Though it beggars belief, I am now four years into creating the first Urban Flora for Newcastle and North Tyne – a project that has consumed the vast majority of my free time of late with an ungodly amount of time spent combing the city to record the wild and naturalised plants that grow here. With the help of several other local botanists, things are now coming together quite quickly with only around 40 or so squares left to visit before we can call time on the recording stage of the project and move on to the all-important writing phase (gulp).
The process of piecing together this Flora has been nothing short of eye-opening. For one, it has been incredible to observe the sheer diversity of plant life thriving in the UK’s seventh-largest conurbation and now that we’re well into the ordeal, some fascinating trends are beginning to emerge. From the city’s most abundant species to its rarest, there’s a great deal to explore.
With that in mind, now seemed like as good a time as any for another urban update…
Some Headlines
In total, my fellow botanists and I have now recorded a whopping 1,042 species, subspecies, or hybrids growing in a wild or naturalised state across the 190 monads of conurbation from 2018-2025. This is far higher than I anticipated at the launch of the survey and makes for impressive reading when considered as a proportion of the British flora. Of these, around 52% are native species and 42% are neophytes (recent introductions). A further 6% are archaeophytes – species introduced in prehistory. The number of alien species in particular seems unusually high compared to other studies, but as you’ll soon see, there are likely a few reasons for this.
Astute readers may notice two small changes to my methodology this time around. First, the inclusion of records from 2018–2021. Given the sheer scale of the survey, this seemed like a practical decision. In practice, it equates to just 27 records per monad on average, with most focused on key sites such as Gosforth Nature Reserve. Second, the expansion of the survey area. While still somewhat limited, it was pointed out by several esteemed colleagues, that I may as well go the whole hog and cover the entire conurbation. So that’s exactly what I’ve done.
So far, about 200 of the recorded plants have been observed on just a single occasion, while the rest range from local rarities to common and widespread species found in most squares. Many of these one-off sightings are as expected either garden escapes or casual discards from cultivation. Freak occurrences, if you will. But interestingly, a good number of native species fall into this category too, including rarities such as Lesser Water-parsnip Berula erecta, Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, and Frosted Orache Atriplex laciniata. It’s very much a mixed bag.
The overall average number of species recorded per square in the conurbation now sits at 135 – perhaps closer to 140 when you exclude partial squares dominated by neighbouring vice-counties or open water. That’s a little lower than I’d like, and it suggests that certain species are still being missed in some areas. For that reason, the remainder of this year – and possibly early 2026 – will be spent ‘topping up’ the less-visited squares.
Jesmond Dene
Walker
Heaton
Ouseburn
Silverlink
Whitley Bay
Some New Neophytes
One of the most surprising aspects of the survey so far is that, even after three years of intensive recording (including contributions from botanists dating back to 2018), new species continue to appear all the time. There are quite a few, in fact. Recent additions include a young Japanese Shield-fern Polystichum polyblepharum growing on a muddy ledge in Jesmond Dene, Yellow Oxeye Buphthalmum speciosum invading grassland at Big Waters, and Wall Persicaria Persicaria capitata colonising masonry in North Shields. Others include Yellow Nonea Nonea lutea on waste ground in Shieldfield, and Warty Barberry Berberis verruculosa seeding itself from historic plantings in Jesmond Dene.
Some interesting new natives have also come to light since my last update – proof that there are still surprises to be found across the conurbation. These include Great Yellow-cress Rorippa amphibia, Ivy-leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus hederaceus, and Blinks Montia fontana.
Clearly, there’s still plenty left to discover on urban Tyneside.
Jesmond Dene
Jesmond Dene
Jesmond Dene
Are Newcastle and North Tyneside unique?
While the number of species recorded in the conurbation is notable – particularly the high proportion of neophytes – I’m not convinced that Newcastle is especially unique on a national scale. Were similar studies carried out in other urban areas of the UK, I suspect the results would be broadly comparable. That said, a few factors do appear to have an outsized impact on the plant diversity observed here. These include:
1. A wealth of industrial and reclaimed land with their associated disturbed and modified habitats
Some of the most diverse sites in the area are those with a history of industrial activity. These landscapes, shaped by extraction, dumping, or redevelopment, have contributed many notable finds. Key examples include Dune Helleborine Epipactis dunensis and Common Wintergreen Pyrola minor.
2. The tidal nature of the River Tyne and remnants of coastal habitats
Though perhaps less significant overall, the tidal stretch of the Tyne and small pockets of relic coastal habitat have introduced a range of halophytes that are absent from inland salted roads. Noteworthy species here include Prickly Saltwort Salsola kali, Sea-rocket Cakile maritima, Sea Couch Elymus athericus, and Sea Arrow-grass Triglochin maritima.
3. The persistence of other relic habitats in the urban landscape
Despite their often degraded state, the conurbation’s older woodlands and fragmented heathland patches continue to support species typically absent from urban settings. Among them are Sanicle Sanicula europaea, Heath Rush Juncus squarrosus, and Common Cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium.
4. The presence of Victorian-era wooded parks
Several of the city’s older parks, particularly Jesmond Dene, were originally managed in a naturalistic style and now managed as semi-natural settings. Jesmond Dene alone accounts for many of the more unusual records to date and though largely overtaken by native vegetation, it still supports an impressive list of exotics persisting or in many cases, reproducing. These include Gagnepain’s Barberry Berberis gagnepainii, Blue Anemone Anemone apennina, Shallon Gaultheria shallon, and Autumn Fern Dryopteris erythrosora.
5. Bird seed aliens within the urban flora
Less influential than the factors above but still noteworthy, at least 26 species recorded in the area are likely introductions via bird seed. This includes common escapees like Sunflower Helianthus annuus, as well as more surprising records such as Chia Salvia hispanica and Common Amaranth Amaranthus retroflexus.
Warwick Street
Newcastle City Centre
Heaton
Tynemouth
Some Missing Plants
Part of the fun of a project such as this is the opportunity to ‘chase down’ older recorders supplied by botanists in the area. Doing so has resulted in success in many instances but occasionally, the plant in question is not re-found. So far, around 40 plants have been listed as ‘missing’ from the conurbation.
Among these species are a few that were undoubtedly ephemeral in nature – Garden Anchuza Anchusa azurea and Winter Savory Satureja montana – while others have clearly been lost due to changes in the landscape. This appears to be the case for rarities in Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna, Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae and perhaps even Wood Millet Milium effusum which despite several searches, I cannot find in any of our older woods. A few more plants are more annoying in that they “should” be out there somewhere. I’m looking at you Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia and Little Mouse-ear Cerastium semidecandrum.
Most Abundant Plants
As you might expect, over the course of the survey, certain plants have proven to be far more abundant across the conurbation than others. As is the case elsewhere in the UK, these tend to be adaptable generalists or species with clever strategies for seed dispersal.
Just for fun, the table below shows the twenty most frequently recorded species so far. I doubt there’ll be many surprises and suspect many of these will in fact occur in every square.
| Species | Percentage Coverage |
|---|---|
| Annual Meadow-grass Poa annua | 98.4% |
| Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. | 98.4% |
| Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus | 97.4% |
| Daisy Bellis perennis | 97.4% |
| Cock’s-foot Dactylis glomerata | 97.4% |
| Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata | 96.8% |
| Nettle Urtica diocia | 95.8% |
| Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense | 95.3% |
| Yarrow Achillea millefolium | 95.8% |
| Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius | 94.7% |
| Smooth Sow-thistle Sonchus oleraceus | 94.2% |
| Dandelion Taraxacum agg. | 93.7% |
| Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris | 93.2% |
| Cleavers Galium aparine | 92.6% |
| Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris | 93.7% |
| Groundsel Senecio vulgaris | 90.5% |
| Wood Avens Geum urbanum | 90.0% |
| Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna | 90.0% |
| Elder Sambucus nigra | 90.0% |
| Greater Plantain Plantago major | 89.5% |
Most Diverse Sites
Totting up the most diverse squares in the conurbation has been an interesting task. By large, the squares with the highest species diversity typically feature a wide range of habitats including large areas of relatively undeveloped land such as nature reserves or public parks.
The twelve squares with the greatest species diversity are listed below.
| Name | Grid Ref | Species Count |
|---|---|---|
| Gosforth Nature Reserve | NZ2570 | 277 |
| Lower Ouseburn Valley | NZ2664 | 276 |
| Iris Brickfield | NZ2766 | 268 |
| Heaton Park | NZ2665 | 260 |
| Havannah (East) | NZ2271 | 257 |
| Jesmond Dene | NZ2666 | 249 |
| Scotswood Garden | NZ2064 | 232 |
| Silverlink Park | NZ3170 | 245 |
| Little Waters | NZ2373 | 240 |
| Benwell | NZ2163 | 231 |
| Leazes Park | NZ2464 | 221 |
| Great Park (South) | NZ2270 | 218 |
Except for Gosforth Nature Reserve, which is predominantly natural in its composition, all of these squares contain a mix of relic natural or reclaimed land and urbanisation. Eleven out of twelve of these also contain wetland ecosystems of varying sizes, ranging from small ornamental ponds to lakes and minor rivers.
Plan of Attack
And there we have it – a brief update on the Urban Flora. We’re into the final stretch now, with surveying likely to wrap up by early 2026. Had others not joined in, I suspect I’d be at this much longer!
All that remains is to finish writing the darn thing and turn it into a book. With [very] little disposable income to fund this, I’ll need to be smart about how I go about it but I’ve got a few ideas for grants and free publishing avenues to follow up on in due course.
All that’s left is to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s helped so far whether directly, by sharing records or joining field visits, or indirectly through support and encouragement. There are many of you, and with support not always forthcoming from the places you might expect, your involvement has meant a great deal. Onwards…
Jesmond Dene
Newcastle City Centre
Jesmond
Jesmond Vale
