and also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North ...

''), bramble (''

Rubus fruticosus ''Rubus fruticosus'' L. is the ambiguous name of a European blackberry species in the genus ''Rubus'' (part of the rose family). The name has been interpreted in several ways: *The species represented by the type specimen of ''Rubus fruticosu ...

'') and bluebells (''

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant found in Atlantic areas from the north-western part of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, and also frequently used ...

''), with some sand sedge ('' Carex arenaria'') and Yorkshire fog ('' Holcus lanatus''). Thickets of tree mallow ('' Lavatera arborea'') have developed at the back of some of the boulder beaches. There were scattered colonies of shore dock (''

Rumex rupestris The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial, and perennial plant, perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennia ...

'') until a storm in 1982 swept away some of the boulder beaches. One colony remains in the corner of a relatively sheltered beach in the south of the island at a freshwater seepage. Shore dock is one of the primary reasons for the selection of the Isles of Scilly as a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC). Annet is the ″British stronghold″ for the lichen '' Roccella fuciformis''. A description of the island by Hilda Quick, a former resident of St Agnes published in 1964 is still relevant today:

Many people are disappointed at being unable to visit the famous bird sanctuary, but in fact, there is very little to see there by day. There will be shearwater corpses lying about, (victims of the gulls) several large colonies of gulls, some oystercatchers, rock pipits, and wrens. The walking on the island is horrid, much of it over loose stones hidden in long grass, some bramble and bracken, and awkward great clumps of thrift. What Annet is famous for is its colonies of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels; but since they nest underground, and only come and go in the dark, there is nothing to be seen of them by day. One has to camp out for the night, which is often a chilly process, and requires special permission. The puffins that to breed there in such numbers that their bodies were used for paying rent are now few, and can best be seen from a boat as they swim on the water.

Fauna

Annet is considered to be of outstanding importance as a seabird colony. Twelve species nest here, of which two, European storm–petrel ('' Hydrobates pelagicus'') and lesser black-backed gull ('' Larus fuscus'') have nationally important breeding populations. The storm–petrel breeds amongst the boulders of the more stable storm beaches. The largest population of Manx shearwater ('' Puffinus puffinus'') in the islands breed here and the other annual breeding species are puffin (''

Fratercula arctica The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin being found in the northeast ...

''), greater black-backed gull ('' Larus marinus''), razorbill (''

Alca torda The razorbill (''Alca torda'') is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinus impennis''). Historic ...

''), kittiwake ('' Rissa tridactyla''), fulmar ('' Fulmarus glacialis''), herring gull ('' L. argentatus'') and shag ('' G. aristotelis''). Common tern ('' Sterna hirundo'') breed on the island most years as do cormorant (''

Phalacrocorax carbo The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and ...

'') and very rarely Arctic tern ('' S. paradisaea'').

Breeding birds

Annet has long had a reputation for being the best island for breeding birds and Jessie Mothersole visiting in 1910 described the island thus:

Annet is known by the name of "Bird Island" from the immense numbers that breed there. In the early summer the sea all round is black with puffins and razor-bills, their white breasts being hardly noticeable as they sit on the surface of the water ; and the air above is dark with clouds of gulls, and full of their ceaseless cry. Puffins (also called sea-parrots) have bred on the islands from time immemorial.

Numbers of breeding birds have fallen over the years and in the last 150 years some of the threats have been recorded. The Reverend Smart recorded his visit in 1885,

To land on Annet, when thousands of young birds are fledged and making their first essays at flight, is one of the best bits of fun imaginable, especially within a couple of hundred yards of the usual place of debarcation. The sandy, peat-coated soil is honeycombed by the birds. The young one has come out of the nest and with two or three steps you will get him. Do you though? In an instant one or both legs have suddenly sunk in the burrowed ground and birdie has escaped you. So the sport goes on, and it is a genuine romp for bird and follower. If you capture young ones you release them again. No gun has killed or lacerated; no stick has harmed; there is but a moment's scare for the palpitating, pecking fledgling, and he is off again, to join his parents, who hover near, and by their plaintive cries cheer up his beating heart and tell him they are at hand.

J. H. Gurney visited the island in May 1887 and estimated the population of Manx shearwater to be 200 pairs. He reported:

There had been a terrible robbery on Annet, a few days before our visit, of Shearwaters or their eggs, or both, and the south end of the island was dug over in all directions. Notwithstanding this, we had no difficulty in finding the objects of our search; indeed the ground was so honeycombed, that it was impossible in some places to avoid stepping on, and breaking into, their domiciles.

The raid on the colony had been carried out by men from

Tresco Tresco may refer to: * Tresco, Elizabeth Bay, a historic residence in New South Wales, Australia * Tresco, Isles of Scilly, an island off Cornwall, England, United Kingdom * Tresco, Victoria, a town in Victoria, Australia * a nickname referring t ...

and they were brought before the Lord Proprietor Thomas Smith-Dorrien-Smith; Gurney did not report on their punishment if any. He also reported that Annet was the only island without rats. A few weeks later cattle from the SS ''Castleford'' were landed on Annet after she hit the nearby Crebawethans and was said to have "trampled everything to pieces, broke in all the Shearwaters' holes, probably destroying many birds, and made a ruin of everything". Another wreck, the ''Thomas W Lawson'' on 14 December 1907, spilled her cargo of oil and many of the rabbits and birds on Annet "were seen to lie upon the shore". The smell of oil could still be smelt on nearby St Agnes 18 months later. At the time of Jessie Mothersole's visit in 1910, visitors were only allowed one hour on the island and shooting and egg collecting was forbidden. Despite this, Annet figured highly on the list of places to visit for egg collecting. An examination of the egg collection at the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

(NHM) shows forty-five eggs taken between 1880 and 1936 by fourteen individuals from Holloway College; doubtless there are many more eggs in private collections. Names on the data cards include well known wildlife experts such as

Charles Rothschild Nathaniel Charles Rothschild (9 May 1877 – 12 October 1923) was an English banker and entomologist and a member of the Rothschild family. He is remembered for 'the Rothschild List', a list he made in 1915 of 284 sites across Britain that he c ...

and

Frederick William Frohawk Frederick William Frohawk (16 July 1861 – 10 December 1946) was an English zoological artist and lepidopterist. Frohawk was the author of ''Natural History of British Butterflies'' (1914), ''The Complete Book of British Butterflies'' (1934) ...

. An indication of how common and acceptable egg collecting was at the time, is the issue of day permits to visit uninhabited islands by the warden Arthur Dorrien-Smith of Tresco. A NHM data card for three eggs in the collection, has a permit for landing on Annet on 24 May 1931 attached, and allowed the Souter brothers to land on any island, except tern islands, for up to one hour. European storm–petrel The only breeding sites for European storm-petrel in England are on the Isles of Scilly with 11 colonies and an estimated 1,475 occupied sites (i.e. breeding pairs). Annet had the majority of breeding pairs with 938 occupied sites during the Seabird 2000 survey declining to 788 occupied sites in a repeat survey in 2006. Other species The most recent count of seabirds on the Isles of Scilly was the Seabird 2000 count and on Annet 209 nests were found to be occupied by shag out of a total of 1,109 for the islands. On Scilly, they breed almost exclusively beneath boulder beaches or holes in low cliffs. Manx shearwater was estimated to occupy 123 burrows out of a total of 201 for the islands’ – a 74% decrease from a previous survey in 1974. On 22 September 2002 the first lanceolated warbler (''Locustella lanceolata'') recorded on the Isles of Scilly was found during a search for migrant birds. Also seen was two

sedge warbler The sedge warbler (''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus ''Acrocephalus (bird), Acrocephalus''. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge warblers are ...

(''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') and four

willow warbler The willow warbler (''Phylloscopus trochilus'') is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strongl ...

(''Phylloscopus trochilus'').

Mammals

In 1996 the Isles of Scilly was designated a European Marine Site and the

Marine Management Organisation The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is an executive non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom established under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, with responsibility for English waters. The MMO exists to make a significant cont ...

is required to monitor the site at least every six years. The grey seal ('' Halichoerus grypus'') is a named species and surveys were carried out in 2005 and 2010. Annet is one of the top four sites within the islands for numbers of seals and, during August to December 2010, over half of the observed pups seen were on Annet (46 out of 85). Records of some of the rarer

cetaceans Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

are from strandings and the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

was the first organisation to publish such reports for Britain. Strandings are often the only indication that rare species live, or pass through, an area and in 1917 an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, a male

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured in length, wi ...

(''Balaenoptera physalus'') was washed up.

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

(previously English Nature) began a rat extermination programme in the 1990s with systematic baiting now being carried out by the Wildlife Trust. Brown rats (''

Rattus norvegicus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus' ...

'') were eradicated from Annet and a feasibility study found that the eradication of rats from St Agnes and

Gugh Gugh ( ; ) could be described as the sixth inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, but is usually included with St Agnes with which it is joined by a sandy tombolo known as "The Bar" when exposed at low tide. The island is only about long a ...

would benefit the breeding birds on Annet by removing the most likely source of invasion. The study also found that small mammals also benefit from the eradication programme which should help the Annet population of Scilly shrew ('' Crocidura suaveolens''). A rat eradication programme started on St Agnes and Gugh on 8 November 2013. This programme was successful, with St Agnes and Gugh being declared rat-free in early 2017. Rabbit ('' Oryctolagus cuniculus'') has also been recorded.
A gull pellet found in 2002 contained the skull of a small mammal and when examined was found to be a water vole (''

Arvicola terrestris The European water vole (''Arvicola amphibius'') or northern water vole is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brow ...

'') which has never been found on the Isles of Scilly. Water vole is extinct at the nearest possible mainland source, Cornwall, and the original location of the skull is unknown.

Invertebrates

The

lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the two superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post-Renaissance, the r ...

Austin Richardson made annual visits to the Isles of Scilly from 1956 to 1962 recording the moths and butterflies. On 14 September 1958, during a visit to Annet, he saw a crimson speckled ('' Utetheisa pulchella''); a migrant moth whose larvae have never been found in Britain. He did not see any larva of the grass eggar ('' Lasiocampa trifolii'') but the

imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the ''imaginal'' stage ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in wh ...

was found there the following August. K Smith visited Annet in June 1961 to record the

diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

and also found a moth, the garden tiger ('' Arctia caja'').

Odonata Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies (as well as the '' Epiophlebia'' damsel-dragonflies). The two major groups are distinguished with dragonflies (Anisoptera) usually being bulkier with ...

* Red-veined darter (''

Sympetrum fonscolombii The red-veined darter or nomad (''Sympetrum fonscolombii'') is a dragonfly of the genus ''Sympetrum''. Taxonomy There is genetic and behavioural evidence that ''S. fonscolombii'' is not closely related to the other members of the genus ''Sympetr ...

'') photographed on 23 September 2002

Dictyoptera Dictyoptera (from Greek δίκτυον ''diktyon'' "net" and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing") is an insect superorder that includes two extant orders of polyneopterous insects: the order Blattodea (termites and cockroaches together) and the or ...

*Lesser cockroach ('' Ectobius panzeri'') found at Smith's Carn on 20 June 2002 by Rosemary Parslow

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

*'' Aristotelia brizella''

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

(recorded in 1903) *'' Lobesia littoralis'' (1934, 1994, 1995 and 1996) *Grass eggar ('' Lasiocampa trifolii'') (1959) and empty pupal cases, September 1993 *Crimson speckled ('' Utetheisa pulchella'') (1958 and 1995) *Garden tiger ('' Arctia caja'') (1961) *Knot grass larva ('' Acronicta rumicis'') (2011)

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

* '' Medetera saxatilis'' (recorded in 1961) * '' Fucellia maritima'' (1961) * '' Mydaea setifemur'' (1961) * '' Minettia rivosa'' (1961) * '' Sphaerophoria scripta'' (1961) * ''

Phryxe nemea ''Phryxe nemea'' is a species of fly in the family Tachinidae. Distribution British Isles, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Ser ...

'' (1961) * ''

Pherbellia cinerella ''Pherbellia cinerella'' is a species of fly in the family Sciomyzidae. It is found in the Palearctic . ''P. cinerella'' is a dark and very characteristic ''Pherbellia'' and easy to recognise in the field by its long mid-frontal stripe and darken ...

'' (1961) * '' Limonia unicolor'' (1961)

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

* ''

Bombus lapidarius ''Bombus lapidarius'' is a species of bumblebee in the subgenus ''Melanobombus''. Commonly known as the red-tailed bumblebee, ''B. lapidarius'' can be found throughout much of Central Europe. Known for its distinctive black and red body, this soc ...

'' (recorded in 1961) * '' B. terrestris'' (1961) * '' B. hortorum'' (1961) * '' B. muscorum'' (1961)

Flora

At the time of publication of Lousley's flora in 1971, 53 species of ferns, flowering plants and grasses had been recorded on Annet. They are as follows:- *

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

(''Pteridium aquilinum'') * Sea spleenwort (''Asplenium marinum'') *

Lesser celandine ''Ficaria verna'' (formerly ''Ranunculus ficaria'' ), commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and d ...

(''Ranunculus ficaria'') * Common scurvy-grass (''Cochlearia officinalis'') * Danish scurvy-grass (''C. danica'') * Common dog-violet (''Viola riviniana'') * Pale wood-violet (''V. reichenbachiana'') * Sea mouse-ear (''Cerastium diffusum'') * Common chickweed (''Stellaria media'') * Sea pearlwort (''Sagina maritima'') * Cliff sea-spurry (''Spergularia rupicola'') *

Sea beet The sea beet, ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''maritima'' (L.) Arcangeli., is an Old World perennial plant with edible leaves, leading to the common name wild spinach. Description Sea beet is an erect and sprawling perennial plant up to high with da ...

(''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''maritima'') * Hastate orache (''Atriplex prostrata'') * Babington's orache (''A. glabriuscula'') * Frosted orache (''A. laciniata'') * Prickly saltwort (''Salsola kali'') * Tree mallow (''Lavatera arborea'') * Dove's–foot crane's–bill (''Geranium molle'') * Sea stork's–bill (''Erodium maritimum'') * Common bird's–foot trefoil (''Lotus corniculatus'') * Bird's–foot (''Ornithopus perpusillus'') *

Bramble ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. I ...

(''Rubus fruticosa'') * English stonecrop (''Sedum anglicum'') * Navelwort (''Umbilicus rupestris'') * Rock samphire (''Crithmum maritimum'') * Sheep's sorrel (''Rumex acetosella'') * Curled dock (''R. crispus'') * Shore dock (''R. rupestris'') RDB, six plants found in 1994 and 51 in 1996. *

Nettle Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include: * ball nettle ...

(''Urtica dioica'') * Thrift (''Armeria maritima'') * Early forgot-me-not (''Myosotis ramosissima'') * Bittersweet (''Solanum dulcamara'') * Black nightshade (''Solanum nigrum'') * Buckshorn plantain (''Plantago coronopus'') * Cleavers (''Galium aparine'') * Ragwort (''Senecio jacobaea'') * Heath groundsel (''Senecio sylvaticus'') * Common groundsel (''Senecio vulgaris'') * Sea mayweed (''Tripleurospermum maritimum'') including some plants with double flowers (fl. ''pleno'') * Slender thistle (''Carduus tenuiflorus'') * Spear thistle (''Cirsium vulgare'') * Prickly sow-thistle (''Sonchus asper'') * Bluebell (''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'') * Sand sedge (''Carex arenaria'') * Heath-grass (''Sieglingia decumbens'') *

Red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue, creeping red fescue or the rush-leaf fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to w ...

(''Festuca rubra'') * Darnel fescue (''Catapodium marinum'') * Annual meadow-grass (''Poa annua'') * Cocksfoot (''Dactylis glomerata'') * Sand couch (''Elytrigia juncea'' subsp. ''boreoatlantica'') * Yorkshire fog (''Holcus lanatus'') * Creeping bent (''Agrostis stolonifera'')

References

External links

The Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding BeautyThe Isles of Scilly Wildlife TrustIsles of Scilly Seabird Recovery ProjectIsles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project: Frequently asked questions
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological Uninhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Isles of Scilly Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1971 Special Areas of Conservation in England Seabird colonies