National Trust – Canned Wildlife

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)

Mar 5, 2023Mar 5, 2023Posted in Canal, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Exploration, Farm, Garden, Greenbelt, Lakes, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, River, Walk, WoodlandTagged Adam Frost, April, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Botany, Bromsgrove, Bugs, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Canal, Canal Walk, Conservation, country park, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, Encounter, Exploration, Farm, February, Flora, Garden, Gay Farmers, Gay Naturalist, Get Your Boots On, Green Belt, Green Space, Greenbelt, Horticulture, Huawei, March, Meadow, Micro Farm, Midlands, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Naturalist, Nature, Nature Reserve, Outdoors, Pond, Rewildling, River, RSPB, Semirural, Sir David Attenborough, Spring, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Campaign for Rural England, The Lakes, The Wildlife Trust, Walk, Waseley Hills Country Park, Wetlands, Wild Garden, Wildflower, Wildflowers, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Woodland, Woodland Trust, Worcester & Birmingham Canal, Worcestershire, World Land TrustLeave a comment

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), flowering between January and April; these lovers of damp woodland pathways, stream banks and ditches, can be found in gardens, meadows and shady hedgerows, and even Narnia, yes, Narnia! ✨

Ficaria verna growing on the bank of a field edge

An important nectar source for early emerging insects from hibernation, such as Queen Bumblebees 🐝

Lesser celandine were used to treat haemorrhoids, hence “Pilewort” and scurvy, due to being high in Vitamin C.

All in all, they are a pretty cool plant!

Thanks for reading! 😊

A Greener Childhood

Mar 10, 2021Mar 10, 2021Posted in BBC, Conservation, Countryside, Environmental, Greenbelt, Literature, Natural History, WoodlandTagged 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, Conservation, Countryfile, Countryside, CPRE, Encounter, Environment, Environmental, Frankley, Garden, Green Birmingham, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, New Frankley, Outdoors, RSPB, Semirural, Spring, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Wildlife Trust, West Midlands, Wild Garden, Wildlife, Wildlife TrustsLeave a comment

. . .I remember more countryside, more greenspaces, more woodland, more birdsong, more sightings of wildlife, such as rabbits, foxes and badgers.

Sunny days. Less pollution, less superficial ideas and materialism.

Fun was exploring and adventures outdoors; the new park, or going to a country park – for the first time.

Everyone cared about nature, everyone wanted to see it, talk about it.

The environment is for all ages, all stages of life.

I remember a greener childhood. . .

Local Natural Heritage

Sep 2, 2020Sep 3, 2020Posted in BBC, Birds, Conservation, Country Park, Countryside, Environmental, Exploration, Farm, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, TV, Video, Vlog, Walk, WoodlandTagged #MyWildLife, #WildTime, A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, Autumnwatch, Autumnwatch 2020, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Birmingham UK, Bromsgrove, Campaign, Conservation, Countryfile, Countryside, COVID-19, Documentary, Earth Capture, Environment, Environmental, Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Green Belt, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Greenbelt, Landmark, Landmark Trust, Midlands, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, New Frankley, Our Plastic Feedback, Outdoors, Semirural, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, The Campaign for Rural England, Video, Vlog, War On Plastic, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife Vlog, WorcestershireLeave a comment

A few years ago and around May last year; I visited the Frankley Beeches woodland. I noticed it was being ill-managed and not really being cared for.

I have grown up with this remarkable wood, as my local landmark for 30 years (my entire life), and despite it looking lovely on the outside, it unfortunately is not the same on the inside!

Research concluded that it is the National Trust that haven’t been doing (their job) anything with it for years, and Bromsgrove District Council cannot have cared much either…

When I visited it last, it was in much need of restoration & conservation, within the wood there are dead & damaged trees, plus rubbish & disturbed soil from its careless visitors. The anthropogenic effect on the woodland is very much the same to this day!

I recently did a Tweet, tagging in those who it concerns and may care about the Frankley Beeches, and yesterday (01.09.2020) I visited there and made this video:

It appears there has been some removal of the added non-wild flora, which is great and I didn’t really notice any non-native invasion flora.

Today (02.09.2020) the National Trust in the Midlands got back to me on Twitter:

“…thank you for raising your concerns with us. I’m pleased to hear that you have seen a difference to the site. Unfortunately, like many places, we only have a small team who can complete essential tasks right now but we will make sure to take on your feedback when we update the conservation management plan. We did not put in place the plastic tree guards, but I have let the team at Clent Hills know that they are now littered around…”

So it’s the Clent Team who (are to blame) haven’t been doing anything for years, until fairly recently 🤔 I am pleased they finally replied to me, as a few years ago, I emailed them and was ignored!

Sorry to hear of their small team, thus causing neglect and negative knock-on effects to much cherished places…

💚 Thanks for visiting x

Day 29 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 29, 2020Jun 29, 2020Posted in Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Environmental, Natural History, Nature Art, ReptilesTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Beach, Bempton Cliffs, Birmingham, Bridlington, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Conservationists, Countryfile, Countrylife, David Oakes, Days Out, DEFRA, Design, Drawing, Earth Capture, Earth on Location, Encounter, Environment, Environmental, For The Love Of, Frankley, Gannets, Green Birmingham, Herptiles, High Summer, Illustration, Island, Isle, Jack Perks, June, Made in Birmingham, Marine life, Merseyside, Migration, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature Art, New Frankley, Norfolk, Now for Nature, Outdoors, Planet Earth 2, Pond, Random Acts of Wildness, Reptiles, RSPB, Sea Life, Sea Turtles, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, Summer, Summer 2020, The Wildlife Trust, West Country, West Midlands, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder Future, Wildlife, Wildlife TrustsLeave a comment

The weather has been similar to yesterday, so I got cosy and added colour to the drawing I did yesterday.

Thanks for visiting! 💚

Day 28 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 28, 2020Jun 29, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Natural History, Nature Art, West CountryTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, Amphibians, Artwork, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Bridlington, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Conservationists, Countryfile, Countrylife, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, DEFRA, Design, Drawing, Environment, Environmental, For The Love Of, Frankley, Gannets, Herptiles, Illustration, Island, Isle, June, Made in Birmingham, Marine life, Merseyside, Migration, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature Art, New Frankley, Norfolk, Now for Nature, Outdoors, Planet Earth 2, Pond, Random Acts of Wildness, Reptiles, Rewildling, RSPB, Sea Life, Sea Turtles, Somerset, Springwatch, Summer, Summer 2020, The Campaign for Rural England, The Countryside Charity, The Wildlife Trust, West Country, West Midlands, Wild Art, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder Future, Wildlife, Wildlife TrustsLeave a comment

The weather has been very temperamental here, windy & raining, with sunny spells. So after pottering in the garden, I did some drawing 🙂

My niece really likes Turtles (Marine / Sea ones, not the species which Americans call Tortoises). My sister asked me to draw her one ☺️

I like to take pictures at different stages, to see / show my progression 😊

Thanks for visiting! 💚

Day 18 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 18, 2020Jun 18, 2020Posted in Birds, Canal, Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, River, TV, Video, Vlog, WalkTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birdsong, Birmingham, Challenge, Conservation, Conservationists, Countryfile, CPRE, Days Out, DEFRA, Earth Capture, Environment, Environmental, Film, Frankley, Gay Birders, Get Your Boots On, Green Belt, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Greenbelt, Huawei, June, Made in Birmingham, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, Nature Reserve, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Ornithology, Outdoors, Random Acts of Wildness, Rewildling, River, River Rea, RSPB, Semirural, Spring, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Campaign for Rural England, The Conservation Volunteers, The Countryside Charity, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wetlands, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder Future, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife VlogLeave a comment

At the end of May I became an Ambassador for The Rivers Trust, so I decided to go sit next to a stretch of the River Rea, on the edge of Gannow Wood.

Thanks for visiting! 🏞️

Day 14 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 14, 2020Jun 14, 2020Posted in BBC, Canal, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Country Park, Countryside, Environmental, Exploration, Greenbelt, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Video, Vlog, WoodlandTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Conservationists, country park, Countryfile, Countrylife, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, DEFRA, Do Something Great, Documentary, Earth Capture, Environment, Environmental, Exporation, Film, For The Love Of, Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Green Belt, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Greenbelt, HS2, Huawei, Journalism, June, Made in Birmingham, Meadow, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, Nature Reserve, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Outdoors, Park, Presenting, Random Acts of Wildness, Rewildling, River, River Rea, RSPB, Semirural, Spring, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, Suburban, Summer, The Campaign for Rural England, The Conservation Volunteers, The Countryside Charity, The Wild Side, The Wildlife Trust, Trees, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder FutureLeave a comment

This morning I unsure what to do, thankfully a friend reminded me that I’m passionate about Green-belt & suggested I make a video (below) regarding its benefits.

Thanks for visiting 💚

About Me

Sep 9, 2017Sep 10, 2017Posted in UncategorizedTagged A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Conservation, Countryside, Documentary, Frankley Beeches, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural History, Reader's Digest Magazine, RSPB, The Wild Side, The Wildlife Trust, West Midlands, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife, Wildlife TV Presenter, Worcestershire

Just a (very) short one, to say: Finally! I have an ‘About Me‘ page! 😀 I’ve decided I will be gradually turning my WordPress into my website, so it becomes more than just a blog!

In the past I used Webs, I believe my website there was looking ‘dated’ and I no longer do anything branded Nature On Screen – so I stopped using that site. Eventually Canned Wildlife will look great!

Thanks for visiting. 🙂

Wildlife in August

Aug 15, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Birds, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Farm, Garden, Greenbelt, Insects, Video, VlogTagged Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, Documentary, Environment, Film, Flora, Garden, Insects, Meadow, My Wild Life, National Trust, Nature, Outdoors, RSPB, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

A lot of birds are quieting down now, but Yellowhammers 🐤 are continuing to sing away! Plus this is another great month for seeing some beautiful Butterflies! 🦋

(The videos below were made a few years ago)