Proudly supported by NHSN, the Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside, by NHSN Senior Naturalist James Common, is available now
The Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) is delighted to announce the publication of Urban Flora of Newcastle & North Tyneside by our Senior Naturalist, James Common. Produced with support from NHSN and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI), the book is now available to purchase on Amazon.
Many of the exciting discoveries featured in this book were made possible thanks to the enthusiasm of local people attending NHSN events and courses, who have shown that, while it can be easy to assume that nature is scarce in our cities, this could not be further from the truth. Across streets, parks, walls and waterways, a remarkable diversity of plant life continues to thrive.
This book provides the first comprehensive survey of all wild and naturalised plants recorded across Newcastle and North Tyneside – now the eighth-largest conurbation in England. Drawing together six years of dedicated fieldwork and botanical recording, it provides an in-depth account of the area’s diverse and often overlooked urban plants.
Your records, and those featured in this book, help restore nature in the urban landscape. Thank you.
Have you ever paused to admire wild plants spilling from a neighbour’s crumbling wall, or noticed the sheer diversity of life thriving in a roadside gutter? If not, perhaps you could. Urban spaces, complete with their alleys, car parks, building sites and all the other trappings of modern life, are home to more botanical treasures than we often realise.
For the past six years, I have been working on The Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside: the first comprehensive survey of all wild and naturalised plants growing across Newcastle and North Tyneside. Drawing together my own records and those of dozens of keen-eyed botanists across Tyneside, including many NHSN members, the results make for surprising reading.
In that relatively short period, 1,123 plant species were recorded within the city limits – around one third of the entire British flora. It is a striking figure, and one that challenges assumptions that our urban areas are so often devoid of nature.
What makes our urban landscape so special is the close juxtaposition of built-up habitats with relic semi-natural ones: nature reserves, denes, burns and roadside verges that many of us know and enjoy. This patchwork creates conditions for extraordinary diversity. In Newcastle, ancient woodland indicators such as Wood Anemone and Wood Melick persist. Heathland specialists survive in pockets, while rare aquatic species such as Lesser Water-parsnip can be found in suitable wetlands. Hidden within the city’s denes are scarce ferns, and tucked into overlooked corners grow some of the area’s most special plants – Autumn Gentian, Dittander and Wild Celery, to name just a few.
These sit alongside familiar companions of city streets and a host of hardy colonists from around the globe; each perfectly adapted to life in the urban environment.
The purpose of Urban Flora was simple: to shine a light on this hidden diversity, to encourage people to look more closely and record what they see, and to highlight species that, without action, we may quietly lose from the conurbation altogether. I hope the book succeeds in doing just that.
Copies are now available. Whether you are a nature enthusiast curious about the plants sharing your street or a botanist seeking detailed records, I hope there is something within its pages to interest you.
My heartfelt thanks go to the many NHSN members, local botanists and community groups who shared their records over the past few years. Together, you have helped paint a far richer picture of the region’s urban flora than I could ever have achieved alone.
And of course, there are doubtless many more exciting discoveries waiting in streets and alleyways across the city. You can share your own records with NHSN as part of Gosforth’s Wild Web.
The Urban Flora reveals that there is far more to Newcastle’s pavements, alleyways and car parks than first meets the eye. We are incredibly grateful to the many local naturalists who have shared their sightings over the past few years.
Clare Freeman, NHSN Director
By contributing your records, you have helped create a comprehensive account of our city’s flora, demonstrated the importance of everyday observations, and highlighted the extraordinary diversity of life found within our urban environment.
Thank you for helping us shine a light on the nature in Newcastle and North Tyneside. Please do share your wildlife sightings as part of Gosforth’s Wild Web.
