The Spargo landscape

Wildlife & Habitats

Spargo Farm sits within a richly varied landscape where wildlife thrives alongside the working farm. A sheltered valley runs through the land, its stream feeding wetlands and a small bog, creating important habitats for birds, insects, and amphibians. Along the valley sides, remnants of Cornwall’s rare Atlantic temperate rainforest survive—moss-covered trees and damp woodland that support an extraordinary diversity of plants, lichens, and fungi.

Across the farm, traditional Cornish hedge banks divide fields and provide vital corridors for wildlife, sheltering small mammals, birds, and pollinators. In recent years we have also begun planting new areas of native woodland pasture, designed to restore a more diverse mosaic of trees, grassland, and grazing that benefits both livestock and biodiversity.

Our orchards add another layer to this living landscape. Planted with traditional fruit varieties—including Cornish Mother, Egremont Russet, and Sops in Wine—they provide blossom for pollinators in spring, fruit for people and wildlife in autumn, and year-round habitat for birds and insects.

Together these habitats form a connected ecosystem where farming and nature support one another, helping to restore biodiversity while maintaining the character of the Cornish countryside.