Breckland, covering 1,020km2 of eastern England, has a rich and unique assemblage of wildlife, which includes Mediterranean and continental steppe species found nowhere else in the UK, as well as heathland and coastal rarities. Whilst the region has long been known for its amazing natural history, more recently it has been overlooked: 'it fascinates but few, but those who have come under its spell are its slaves' (Clarke 1925).