Take a closer look at the coastal plants or halophytes spreading along roadsides to colonise the city. The term ‘halophyte’ refers to a plant tolerant of higher than usual salt levels. Typically, this means coastal plants that are regularly exposed to sea spray, submersion by saline water or soils saturated with salt. As you mightContinue reading “10 Coastal Plants Colonising the City”
Tag Archives: Newcastle
10 Urban Plants on the Rise in Newcastle
Just for fun, take a quick look at 10 urban plants currently on the increase across Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Our urban habitats are dynamic ones and when it comes to wildlife, things are always changing. This is perhaps most obvious in our wild and naturalised plants as new species arrive, others decline and our alteration of theContinue reading “10 Urban Plants on the Rise in Newcastle”
An Urban Flora of Newcastle – One Year On
A project update following a busy old year surveying the urban flora of Newcastle.
Newcastle’s Urban Flora – A Project Update
An account of a busy season recording for what I’m loosely calling an ‘Urban Flora of Newcastle‘. As many of you will know, over the past year, I’ve been working on a project to map the urban flora of Newcastle-upon-Tyne – a personal endeavor that I hope at some stage to publish. With 82 outContinue reading “Newcastle’s Urban Flora – A Project Update”
Exploring Alien Plants in Newcastle
A short round-up of an excellent few days spent recording alien plants in Newcastle.
An Urban Flora of Newcastle: Progress & Problems so Far
An update on ongoing survey carried out to map and record the diverse and fascinating Urban Flora of Newcastle.
Bee Orchids at B&Q
Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) are like hen’s teeth in the North East. Sure, they’re fairly reliable at a few more calcareous sites in the near area (Silverlink, in particular) but by large, pop up sporadically in odd places. In any given year, I tend to only encounter a few away from my usual haunts –Continue reading “Bee Orchids at B&Q”
Exploring the scarcer ladybirds of Newcastle
While out and about in search of ladybirds this last few weeks, I have been lucky enough to stumble across a number of scarce and unusual species
The North East Ladybird ‘Year List’ begins
With the Natural History Society of Northumbria’s fantastic North East Ladybird Spot launching this week, most of this weekend has been spent searching for these colourful insects at various sites across Tyneside. A January pastime I would never have considered a few short years ago that now, knowing where to look, is becoming somewhat ofContinue reading “The North East Ladybird ‘Year List’ begins”
The flora of Walker Riverside
Walker Riverside Park is a funny old place. Created in the 1980s, it sits atop former industrial land and boasts an intriguing mix of habitats, from grassland and woodland areas to salt-sprayed riverbanks.
A journey through the unusual trees (and shrubs) of Newcastle
A journey through the diverse and beautiful trees and shrubs of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. While I can separate the more familiar British species, your oaks, birches and common maples, anything beyond that has traditionally gone straight over my head. Not so useful in the city where planting and landscaping, both historic and recent, mean that would beContinue reading “A journey through the unusual trees (and shrubs) of Newcastle”
The flora of Iris Brickfield Park
Iris Brickfield Park sits fairly close to our home in Heaton, Newcastle, and as such, has been a mainstay of our local walks during the pandemic. Fairly small, at least when compared to Newcastle’s other parks, and managed by Urban Green, it provides a lifeline to many people living in the local area: dog walkers, joggers,Continue reading “The flora of Iris Brickfield Park”