Discovering Neroche
The nature of Neroche
Neroche offers a cornucopia of wildlife, both familiar and commonplace, for everyone to discover. From primroses in the hedgebanks to rare orchids in the mires, and from buzzards overhead to rare fritillary butterflies in woodland glades, it's all there, if only you know where to look.
Nature in these hills is subtle and self-effacing, not brash and dramatic. Its wonder lies in its detail, its unexpectedness, and it makes itself felt to those prepared to wait, listen, watch. Find your way into the deeper corners of this landscape, and give it time, and you may be rewarded with some very special encounters, and a sense of wildness equalled in few other places in southern Britain.
This section gives an introduction to some of the wildlife we have in this part of the Blackdowns, and clues to where you might find it. Places listed here are accessible to the public, though care should always be taken not to disturb livestock and to take heed of restrictions during farming or forestry operations. Please respect wildlife and remember - take only photographs, and leave only footprints!
Find wildlife
Spring wildlife
Heralds of spring, the hirundines - swallows, swifts and martins - return to the UK after a death-defying migration flight from south of the Sahara Desert. Building their 'clay' nests under eaves and in sand banks, they grace the spring and summer, before gathering on the telegaph wires in early autumn to brace themselves for the long flight south once more.
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