Holnicote Estate

Wildlife

Red deer group in Holnicote

Exmoor supports the strongest sub-population of Red deer in England. There are over 300 Red deer living on the Holnicote Estate.

You can often see deer on Ley Hill above Porlock, and around the edges of Horner Wood.

Look out for the Exmoor ponies. They help to maintain the moorland habitat of Exmoor.

They act as a team of lawn mowers, keeping the grass short and eating scrub.

There are 15 different species of bat living at Holnicote. In the UK as a whole there are only 17 species.

Bat species at Holnicote include the Lesser Horseshoe and Barbastelle.

The Heath Fritillary butterfly is one of the rarest butterflies in Britain. Holnicote represents its national stronghold.

Another notable butterfly is the High Brown Fritillary, on the estate in small populations.

Horner Wood is full of many species of lichen. They live on the many ancient trees and the dead wood we leave in situ.

A total of 330 species, including many rare types, are found at Holnicote.