Hartland Moor National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Hartland Moor NNR, adjacent to Stoborough Heath NNR, is famous for its spectacular mosaic of open heathland and bogs, which support some of England’s rarest wildlife. In addition to many specialised plants, the reserve is home to insects, reptiles and birds that are rarely found elsewhere. Typical plants are ling heather, cross-leaved heath, bell heather, bog asphodel, white beak sedge, western gorse, and rarities such as Dorset heath, marsh gentian and bog orchid. There are over 500 heathland invertebrates including the rare heath and large marsh grasshoppers, the heath tiger beetle and the heath bee-fly, plus the smallest butterfly, the silver-studded blue, and the largest moth, the Emperor hawk moth. Bird life on the reserve includes the Dartford warbler, hobby, meadow pipit, stonechat, nightjar and hen harrier, and the moor is home to all six native reptiles: the smooth snake, grass snake, adder, sand lizard, common lizard and slow worm.

Location

Ridge

About the area

Dorset is made up of rugged coastlines, high chalk downlands and a chain of picturesque villages and seaside towns that make up Britain’s Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, noted for its layers of shale and numerous fossils embedded in the rock. Hidden gems of Dorset can be found down winding, country lanes that lead to snug villages hidden from view.