Have you ever stopped to admire the wild plants spilling from a neighbour’s crumbling wall, or paused to notice the sheer diversity of life thriving in a roadside gutter? If not, you could. Our urban spaces, complete with their alleyways, car parks, building sites and all the other trappings of modern life, are home to far more botanical treasures than we often realise.
For the past six years, I have been working on an Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside: the first comprehensive survey of all wild and naturalised plants growing across what is now the eighth-largest conurbation in England. Drawing together not only my own records but those of dozens of other eagle-eyed botanists across Tyneside, and many Natural History Society of Northumbria members, the results make for some surprising reading.
In that relatively short time, no fewer than 1,123 plant species were recorded - around one third of the entire British flora. It’s a remarkable figure, and one that challenges assumptions about where nature can, and cannot, thrive.
What makes our urban landscapes so special is the close juxtaposition of built-up habitats with relic semi-natural ones: the nature reserves, denes, burns and roadside verges that many of us know and enjoy. This patchwork gives rise to an extraordinary diversity of plant life. In Newcastle alone, you can find ancient woodland indicators, heathland specialists, and rare aquatic species like Lesser Water-parsnip. Hidden away in the city’s denes are rare ferns, while tucked into overlooked corners are some of the North East’s rarest and most special plants - Autumn Gentian, Dittander and Wild Celery, the list goes on.
These sit alongside the more familiar companions of city streets and a host of hardy colonists from around the globe, each perfectly adapted to life in the urban jungle.
The purpose of the Urban Flora was to shine a light on this diversity, to encourage people to look more closely and to record what they see, and to highlight those species that without action, we may quietly lose from the conurbation altogether. I’d like to think this has been achieved. Copies of the book are now available on Amazon, and whether you’re a nature enthusiast curious about the plants sharing your street, or a keen botanist looking for detail, I hope there is something here to inspire you.
As the saying goes, no one will protect what they cannot see or enjoy. For that reason, precise locations are given for many uncommon or noteworthy plants, while sections on missing, endangered and extinct species are intended to prompt reflection among land managers, local authorities and community groups responsible for looking after our shared green spaces.
Of course, our urban greenspaces, including Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s urban reserves have a part to play and are home to their own botanical treasures, from Common Clary at Weetslade Country Park to Greater Duckweed and Rigid Hornwort at Big Waters. These sites play a vital role in safeguarding our plant life.
The Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside is part atlas, part passion project, and part health-check of habitats that too often fly under the radar. I hope many of you reading this will find it useful, and that next time you pass a wall, verge or gutter, you might pause and see it a little differently. And if you feel inspired to do, why not join on one of many NHSN botanical walks and courses taking place across Newcastle.
You can purchase the Flora here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1036970124
About the Author
James Common has been interested in botany since he was a child, though, as is so often the case, took several years out during his teenage years and time at university. Today, he is one of the BSBI’s Vice County Recorders for North Northumberland and a member of the verification team for South Northumberland, including Newcastle.