Cliveden’s mighty molluscs

1:50pm Monday 1st September 2008

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THINKING of visiting a National Trust property? Then don't forget your nets and magnifying glass - you may just discover a new species of wildlife, says nature expert Matthew Oates.

"Let's all celebrate the wildlife we have and find out what else is out there," says Matthew, who this week was "delighted" after volunteers at Cliveden discovered a small colony of Italian snails, never before seen in Britain.

Workers cleaning the statues in the gardens noticed the unfamiliar yet attractive snail, which has a spindle shaped shell and is only about 11 millimetres long.

Snail expert Janet Ridout Sharpe helped identify the small creatures as Papillifera papillaris, which is common in the Mediterranean and often associated with old buildings.

It is thought the new addition to British fauna "hitched a ride to the UK accidentally", when a large marble balustrade was shipped to Cliveden from Rome in 1896.

Matthew, a former Bucks resident and now the nature conservation advisor for the National Trust, says: "For this small colony of snails to remain undiscovered for more than 100 years, despite thousands of people visiting Cliveden every year, is remarkable.

"It really is a case of hidden nature revealing itself to the world after remaining in splendid isolation for so long and demonstrates how important our built structures can be for wildlife."

While the marble balustrade boasts the largest population of these Italian snails, small clusters have also been found on a red brick terrace 30 yards away, as well as the "tortoise fountain", which is situated a quarter of a mile further on.

Cliveden already supports a rich and varied amount of wildlife, including butterflies such as the Common Blue, Brown Argus and Small Tortoiseshell. There is also a large population of the scarce mining bee Macropis europaea, several specimens of the scarce wasp Tiphia femorate, the Red Data Book tumbling flower beetle and the nationally scarce jewel beetle.

Now Matthew is urging specialists and enthusiasts alike to search for more undiscovered species.

"As countryside has been lost to urban development, many National Trust gardens have become something of a refuge, or even the last stand for some species," says Matthew. "So I'm convinced there's plenty more to be found out there yet. Lets see what else we can discover."

Cliveden is open daily. Details: 01628 605069