We are very proud that one of our Gardeners, Colin Brown, has shared his expert knowledge of bug hotels with the BBC which has been included in the BBC BITESIZE article “Four hacks to help our hibernating animal friends this autumn”.
Full article can be read at http://bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4dq6rd
Well done Colin!
We have a strong sustainable and biodiversity ethos within the University and the Grounds Team arboristrists practise this as much a possible by regularly creating habitat piles, building bird and bat boxes and protective fencing for new saplings from fallen branches and timber and leaving tree stumps as sanctuaries for insects and wildlife.
Their latest sustainable project was handcrafting a bench from a Quercus rubra (Red Oak) tree that failed in one of our valleys recently. This upcycled bench has been placed by Reed Pond under a Cupressus macrocarpa tree, which provides all day shade, and where it also has great views of the pond.
Upcycled bench
View of Reed pond from the upcycled bench
Upcycled bench is in all day shade, making it a cooling calming spot to relax
Our Grounds Sports Team based at Topsham Sports Ground have been busy making bird boxes and bat boxes from spare wooden palettes. These have been put up around the grounds in time for the bird nesting season and the excess ones will be sold at our plant sales.
Bird and bat boxes upcycled from wooden pallets
If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Grounds Sports Team have also created a bug hotel upcycled from a tree that fell during the recent storms.
Bug hotel upcycled from a fallen tree
What fantastic sustainability initiatives, well done to all our creative Grounds Sports Team.
Bees and other pollinators are vital to growing lots of our favourite foods and for plants to flourish in our fields and gardens.
It is Bees’ Needs Week from 8th to 14th July 2019 and whether you are a farmer, a gardener or a manager of urban or amenity spaces, there is something you can do to help support our valuable insect pollinators.
There are five simple actions you can take to help pollinators and make sure their populations are sustained:
The St Luke’s Campus continues to provide a wide range of habitats which help support birds, insects, reptiles, mammals and aquatic life. The habitats should not be viewed in isolation, as they help form important links and wildlife corridors to other areas of open space not owned or maintained by the University. In this respect, the campus spaces make an important contribution to biodiversity in Exeter and the wider county of Devon.
We have developed a St Luke’s Campus Biodiversity Trail which can be downloaded from our website. Please do take a walk around the campus and see the species supported throughout the year and the techniques we use to support wildlife on campus.
The Streatham Campus continues to provide a wide range of habitats which help support birds, insects, reptiles, mammals and aquatic life. The habitats should not be viewed in isolation, as they help form important links and wildlife corridors to other areas of open space not owned or maintained by the University. In this respect, the campus spaces make an important contribution to biodiversity in Exeter and the wider county of Devon.
We have developed a Streatham Campus Biodiversity Trail which can be downloaded from our website. Please do take a walk around the campus and see the species supported throughout the year and the techniques we use to support wildlife on campus.
We are in the process of developing a St Luke’s Campus Biodiversity Trail, which will also available to download.
Front Cover – Streatham Campus Biodiversity Trail
The Biodiversity Strategy Streatham Campus 2016-2021 can be downloaded from the Grounds website.
Bug hotel at St. Luke’s
One of James’ super bug hotels, in a sunny spot at St. Luke’s.
The Grounds Teams in both Streatham and St. Luke’s campuses have been working hard to ensure that our invertebrate residents get the best quality accommodation – encouraging them onto our campuses enhances the biodiversity of the sites. For more information on how we work to protect the biodiversity of our local environment, please visit our webpage.
The bug hotel pictured at Birks was created in conjuction with the Green Belters Team as part of the Green Impact Excellence Project. The Green Belters are:
Accommodation Office, Residence Life Team, Cashiers, Student Fees Team, Student Funding Team and Accounts Payable.
