Credit: Apodemus sylvaticus bosmuis, Rasbak
Wildlife Explorer
The landscape of Birmingham and the Black Country has a rich social, economic and natural heritage shaped by a complex history of rural, industrial, and more recent suburban and commercial land use. The wildlife is as varied and valuable as that of any other part of the United Kingdom.
The rare and the special are here, from scarce mammals like water voles and polecats to dragonflies and kingfishers, plus a huge variety of plant life, as documented in the trailblazing book ‘Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country’. Adding spice to this is an astounding mix of species reflecting the many peoples and trades that have come here from around the world – for example plants grown from Argentinian seeds, and African parakeets.
Black oil beetle
This impressive beetle digs burrows, lays thousands of eggs and has bee-riding larvae.
Wren
The tiny wren, with its typically cocked tail, is a welcome and common visitor to gardens across town and countryside. It builds its…
Bog bush-cricket
This scarce bush-cricket can be found on the boggy parts of heathlands.
Hard rush
The stiff, spiky and upright leaves and brown flowers of hard rush are a familiar sight of wetlands, riversides, dune slacks and marshes…
Pea-leaf weevil
This small, stripy beetle is one of the most commonly encountered weevils.
Essex skipper
This small orange-brown butterfly can be tricky to tell apart from the similar small skipper.
