Around the Town Summary

After following this series, you have moved from seeing the town parks and gardens as purely 'ornamental' to understanding a complex "living archive." If you started with zero knowledge, here are the ten most significant insights you have gained about these various sites around the town:

1. The Town is a Biodiversity "Hotspot"

Despite being developed areas (classified as "brownfield"), the eight surveyed town sites support 44.2% of all species found in the entire Sidmouth area. This includes nearly 70% of all recorded bird species.

2. Brownfield Sites Form a Vital Network

While individual parks or beaches may seem ecologically poor on their own, collectively they form a larger biodiversity network. This network provides essential food, shelter, and warmth for wildlife across the Sid Valley.

3. Coastal Plants are Extreme Survivors

Species like Sea Kale and Yellow Horned-Poppy have evolved specialized traits to survive the seafront's harsh conditions, such as leathery leaves to prevent water loss and deep roots to anchor in unstable, salty shingle.

4. Private Gardens Provide Animal Sanctuaries

Because it receives more observation time and less public disturbance, the private grounds of Powys House record the majority of the area's land animals (tetrapods), including Badgers, Red Foxes, and Slow-worms.

5. Urban Areas Preserve 100% of Shingle Species

The town's coastal fringe is so critical that all 11 species associated with shingle habitats in the entire regional survey are found within this small cluster of town sites.

6. Flowers Reveal 200 Years of History

The presence of "woodland indicator" plants like Wood Anemone and Bugle in the town center suggests that these areas were once part of a large, wooded valley, likely as recently as 200 years ago.

7. Historic Walls are Living Habitats

Older walls built with lime mortar (like those in the Parish Churchyard) allow plants, mosses, and lichens to root in the joints. Modern cement is often too harsh to support this level of wall-based biodiversity.

8. Fungi Indicate Ancient Grasslands

The presence of Pink Waxcap fungi (also known as the Ballerina Waxcap) on the lawns near the bowling green is a significant ecological marker, as these rare fungi only grow in old, undisturbed grasslands.

9. Humans and Nature are in Constant Conflict

Many "brownfield" sites face a management tug-of-war. For example, the Beach Garden is sometimes seen by the public as a "weed patch," even though its primary purpose is to protect and reintroduce rare native coastal plants.

10. The Town Hosts "Escaped" and Invasive Species

Sidmouth's biodiversity includes many "escapees"—garden plants like Ivy-leaved Toadflax that have moved into walls—and invasive species like Three-cornered Leek, which can swamp native wildflowers if not managed.