Wildlife Explorer
Credit: Apodemus sylvaticus bosmuis, Rasbak
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.
Red fox
Famed for their cunning and stealth, these orangey-red dogs with their bushy tails can be seen in towns and the countryside. They come…
Linnet
The linnet can be seen on farmland and heathland across the UK. But, like so many other farmland birds, linnets are declining rapidly,…
English oak
The English oak is, perhaps, our most iconic tree: the one that almost every child and adult alike could draw the lobed leaf of, or…
Skylark
The song of the skylark has been the subject of many great musical and literary works. A quintessential feature of our farmland and…
Woodland
Our woodlands are a key tool in the box when addressing climate change for their carbon storage potential, but are less well known for…
Orchard
A visit to a traditional orchard reveals gnarled old trunks of fruit and nut trees bursting with blossoms and young leaves in springtime…