News
- Backyard Botanists – Naturalist program tills new generation of gardeners:: “The Cape Fear backyard naturalist program aims to promote environmental stewardship and educate residents of New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties about the plant and animal species in the Cape Fear region.”
- Why we must protect our local pollinators:: “The San Juan Islands are enjoying a relatively early spring green-up, flush with wildflowers such as blue camas and yellow buttercups, and all are abuzz with nectar–and pollen-loving insects. It is time to think about how colorless and tasteless our lives would be without pollinators.”
- Jo’s Mini Meadow 1 – How I transformed my lawn into a beautiful NearbyWild:: “It is early spring and my mini wildflower meadow looks much like the other lawns in this suburban neighbourhood: short grass! But look closer and you can see the leaves of Cowslips, some with flower heads, Common Vetch, Betony, Self Heal, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Field Scabious, Oxeye Daisies, Common and Greater Knapweed and tiny Yellow Rattle seedlings.”
- Urban bee diversity – a new study:: “…the centre of Northampton is home to a more diverse set of bee species than expected. In fact at least 50 species of bees are thought to live within a 500m radius of All Saints Church, which is significantly more than are found in the nature reserves at the edge of the town.”
- LEAF + LUSH = BiodiverCity?:: “When we think about biodiversity, we have some pre-set ideas in our minds of dense rainforests, native grasslands and other pristine landscapes. But what about cities?”
- Encourage bees into your garden with these extremely useful tips:: “Bees are vital pollinators in our food chain, but their numbers are declining. Help by keeping your garden a welcoming place.”
- Backyards Could be a Boon for Urban Birds:: “The researchers point out that while parks and preserves are important refuges for urban wildlife, the so-called matrix – which they describe as the “mosaic of land uses between habitat patches” – is equally important.”
- How much is that songbird at the feeder? Finch financials in Seattle v. Berlin:: “The survey results suggest that Seattleites do indeed value the finches highly. And it points up some intriguing differences between how Seattleites and Berliners view the birds around them.”
- ‘Bee lawns’ have thyme, clover and yarrow: Urban meadows and dandelions beneficial to birds, bees:: “While bees don’t use grass, humans do. Most flowers, if you start walking on them, will die. Clover will tolerate a bit of foot traffic.”
- Alien flies buzzing American city of Los Angeles:: “But it turns out there’s plenty of nature still waiting to be found, even in the concrete jungle. At least, that’s according to NHM entomologists Emily Hartop and Brian Brown, who have discovered thirty insect species never before known to science, all in LA backyards such as Renwick’s.”
- Biophilia will definitely change your way of designing forever:: “Biophilia is the last missing piece in the puzzle of sustainable and healthy cities.”
- Down Log Denizens:: “Once a tree dies it still has a lot of life in it. In fact, dead wood can provide more habitat value to many species than living wood.”
- Big European cities go green:: “Natural spaces that are also accessible – in big cities, that’s often contradictory. But such retreats are becoming ever more popular.”
Resources
- Backyard Ponds: Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for Dragonflies and Damselflies (PDF):: Migratory Dragonfly Partnership
- Gardening for the Birds: 5 places, 5 birds:: “Beside being a familiar source of food and habitat, gardening with native plants can also limit invasive species and predatory bird populations by strengthening the number of native birds.”
- Cultivating Habitat from YardMap:: “You might think your backyard is too small, your city park too urban, your farm too commercial, or your office too busy to be habitat, but that’s simply not true. Any outdoor space has habitat potential. Check out these suggestions to get started, or browse the map to find other sites like your own to get great ideas.”
Design
- Chicago’s new high line is ‘more than an elevated park’:: “There will be more than 450 different species of flora up here by the time the trail opens, and experts from Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo are busy fitting “critter cams” to monitor the wildlife it will inevitably attract.”
- University of Sheffield supports city regeneration project:: “The project will transform 1.3 kilometres of redundant road space, creating an attractive new linear public space including perennial meadows, a sustainable urban drainage system and rain gardens.”
