West Midlands

There are a number of very varied gardens in the counties that make up this region.
Most are on mildly acidic soils. Many are wholly or largely undiscovered from a wildlife angle.

If you spot something that you want to tell us about, email: gardenswildlifesurvey@nationaltrust.org.uk with details of what, where and when...

Here is a taster of what you might expect to spot:

Biddulph

A series of Victorian gardens with different themes, many inspired by gardens from other countries.

Flora:

Quite flower-rich acid grasslands on banks and in some lawns.
Broad-leaved Helleborine occurs.
Mature trees, including a lime avenue with associated invertebrates.

Fauna:

Heathy banks provide habitat for common heathland bees.
Bats in buildings.
Badger sett in nearby church yard.
Birds include Bullfinch and Song Thrush.

Baddesley Clinton

Small garden with old, rather silted stew ponds and a small woodland walk.

Ponds:

The ponds lack vegetation (floating, submerged and emergent), hold many ducks and suffer from siltation from field drains from arable land nearby.
The adjoining incised feeder and exit stream gulleys are quite promising, notably for Flies.

Gardens:

The woodland garden elements are interesting, with many sizeable oaks.
Mason bees and the like, nest in holes in the brick walls.

Packwood

The garden at Packwood
© NTPL / Stephen Robson

A small but interesting garden, adjoining lake and park.

Insects:

Good range of butterflies and day-flying moths, including Small Copper and Common Blue breeding in old grassland areas, and Purple Hairstreak breeding on park oaks.
Lots of mason bee holes in the walls.
Standard dragonflies occur on the lake.
Some good nectar sources in the formal garden each year.

Birds:

The park is good for Stock Dove and Mistle Thrush.
The clipped yews are good for hedge-nesting birds like Blackbird and Dunnock.

Old Grassland:

Pockets of ancient meadowland with plants like Adder’s Tongue Fern, Yarrow and Birdsfoot Trefoil.

The Weir

Daffodils like those at The Weir
© NTPL / Stephen Robson

The definitive wildlife garden, though it is really renowned for its display of spring bulbs. As it is situated high up on a bend in the River Wye it is a great place for seeing the Wye’s rich wildlife. The wildlife here has been well surveyed.

Mammals:

Lesser Horseshoe and Noctule bats are resident, and the river is a great place for watching Daubenton’s Bat, the water bat.
Otters visit regularly: the spraints can be found on stones along the shore, and when the Wye is in flood otters often rest up in the boat house (usually in the cupboard). Their footprints remain in the sandy mud in the boathouse.
Polecat and Water Shrew occur sporadically, and Badger, Yellow-necked Mouse, Weasel and Stoat are regularly recorded.
Unfortunately, Water Voles no longer occur.

Birds:

Kingfishers regularly flash past, and Sand Martins feed overhead.
Other birds of interest regularly seen in the garden are Stock Dove, Garden Warbler and Pied and Spotted Flycatcher.

Insects:

White-legged Damselfly is common and the rare Club-tailed Dragonfly is sometimes seen over the river in June.
Ruddy Darter and Banded Demoiselle also occur.
The beetle fauna has been well studied and some scarce species have been found: Bembidion saxatile, Dasygnypta velata and Paederus fuscipes have been found along the river, and Dorytomus ictor in poplar trees and Drupenatus nasturtii on Nasturtiums.
Two scarce bees have been found: Andrena proxima and its rare cleptoparasite Nomada conjuens.
Some interesting hoverflies and soldier flies have also been recorded, including Oxycera pardalina.
The common butterflies occur.
Swan Mussels can be found along the river.
More research is needed into the resident moths.

Upton House

A small but rich garden for wildlife, with a series of terrace gardens and a kitchen garden on a steep south-facing slope, leading down to a mirror pond. There is also a sizeable bog garden and an orchard.

Insects:

The buddleias and Asters (part of the National Aster Collection) attract many butterflies such as Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral, and also Hummingbird Hawk Moth.
Small Copper breeds on Sheep’s Sorrel plants in the terrace borders, and Common Blue in places in the lawns.
White Admiral was seen in 2006, having come out of the adjoining wood.
The kitchen garden is (unfortunately) good for Cabbage Whites – and Asparagus Beetle!
Some interesting bees and wasps have been found, including the mason wasp Microdynerus exilis, the Wool-carder Bee, the Hill Cuckoo Bee and the mining bee Colletes daviesanus.
The scarce Dotted Bee Fly has been seen in spring.

The pond:

Emperor and, sometimes, Ruddy Darter dragonflies, and a scarce snail-killing fly (Pherbellia pallidiventris, a parasatoid of aquatic snails) can all be found on the pond.

Hit List

We are particularly interested in discovering more about the following gardens:

Croft Castle, Moseley Old Hall, Shugborough, Charlecote, Coughton Court, Farnborough Hall, Wightwick Manor and Hanbury Hall.

The National Trust

West Midlands