DOWN TO EARTH in The City

21st June 2016 Graffiti mural Stirchley Park 1 hour bioblitz and a very pleasant evening  Check out the following link for a recent story of the above graffiti mural http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/vandals-destroy-beloved-stirchley-park-10958999 Blackbird Wood pigeon Pied Wagtail Woody nightshade White clover Red Clover Broadleaf plantain Ribwort plantain Daisy Creeping buttercup Rye Grass Yorkshire Fog Grass sp x1 Grass sp x1 Sheperd’s purse Common Lime x 2 Plane x 6 Hawthorn Oak x1 Sycamore Elder Sea Buckthorn x 3 Dandelion Nettle Vine Rose sp Rose sp Russian vine Ramson  Bumblebee sp Fly sp Ichneumon sp Ladybird larvae sp Ladybird larvae sp 11 spot Ladybird 22 spot ladybird Green orb weaver spider Liverwort Moss

"In 2001, a research paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology found that 80 per cent of the hawthorn plants supplied by the UK horticultural trade in 1997 came from Germany or Hungary where plants are adapted to substantially different growing conditions." (A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HEDGEROW 2016, John Wright) Hawthorn Beetle 

The Hedgelayer or Hedge Plasher Hedgelaying is a grand old autumn/winter practice for managing a hedge and is applicable for most broadleaf hedge types.  The stem of each tree/shrub is partially cut, or 'pleached' near the base, this allows it to remain attached to the root  and laid to one side, prevented from grounding by the previous stem or a stake. The pleacher remains alive and new growth begins from the base the following spring Hedge laying demonstration at Cannon Hill in 2010 The hedge today is broad, dense and tall, supporting and harbouring many animals and plants.  Up to 2010 the hedge had been routinely shorn each year forming a gappy condition at the base of the stems with a layer of entangled growth at 3 feet. Fair to say not great, if not useless, as a habitat. 6 years of growth and it has developed into a decent hedgerow with around 40 species of plant  recorded in this time, many herbaceous plants have been found at the ba...

`Lesser Stag Beetle found at the base of a Beech Tree at Holders Woods Information from http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/lesser-stag-beetle About The Lesser Stag Beetle may be smaller than its famous cousin, but it is still a relatively large beetle with large jaws. Adults can be found in woodland, parks and along hedgerows during the summer, often resting in the sun on tree trunks. The larvae depend on old trees and rotting wood to live in and feed on, and both adults and larvae can be found in the decaying wood of Ash, Beech and apple. The adults can be seen flying about at night, sometimes coming to outside lights. They mate and lay their eggs in a suitable piece of decaying wood. How to identify The Lesser Stag Beetle is a large beetle with a broad head and large jaws. It can be distinguished from the male Stag Beetle by its smaller mandibles and distinctively knobbed antennae, and from the small-jawed female Stag Beetle by its all-black wing cases. Where to...

'Canalised and sunken, hard edged and sterile'  Rea at Cannon Hill outside the MAC At Balsall Heath At Digbeth An interesting blog featuring rivers of the UK https://therivermanagementblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/the-rivers-of-birmingham/

Great day in the woods Hot sunny day, nicley  shaded under the canopy of Beech and Oak Bugs and beasts in the undergrowth A better day couldn't have been wished for -  Plenty of activity in the woods to keep us enthralled, especially Tree Creepers and Woodpeckers. Perhaps the star of the day was the Rhinoceros Beetle. "Looking forward to further wildlife days in the woods" - The lofty canopy  - "the woodland cathedral" Rhinoceros Beetle in old well rotted trunk at Holders Woods High rise dead oak, riddled with nooks and crannies, hollows and cavities; ideal for bats, birds and many other beasts of the woodland  

Exciting prospects for Highbury -  The recently formed Chamberlain Highbury Trust is planning an event for Heritage Week, September 11th 2016. Check out their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChamberlainHighbury/ Also National Heritage Week details can be found here  - http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk More details to follow but I've been planning my contribution along the lines of the following (work in progress) A Heritage Walk The Oaks of Highbury Park (evoking the past) A mapping walk ‘Between the Oaks’ of Highbury, linking the park today to the estate of Joseph Chamberlain and beyond to England in the reign of William III and Mary II. The Oaks in Highbury are the most common of the mature trees on site The oldest tree in the park is Oak (Circa 1693) There is a plantation of Millennium Oaks at Highbury Park planted in 1999-2000 The Oak is often reported to support more species than any other UK tree The walk features trees over a century o...