As part of the enhancements to Victoria Park, both lakes were drained last year for restoration and desilting. East Lake has also been extended. During the summer, a lot of vegetation appeared on the bare mud and gravel, which had been underwater for years. Brian Wurzell, one of the country’s top botanists, was interested to see what plants had colonised the lake beds, so he got the Council’s permission to carry out a survey of both lakes. The surveys were carried out by Brian (see photo above) and the Council’s Biodiversity Officer, John Archer, on 22nd November. The results were…
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The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park won the Community Award at the RE:LEAF Awards 2011. The award, for the most successful project inspired, driven and delivered by a local community, was presented on 1st December at a prestigious awards ceremony held in the Living Room at City Hall. This follows the Friends’ triumph last year, when they won the Biodiversity Award in the 2010 London Tree & Woodland Awards, the predecessor to RE:LEAF. RE:LEAF is an initiative led by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, which aims to protect the capital’s trees and woodlands and to encourage individual Londoners,…
A major scientific report from Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology shows that almost three quarters of butterfly species in the UK have suffered population declines over the last 10 years. The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2011 report uses data collected by thousands of volunteers and mambers of the public to show that 72% of butterflies have declined in numbers in the first decade of the 21st century, while 54% have decreased their range in the UK. It is not just the scarce, habitat specialists which have suffered. Even the common butterflies found in gardens and…
Anyone who has visited Victoria Park over the last few months will be well aware that there are major enhancements under way. Indeed, over £12 million is being invested in the park by the Council, with support from the Big Lottery and Heritage Lottery Funds. The disruption may temporarily reduce people’s ability to enjoy the park, but the results will be well worth it in the longer term, for people and wildlife alike. There will be lots more facilities and things to see and do for park users, as well as new and enhanced habitats for the park’s plants and…
The Bee, Wasp and Ant Recording Society (BWARS) is asking people to look out for the Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae), and to e-mail them details of any records, preferably with photographs. The Ivy Bee was recorded as new to Britain in 2001 at Langton Matravers in Dorset. Since then, the bee has spread across much of southern England, and is now extremely plentiful in some coastal localities, and increasingly inland. Peak activity matches the flowering period of its key pollen forage plant, Ivy, and the species is on the wing from mid-September until early November. This makes it the last…
The Landscape Institute has published a new guide for communities wanting to increase and improve the green spaces in their local area. Local Green Infrastructure: Helping Communities make the most of their Landscape was published on 11 October. To download the document, click here (PDF 12MB). Speaking about the publication, Jo Watkins, President of the Landscape Institute said: “We want to inspire everyone to make changes in their neighbourhoods by thinking about what’s offered by the natural environment. As our case studies show, natural green open space attracts businesses to invest in an area, adds value to property, provides an…
Tower Hamlets Council’s biodiversity officer John Archer was astonished to find a Barred Warbler on a lunchtime visit to East India Dock Basin Nature Reserve on 26th September. The bird, a scarce visitor to Britain from Scandinavia, was only the ninth ever seen in London. Bizarrely, the last London record was also at East India Dock Basin, exactly five years ago, from 25th to 26th September 2006. Barred Warbler is a very large warbler, far bigger than the Blackcaps and Whitethroats regularly seen at the Basin. It is a very skulking bird, usually remaining in thick cover. The one at…
On 16 September, local birder Bob Watts found a Firecrest in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. The bird, a male, was singing between High Glade and Cherry Glade. This tiny bird, a recent colonist from the Continent, is still scarce in Britain. At least one Firecrest has spent the winter in Cemetery Park in four out of the last five years, making this one of the most reliable sites in London to see this beautiful bird. Let’s hope that this year’s Firecrest sticks around to draw birdwatchers from across the capital to Cemetery Park. The photograph above was taken in Cemetery…
The Department of Communities and Local Government has published a new, simple ‘how to’ guide for communities wanting to start up, share or save their own community orchards that could help reverse the national decline in traditional orchards. The community orchards guide (PDF 500KB) brings together in one place practical advice and guidance for green fingered enthusiasts who want to make the most of green spaces in their area. The guide outlines what new and existing support and powers are available for communities wanting to conserve or create community orchards. It provides links to expert organisations, information on where to…
One of Britain’s most beautiful, and rarest, moths seems to be colonising Tower Hamlets. At least ten Jersey Tiger moths have been seen in the borough during August 2011. The first one ever recorded at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park was seen on 12th (see photo below left), there was another in Hermitage Gardens the same day, and no less than seven were caught in a moth trap in a garden on the Isle of Dogs that evening before being released unharmed. Another was found in Poplar High Street on 14th. With its tiger-striped forewings and bright scarlet hind wings, this…