nature
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Tackling Himalayan Balsam in Nottinghamshire
Siobhan Brocklehurst Invasive Species Week: Protect Our Ecosystems If you’ve spent time near rivers, woodlands, or damp green spaces in summer, you may have spotted a tall plant with pink-purple flowers and explosive seed pods—this is Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), one of the UK’s most widespread invasive plant species. This week (June 22nd – June…
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LBAP Species Sightings in Nottinghamshire
Siobhan Brocklehurst & Kate Doull Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group focus on a number of species, one being the Grizzled Skipper, which is an LBAP species. This butterfly has been seen on many railway sidings in the south of Nottinghamshire, where plenty of work parties have been involved in supporting the habitat management which is undertaken…
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Nottinghamshire’s Native Black Poplars: Part 2
Siobhan Brocklehurst Initiation of the project In January 2026, we discovered which of our sampled trees are true natives. The following February we took cuttings from the native trees across Nottinghamshire, and we planted some in the ground and in pots with the hope that they would continue to grow into saplings. With the Environment…
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The Issue Explained: New Lount Meadow Management -Keeping it species rich
Siobhan Brocklehurst At first glance, it might seem strange that we regularly cut the grass in a nature reserve. After all, isn’t nature supposed to be left alone? In reality, careful meadow management is essential to maintaining the rich diversity of plants and wildlife that make New Lount so special. The meadow has developed on…
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Nottinghamshire’s Native Black Poplars: Part 1
Siobhan Brocklehurst The Black Poplar (Populus nigra subsp. betulifolia) is one of Britain’s rarest native trees. Historically, these trees thrived along lowland river floodplains, but land drainage, urbanisation, and canalisation have confined them to scattered remnants. Once valued for timber—used in building construction, wagon bottoms, rifle butts, and even flooring near fireplaces because of its…
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Restoring Biodiversity at Freckland Wood: A Day of Conservation
(December 18, 2025) https://nottsbag.org.uk/2025/12/18/restoring-biodiversity-at-freckland-wood-a-day-of-conservation/ On 11th November, staff from Nottinghamshire County Council visited Freckland Wood (one of the county’s green spaces sites) located on the edge of Newstead village. A fascinating site that was once a colliery pit tip, this is now a thriving broadleaved woodland. With its wide grassy rides (paths and tracks) open…
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Three Months in Conservation: A Career Change, Field Work, and What I’ve Learned So Far!
In September I started a full-time job as a Conservation Assistant – a career change I’d been working towards for some time. Now that I’ve reached the three-month mark, it feels like a good moment to share what the work is actually like, and how the skills I’m learning feed into the kind of practical…
