Paid a visit to north London where I was impressed by some of the attempts to incorporate the natural world into the fabric of the area. Stayed across the River Lee from Walthamstow Marsh Nature Reserve (a SSSI). The river is much used for house boats and sculling but is also popular with Moorhen (Galinula chloropus), Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and mother Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). It clearly is also home to the Eel (Anguilla anguilla). The marsh was a site of early aviation developments with A.V. Roe. The Reserve now has boggy places with Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Branched bur reed (Sparganium emersum) and Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus). There are concentrations of Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Michaelmas daisy (Aster spp hybrids) but also lesser clumps of Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Marsh pea (Lathyrus palustris), Greater plantain (Plantago major), Annual wall rocket (Diplotaxis muralis), Lesser burdock (Arctium minus), White deadnettle (Lamium album) and Field woundwort (Stachys arvensis). Spotted a Harlequin beetle locked in an embrace with a Pine ladybird (Exochromus 4-pustulatus) and lots of Garden spider (Araneus diademata) activity. Dogs can be somewhat problematic (as is human disturbance) but the whole thing (including annual cutting) appears to work well. On the same visit, went to nearby Epping forest where all the trees are labelled and got good shots of a pink bracket fungus, Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) and a Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis). The whole development seems to have encouraged environmental campaigns such as one by Thames Water to encourage people to drink tap rather than bottled water. 
No comments:
Post a Comment