Discovering the natural world at A la Ronde

Flora and fauna are in abundance at A la Ronde near Exmouth.  Countless different species of grasses, flowers, shrubs, insects and trees have been identified on a recent nature walk hosted by local expert Nigel Pinhorn.

One of the group, Ginnie Cox, listed many of the varieties recognised, including the thick kneed beetle with their vivid metallic green colour, the quirkily named Corky-fruited water dropwort, the aptly named frog hopper which can jump great distances and the beautiful cut-leaved cranesbill.

A la Ronde Gardener David Collings said: “Our wonderful hay meadow is full of grasses, insects, butterflies and flowers, a must for all nature lovers.  With views over the Exe estuary, there is no better place to get engrossed in a nature walk, wild flower search or insect and bug hunt”.

A la Ronde is open seven days a week for visitors to come along and enjoy mid-morning coffee, a light lunch or a cream tea or take a wander around the grounds. The fascinating sixteen-sided house features extraordinary interior decoration including a feather frieze, gathered from native game birds and chickens, laboriously stuck down with isinglass.  There is also a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety using a touch screen 360-degree virtual tour.