Killerton
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS964002 | — | Favourable | 0.56 | 2022-02-03 |
| SS972006 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 73.17 | 2022-03-14 |
| SS975004 | — | Favourable | 0.68 | 2022-02-03 |
| SS980000 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 0.58 | 2022-02-03 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Floodplain · Rock Type: Basalt
Landscape processes: Fluvial, Volcanic / Igneous
Description
Killerton SSSI Description The site covers much of Killerton Park and the quarries therein, and is one of the more accessible examples of Permain basalt-like rocks known as lamprophyres. The lamprophyres here are typical biotite-phyric minettes and although field relationships are often obscure, they are considered to be lava flows rather than the usual dyke-like bodies seen elsewhere. The National Trust is creating a floodplain environment for planting a living gene bank for black poplar Populus nigra. This will balance the ratio of sexes and provide as wide a genetic diversity as possible, making it self sustaining. Currently there are only 7,000 trees remaining in the country of which 600 only are female.
Species mentioned
Show the 1 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| black poplar | Populus nigra | LC | tree | salicaceae |
Insects to look out for
These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx |
Vulnerable | Populus spp. |
| Scarce chocolate-tip Clostera anachoreta |
Vulnerable | Populus spp. |
| Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria |
Vulnerable | Populus spp. |
| Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi |
Vulnerable | Populus spp. |
| The sallow Cirrhia icteritia |
Near Threatened | Populus spp. |
| Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria |
Near Threatened | Populus spp. |
Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.