Our hills, meadows and woodlands are filled with amazing wildlife and flora. The significant diversity in our natural landscapes and our rich mining history have both contributed to providing the right habitats for a range of species. From the elusive dormouse through to the dark green fritillary or from the magnificent bluebells through to the encrusted mats of Cladonia lichens, there is always something amazing to see or to discover.
Helping nature can start at home
There is a lot you can do to help the wildlife and flora in our county borough. If you are fortunate enough to have a garden, simple things like putting up bird boxes, leaving the grass to grow longer in some parts of the garden to be cut and collected later on in the season, piling up logs for hedgehogs and even drilling holes in them to create nesting habitats for invertebrates are all things which can be easily done and do not take much time or money. You could then visit these areas of your garden and awe at what you will discover living, nesting and feeding just outside your door.
If you do not have a garden, you can take part in litter picking activities nearby, monitor some of the wildlife when you are out and about and tell us what you see; or help us remove invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam from our countryside by simply pulling it up from the roots once it is in flower.
What else could I do?
There are many local and national events which you could get involved in.
If you are interested in doing practical conservation work, you could also join our RCT Local Nature Partnership and find out more about what some of our local volunteer groups are up to in your area.
Contact us at Biodiversity@rctcbc.gov.uk to find out more.
Plants
There are many species of plants which can be found throughout the county borough.
Our landscape, its climate and its heritage provide us with a vast array of habitats where our native flora can thrive. Whether walking through our heathlands, grassy lowlands, woods or even colliery spoil tips there is plenty to discover.
It isn’t just wildflowers, there is a whole range of grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, lichens and mosses as well as trees and fungi. All waiting to be discovered and right here on our doorstep.
Animals
We are very lucky in RCT to have such a diverse range of habitats and these habitats support a fantastic native fauna. Whether walking through towns or villages, through our parks or simply taking a stroll in our woods, you are bound to have a wildlife encounter.
This includes the diversity of invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. If you want to find out more about our priority species visit our Action for Nature Plan which contains lots of interesting background information.
So why not take a walk on the wild side and let us know what you see by reporting your sightings.