The RSPB is calling for everyone in the South West to join the wildlife-planting revolution after a YouGov survey revealed that three quarters (78%) of people are now doing at least something in their garden or outside space to help wildlife (with 23% trying a lot, 28% trying a fair amount, and 27% trying a little).
The survey, commissioned by the RSPB as part of their Nature on Your Doorstep campaign, also revealed the wide range of ways that people in the South West are already gardening with wildlife in mind – 47% consider how a plant can benefit pollinators when choosing what...
Road verges cover 1.2% of land in Great Britain – an area the size of Dorset – and could be managed to help wildlife, new research shows .
University of Exeter researchers used Google Earth and Google Street View to estimate that verges account for 2,579 km2 (almost 1,000 square miles) of land.
About 27% of these verges are frequently mown, 41% is wilder grassland, 19% is woodland and the rest is scrub.
There are "significant opportunities" to improve verges by reducing mowing and planting trees, the researchers say.
People are being asked to help increase Exeter's wildflowers by backing a project that seeks to brighten up the city even more.
Devon Wildlife Trust has launched a Crowdfunder scheme to create more wildflower meadows across the county.
In Exeter the Trust are joining up with the City Council to further enhance the displays of wildflowers that have been bursting with colour on roadside verges, roundabouts and open spaces.
People are being asked to support the scheme by donating to Crowdfunder. People have until the end of Friday to make their pledges and can do so by...
Dr Gavin Haig, naturalist and former surgeon, has studied the healing properties of many native plants, with much of the work carried out in his own garden on the River Exe. This has featured on TV, has a great variety of habitats, and even provides a home for one of the rarest butterflies in Europe - the Marsh Fritillary. He says, “My passion for wildlife and the natural world began 60 years ago or more, during an idyllic boyhood in rural Essex, which allowed me to explore woods and streams, to climb trees and make dens, and to run freely in wildflower meadows, scattering rainbows of...
Devon artist and teacher Danny Holmes Adams guides both beginners and more experienced painters in responding to the natural world, in any medium.
Danny Holmes Adams is a renowned painter of landscapes in the SW and of still life, often featuring flowers. His art celebrates the human response to the astonishing beauty and surprises of nature, and his paintings are known for their luminous expressive quality. He is also highly regarded as a teacher, notably at the Dartmoor Arts Project summer-schools over nearly a decade. We feel very lucky that he is bringing his skill and...
This Sunday morning walk from the Castle with David Allen, of the Botany Section of the Devonshire Association, will look at plants of heathland and bog in this precious lowland heath habitat. Expert botanist David Allen of the Botany Section of the Devonshire Association will guide us through identifying some of the plants of heath and bog in the rare and precious lowland heath habitat of Woodbury Common. Please wear sturdy shoes, bring some drinking water, and dress appropriately for the weather. Entry by donation. Limited numbers, so please reserve a place
Exeter is looking bloomin’ marvellous thanks to a scheme to introduce wild flowers into everyday parts of the city. The Wild City project has seen Exeter City Council team up with Devon Wildlife Trust to encourage more nature into the city. This summer the scheme has paid dividends with roundabouts, parks and road verges breaking out in a riot of colour as the blooms of wild flowers enjoy the summer sunshine. The City Council has been inundated with letters and emails of praise from local residents and visitors enjoying the summer blooms. In Prince Charles Road, cars have been pulling up...
