The White Cliffs: Two Miles, Two Thousand Years - White Cliffs Visitor Centre, Dover, Kent, UK
Posted by: Dragontree
N 51° 07.893 E 001° 20.227
31U E 383649 N 5665768
At the White Cliffs Visitor Centre this information board details the flora and fauna of the area as it is the Gateway to the White Cliffs of Dover.
Waymark Code: WMECHP
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/07/2012
Views: 20
The board describes how iconic the White Cliffs are to Britain. Formed between 65-80 million years ago the chalk cliffs were once the bottom of a tropical ocean. It is the compressed sea creatures which make up the chalk, condensed into rock with rainwater-created pockets of black flint.
Exmoor ponies are allowed to graze the grassland keeping the area ideal for its diverse variety of insects. Many of the plants are native species which date back to the last Ice Age and include Yellow Rattle, Horseshoe Vetch, Cocks-Foot Grass, the Early Spider Orchid and the Pyramidal Orchid.
Butterflies such as the Marbled White, Chalkhill and Actonia Blue find their food here and the Bloody Nosed Beetle survives in this habitat.
Reptiles feed on the insects and the Adder, Slow Worm and Common Lizard can be seen basking in the warm sunshine.
The White Cliffs provide nesting sites for birds such as the Fulmar, Kittiwakes, Black-backed Gulls and the Peregrine Falcon. Skylarks nest in the longer grass and many other species are abundant in this preserved, native land.
Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of yourself (and others) at the waymark and feel free to share any additional information or that is not contained on the sign or your experience generally.