Plants – Page 2 – Canned Wildlife

BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2017

Jul 5, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Amphibians, BBC, Birds, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Garden, Insects, Interview, Plants, TV, Video, VlogTagged BBC Gardeners' World, Birmingham, Botany, Bugs, Conservation, Design, Documentary, Environment, Environmental, Film, Garden, Interview, Journalism, Nature, Outdoors, Pond, Summer, Video, Vlog, Wildlife, Wildlife GardeningLeave a comment

Last year I did separate videos of my interviews with the at gardening celebs / presenters and garden designers.

This year I thought it would be better to edit the interviews etc of the show, into one video and that’s exactly what I’ve done in the short video below:

You can see last years videos by clicking: here!

Thanks for visiting! 🙂

Day 12 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 13, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Encounters, Environmental, Film, Insects, Local, Plants, Video, Vlog, Walk, WorkTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birmingham, Challenge, Conservation, Environment, Film, Flora, Insects, Meadow, My Wild Life, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Semirural, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

“Follow a bumblebee”

12/06/16

After work, I decided to go for a nice stroll with a colleague and friend, Sophie. We sauntered around the semi-rural outskirts of Northfield Town Centre (in South Birmingham).

Before we got to the location Sophie had in mind, literally just a few yards from where we work, we noticed beside the path (there is a grass verge) was a patch of Bird’s-foot-Trefoil. I informed Sophie it is also know as Eggs and Bacon. We saw some bees buzzing around it, so we observed and followed them from flower to flower.

I took a short video:

Thanks. 🐝

Day 9 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 9, 2016Posted in Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, Environmental, Farm, Garden, Insects, PlantsTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, Environment, Insects, Meadow, My Wild Life, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife TrustsLeave a comment

“Wear a flower behind your ear”

09/06/16

Today I helped out at Cranesbill Nursery – it’s a lovely company that sells Hardy Geraniums. ‘Cranesbill’ is the common name for a Hardy Geranium, and there were plenty of Bees buzzing around them today. Many of the varieties on the nursery are in flower at the moment, and they are fantastic for creating that rich micro-climate for wildlife in your garden. The plants are very diverse – they come from all over the world – so the good thing about them is that you can literally find one for every part of the garden, and because they come from a variety of climates, by mixing them up within your borders, you can ensure that you have flowers from very early in the growing year, until late Autumn, therefore providing a food source for wildlife for a very long period. So naturally I put a flower behind my ear. 😉

The nursery is located on a farm – just on the edge of South Staffordshire – where I observed Swallows, Skylarks, House Sparrows, baby Rabbits, Moths and Butterflies (as well as the Bees).

Thanks. 🙂

Day 8 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 8, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Exploration, Interview, Local, Nature Reserve, Plants, Video, Vlog, Walk, WorkTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birds, Birmingham, Challenge, Conservation, Countryfile, Countryside, Environment, Meadow, My Wild Life, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife TrustsLeave a comment

Some Good News

08/06/16

See video:

More info: The course is ran by B’ham Metropolitan College at the Botanical Gardens – the course involves; boundary habitat conservation, ecological surveys and techniques, ecology of trees, woods and forests, game management and environmental studies.

Thankyou. 😊

Day 7 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 7, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in BBC, Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Local, Plants, Video, VlogTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Bees, Birmingham, Broom, Challenge, Conservation, Do Something Great, My Wild Life, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Semirural, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

Wildlife Gardening

07/06/16

I thought it would be a good idea to combine a 30 Days Wild activity, with the BBC’s Do Something Great campaign! My parents needed some Broom planting, so I used this opportunity to my advantage – for a quick video:

Thanks. 🙂

Day 2 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 4, 2016Jun 4, 2016Posted in BBC, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Encounters, Exploration, Mammals, Nature Reserve, Nest, Plants, TV, WoodlandTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, My Wild Life, National Trust, Random Acts of Wildness, RSPB, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts2 Comments

“Explore somewhere wild”

02/06/16

I travelled near enough 4 hours from the West Midlands to Suffolk, so I could visit RSPB Minsmere, and also be in the BBC Springwatch Unsprung audience! Some of you will know, it’s a reserve right on the East Coast of England! And is a host to a variety of habits, wildlife and of course, BBC Springwatch! 😃 I came over on the Wednesday night and stayed in near by Leiston, at the Field End Guest House.

I often wax-lyrical (to friends and family) about reserves that have a variety of habitats, I absolutely love them, because they are so enriching to explore and will be home to many different species of wildlife, which is fantastic to observe and have encounters with.

RSPB Minsmere certainly deserves it’s national recognition! I will definitely be visiting again in the near future! I arrived on the reserve at 10.30AM.

I love a good Log Pile and what an amazing extensive one this is!

Top Nature of the Day:

Otter – Bittern Hide
Stone-Curlew – on the way to the Beach
Nightingale (heard) – Car Park
Cetti’s Warbler (heard) – East Hide (and all over the reserve)
Avocets – South Hide
Sand Martins – Colony near Visitors Centre
Great Spotted Woodpeckers (pair feeding chicks at the nest) – South Belt Crossroads
Sea Pink – on the Beach Path
Common Spotted Orchid – near Bittern Hide

IMG_3515_1 — Observing the Stone-Curlew (in the distance)

At 5.00PM it was time to load the car up and get ready for Springwatch UNSPRUNG!

On_UNSRUNG_2016 — To see me on UNSPRUNG click here!

Thanks for reading. 😄

Day 1 – #30DaysWild

Jun 1, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Encounters, Environmental, Local, Plants, Video, Vlog, Walk, WorkTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham, Botany, Challenge, Conservation, Environment, Film, My Wild Life, Nature, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Urban, Video, West Midlands, Wild June, Wild TimeLeave a comment

“Discover urban wildness”

Hello! I’m baaack! 😀 And so is Random Acts of Wildness!

I had work today at 7AM and finished around 2.30PM. Due to that and wanting to blog about what I’d do today, I needed something easy for my Act of Wildness. So of course, I was very pleased that I changed my usual route to work (as I needed to grab breakfast), because I ended up walking passed the Mini-Meadows in the video below!

I ran back after realising what I had saw! And then stood there watching a couple of bees (unsure which ones now) buzzing about the various flowers for a minute – whilst listening to a Blackcap singing in the background! 😃 When I got phone out to film, the bees had flown off, naturally! They must have been camera-shy 🐝 Unfortunately the sound didn’t record (I have a new phone and have sorted out the problem now), but luckily YouTube have provided a lovely soundtrack.

I believe the flowers that are featured most prominently in this video, are Red Campion, Meadow Buttercups and Oxeye Daisies. Correct me if I’m wrong! 👍🏻 🌺

I’m off to somewhere quite special tomorrow, I’ll give you a clue: a Nature Reserve (I’ve never been there before). I best go and pack! 😉

See you tomorrow, for Day 2!

Thanks.

Day 22 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 22, 2015Jun 22, 2015Posted in Challenge, Environmental, Garden, Local, PlantsTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birmingham, Challenge, Flora, Forget-me-not, My Wild Life, Rubery, Semirural, Something Blue, Suburban, Wild Garden, Wild Time, Wildflower, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Trusts, Worcestershire3 Comments

“Snap a picture of something blue”

A nice easy one today 🙂 I spent most of my day with my friend Laura at her Pet Store. I’ve mentioned the shops’ unkempt Wildlife Garden in a previous Blog post, it’s where I took todays’ “something blue”.

I’ve heard Forget-me-nots being described as “a British staple” – they do seem quintessentially British 😉

The CavyNoodle Wildlife Garden. — The Sweet Peas are doing well in the CavyNoodle Wildlife Garden.

Thanks 🙂

Day 21 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 21, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Encounters, Environmental, Local, Plants, River, Video, WalkTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, Challenge, Conservation, Environment, Flora, Green Space, Grey Wagtail, House Martin, Longbridge, My Wild Life, River, River Rea, Suburban, Suburbia3 Comments

New Green Space

Longbridge, in South Birmingham – the birth place and former home of Rover – has a new High Street and Green Space! It’s on the site of where the said factory used to be. The River Rea that runs through the area has had a habitat and Green Space created around it, and it’s pretty much established and looking lush now! 😀

Today I explored it after purchasing Father’s Day gifts (with my trusty mobile to hand for snaps and clips).

The car park of the newly located Bournville College, with Green Space along side it, some of the old Rover site on the other side.

People and nature co-existing beautifully.

I saw a Grey Wagtail (which have some yellow feathers) down there to left of where the lad on the bike was. The video below isn’t great but you can hear it calling 😛

The middle of the new Green Space, looking towards the chap on the bike. This is the bridge you see in the distance.

I was really pleased that this new place is now a good feeding area for House Martins, there were quite a few wizzing and swooping around 🙂

Thanks for visiting 😀

Day 18 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 18, 2015Jun 22, 2015Posted in Challenge, Encounters, Garden, Local, PlantsTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birmingham, Bugs, Challenge, Encounter, Flora, Garden, Insects, Meadow, My Wild Life, Random Acts of Wildness, Semirural, Suburban, Worcestershire1 Comment

What Caught My Eye

For day 18, I decided I would take a picture of whatever caught my eye. The first thing that did, was a lovely Green Shield Bug! 🙂

A Green Shield Bug perched on my parents livingroom window.

Later I went to visit my friend Laura’s pet shop, CavyNoodle Pets UK – in a village called Rubery. The shop more or less has a Wildlife Garden out back, where various wildflowers pop up. The Sweet Pea below, stood out to me.

I forgot how large Sweet Pea flowers and leaves grow. — This Sweet Pea is growing wild, so its’ flowers and leaves are larger than the cultivated varieties.

On the way back, I remembered the Shinning Cranesbill I passed on the walk down to Rubery was very red! So on my way back up, I snapped a couple pictures.

It'd be really cool, if this whole path was lined with the red plants! — It’d be really cool, if this whole path was lined with red Shinning Cranesbill!

These particular plants are red in colour due to the dry weather – therefore are nutrient starved, shutting down/stopping chlorophyll production and going to seed quite early. The remaining sugars in the leaves give it its’ red pigment. In away, the sugars have caramelised 😀

Thanks for visiting 🙂