For All Moth Lovers Out There!

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Vikki

Since April this year our Horticulture Apprentice, Lucy, has started a project to record and identify the moth species on our grounds; this involves setting up a moth trap on Streatham Campus every month.

All species are recorded and submitted to the Butterfly Conservation Moth Recording Scheme.

Thank you Lucy for your ongoing dedication to this project – you are truly ‘moth-ivational’!

We would like to share the findings with you!

April 2023 – 5 species (9 individuals)
Common Pug x 1
Common Quaker x 2
March Moth x 1
Frosted Green x 1
Hebrew Character x 4

Hebrew Character

May 2023 – 10 species (15 individuals)
Brimstone x 1
Broken Barred Carpet x 1
Common Pug x 1
Hebrew Character x 1
Muslin Moth (male) x 1
Pale Prominent x 1
Pale Tussock x 1
Rustic/Uncertain x 1
Treble Lines x 6
Unidentified (red) x 1

Broken Barred Carpet

June 2023 – 26 species (40 individuals)
Black Arches x 1
Common Footman x 1
Common Rustic x 1
Coronet x 1
Dark Arches x 2
Double Square Spot x 1
Double Striped Tabby x 1
Dusky Brocade x 1
Elephant Hawk Moth x 1
Flame Shoulder x 1
Grey Pine Carpet x 1
Heart and Dart x 4
Hartand Club x 1
Leopard Moth x 2
Mottled Beauty x 1
Pied Grey x 1
Poplar Hawk Moth x 1
Small Magpie x 2
Riband Wave x 2
Snout (Diorycrtia) x 1
Snout (Hypena) x 1
Tawny Marbled x 2
The Flame x 1
The Uncertain/Rustic x 5
Vine’s Rustic x 1
Yellow Underwing x 3

Elephant Hawk Moth

July 2023 – 22 species (50 individuals)
Black Arches x 2
Brimstone x 2
Buff Arches x 1
Common Footman x 4
Common Pug x 1
Common Rustic x 6
Common Wainscot x 1
Dark Arches x 2
Dun-bar x 3
Four Spotted Footman x 1
Heart and Dart x 2
Knot Grass x 1
Nut Tree Tussock x 1
Oak Hook Tip x 1
Riband Wave x 5
Rosy Footman x 1
Silver Y x 3
Small Magpie x 1
Smoky Wainscot x 1
Vine’s Rustic x 3
Willow Beauty x 1
Yellow Underwing x 7

Buff Arches

Nut Tree Tussock

Oak Hook Tip

Rosy Footman

August 2023 – 19 species (43 individuals)
Brimstone x 1
Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing x 2
Cetaceous Hebrew Character x 1
Common Wainscot x 3
Copper Underwing x 1
Engrailed x 1
Flame Shoulder x 6
Jersey Tiger x 3
Large Yellow Underwing x 6
Lesser Broad Bordered Underwing x 2
Light Emerald x 1
Mother of Pearl x 2
Poplar Hawk Moth x 1
Rosy Rustic x 1
Ruby Tiger x 2
Satan Wave x 1
Small Broad Bordered Underwing x 1
Snout x 1
Vine’s Rustic x 7

Poplar Hawk Moth

Big Butterfly Count 2023

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Vikki

One of our Gardeners, Adam, took part in the Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count on Friday 4th August in the Lower Hoopern Valley at Streatham Campus.

Adam counted a total of 54 butterflies and spotted 6 species:

Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown
Common Blue
Speckled Wood
Six-Spot Burnet
Green-Veined White

These are the photos Adam managed to take before the butterflies fluttered by!

t’s really great to know that our biodiversity and sustainable working practices are encouraging beautiful butterflies to our grounds.

Green Flag Award 2023-24 Winner!

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Vikki

We are delighted to announce that the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus has been officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks and green space having again achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award for 2023-24.

Streatham Campus has successfully retained this award for the thirteenth consecutive year.

Streatham Campus is the largest of the University of Exeter’s three campuses and is built around a country estate overlooking the city. The 300-acre site is a Registered Botanic Garden, and home to a range of exotic trees and shrubs as well as a network of ponds.

The accreditation is the international quality mark for parks and greens space and is awarded from the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The committed Grounds team work on the grounds, 365 days a year, providing care of specialist plant collections, botanical specimen propagation and pot and bedding plant production. They also manage a mature tree stock of around 10,000 trees along with an arboretum, Italianate Garden, magnolia lawn, cherry orchards and a national collection of Azara.

The University’s Head of Grounds Operations, David Evans, said: “We are delighted to have secured this honour once again. It is testament to the skill and dedication of the Grounds teams, who maintain and cultivate it so expertly. They are genuine ambassadors for sustainability and work closely with our colleagues and students to ensure that the estate is maintained in as environmentally friendly a manner as possible.’’

Speaking of the award, Joanna Chamberlain, the University’s Director of Sustainability, said: “Our campuses are fundamental to the identity of the University, from the first impressions they create for visitors to the vital role they play in staff and student wellbeing. We never take these beautiful spaces for granted, however, and there is a huge amount of work being done to enhance, improve and safeguard them for now and for generations to come.”

The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

In addition to major parks such as Queen’s Park in London, Green Flags have also been awarded to more diverse green spaces such as hospital memorial gardens and a railway station in Wrexham.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at the University in achieving a Green Flag Award. The Streatham campus is a vital green space for the community in Exeter, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available on the Keep Britain Tidy website.

Due to redevelopment works works at St Luke’s Campus, it was decided not to apply for a Green Flag Award for the campus this year.

Hedgehog Awareness Week

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Vikki

It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week – hedgehogs in the UK are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss, development, roads and litter with populations declining by up to 50% since 2000.

The Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative is run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS); it aims to improve conditions on university campuses across the UK, creating habitats where hedgehogs can thrive.

Students from Exeter University have been getting involved, working to achieve HFC bronze accreditation for Streatham Campus. So far, the team has set up a working group with key members of staff, met with the Grounds Team to improve hedgehog safety and organised a stall during Go Green Week to raise awareness and fundraise for the BHPS. Next steps are litter picks, a social media campaign and celebrating Hedgehog Awareness Week.

One of the Grounds Team Gardeners, Colin, and the Arborists have done a great job making a hedgehog house from some fallen timber on the grounds. The house will offer a hibernation site that is safer from predators in the winter and can also be used as a nesting box for a mother and her hoglets in the warmer months.

How you can help hedgehogs:

Bird Survey Highlights Winter 2022-23

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Vikki

Bird surveys carried out by an independent consultant every year in spring/summer and again in winter have been in place on the Streatham Campus for the last 14 years and on St Luke’s Campus for the past 9 years.

The results of the winter bird surveys on our campuses during two visits – one in November 2022 and one in January 2023 – have been received and we wanted to share the highlights.

Streatham Campus

A total of 1,212 birds were recorded during the visits, a slight increase on the total of 1,126 birds recorded in winter 2021-22.

409 of these birds are on the Red and Amber lists (38% of all birds recorded).

The the top five species recorded were:

Wood Pigeon (Amber list bird)
Robin (Green list bird)
Blackbird (Green list bird)
Blue Tit (Green list bird)
Carrion Crow (Green list bird)

Birds of Conservation 5 (BOCC5) was published on 1st December 2021 and is the latest assessment of the status of all the bird species that regularly occur in the UK. This assessment indicates that 70 species are of the highest conservation concern and have been placed on the Red list, 103 species have been placed on the Amber list and 72 species on the Green list. The majority of the Red list species are there because of a severe decline in numbers in recent decades, their numbers remain below historical levels or are under threat of global extinction.

A total of 409 (15 species) Birds of Conservation Concern 5 (BOCC5) Red list and Amber list birds were recorded:

Red List

Greenfinch
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Mistle Thrush

Greenfinch

Amber List

Bullfinch
Dunnock
Mallard
Moorhen
Redwing
Rook
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Wren

Bullfinch

Interesting Observation

On the 19^th January 2023 one of the Grounds Team’s Horticulture Apprentices, Lucy, who was helping out on this particular survey found a single Firecrest in the mixed woodland of the nature reserve, which is located behind the Sports Park. Although single Firecrests have been sighted previously on the campus, this is the first time one has been recorded during a winter survey, so can now added to the survey list as a new species.

The Firecrest is a regular passage migrant and winter visitor to the south west and is found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed woodland, often foraging with other bird species such as Goldcrests and Blue Tits.

Firecrest

Interesting Observation

On the 3^rd December 2022, a wintering Chiffchaff was located in the wooded valley just to the west of the Laver Building. Chiffchaffs regularly forage in the mild counties of South West England, where they can find enough food to sustain them through the winter months. It is likely that most of these winter birds come from Northern Europe, whilst our own breeding population set off on migration in the autumn, to spend the winter months around the Mediterranean region and North Africa.

The Chiffchaff is one of the earliest spring migrants, with the first birds arriving in the first few days of March. The Chiffchaff is a regular breeding species on the campus, with up to 20 pairs recorded in any one breeding season.

Chiffchaff

St Luke’s Campus

A total of 234 birds were recorded during the visits.

144 of these birds are on the Red and Amber lists (62% of all birds recorded).

The top three species recorded were:

Wood Pigeon (Amber list bird)
House Sparrow (Red list bird)
Herring Gull (Red list bird

A total of 144 birds (9 species) Birds of Conservation Concern 5 (BOCC5) Red list and Amber list birds were recorded:

Red List

Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Mistle Thrush
Starling

Mistle Thrush

Amber List

Dunnock
Redwing
Song Thrush
Wood Pigeon
Wren

Dunnock

Clearing Works Project – Higher Hoopern Valley

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Vikki

The Grounds Mitigation Team’s latest project has been to clear the Streatham Campus Higher Hoopern Valley woodlands and watercourse system of invasive plants.

This area is an important ecosystem that provides various ecological, economic and recreational benefits and invasive plants can pose a significant threat to the health and diversity of this ecosystem.

Invasive plants can outcompete native species, alter soil and nutrient conditions, and disrupt natural ecological processes. Therefore this was an important project to maintain the ecological integrity of this area.

Sustainable Safe Grounds Machinery

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Vikki

The Grounds Team are committed to continuously improve our sustainable ways of working and to move away from using fossil fuels. In line with this practice, we have recently invested in purchasing some electric remote controlled mowers.

These mowers are beneficial for several reasons:

Safety – the remote control feature makes it a safer option than traditional mowers. The user can operate the mower from a distance and it can be used to efficiently and safely cut banks and steep areas of grass, reducing the risk of accidents or injuries that can occur when using a traditional mower. The remote control feature also removes the hazard of hand arm vibration exposure which is a serious health and safety concern.

Environmentally Friendly – it is an electric mower, so reduces our usage of fossil fuels. It produces no harmful pollutant emissions and the batteries can be easily and quickly recharged.

Ease of Use – the remote control feature allows the user to mow the lawn without physical exertion, making it easier and safer for individuals.

Efficient – the electric mower is quicker and faster than traditional mowers. It provides constant cutting power, which can lead to a consistent looking lawn.

Cost Effective – the operating costs are much lower than traditional mowers; they require less maintenance and are cheaper to operate.

Noise Reduction – the electric mower is far quieter than traditional mowers, reducing noise pollution on our grounds.

Join Us for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Vikki

Join the Sustainability Team on Friday 27 January for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on Streatham Campus.

Weatherproof clothing advised. Feel free to bring drinks, snacks etc.

Binoculars would be handy, but you can take part without.

If you are a keen birdwatcher/ornithologist and would be happy to lead on identifying birds, please let Chris know.

Meet @ 9.30am outside Camper Cafe, Queens Building.

Depending on numbers, a bird count will take place at three different locations. If the weather forecast is awful, you will be emailed by 8pm on Thursday 26 January to cancel.

Email Chris to sign up or for further details.

Bug Hotels Expert Input – BBC Bitesize Article

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Vikki

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!

M-arb-ellous Upcycled Bench

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Vikki

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

Budding News

University of Exeter Grounds Team blog

Tag Archives: environment