Despite the temperature, spring is here and the flowers in full bloom around Birmingham are proof of that. There are several places in the city where residents can flock to get a glimpse of the seasonal blossoms.
Keeping these beautiful vegetation going is not an easy job, as trainees at Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust’s Natural Prospects project learned recently.
The latest class graduated on Friday having learned about pathways into conservation as a career and bringing communities together to protect the natural world. They gained practical hands-on skills and experience from their expert mentors during their 12-month placements.
One of the trainees, Abigail Rees, who had a geography degree but was doing admin work for a company and always wanted to work outdoors in nature. At 33, she changed her career path thanks to the traineeship. There were several others who were benefitted from the project by The Wildlife Trusts.
The Wildlife Trust CEO Craig Bennett told BirminghamWorld: “We are at such a critical moment with climate and nature emergency globally that we absolutely have to tackle. Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust have a commitment to get 30% of our land in recovery for nature by 2030. That means why need many more people with skills in the conservation sector to do that for us and also with the skills to engage with local community.”
You can get involved with the Wildlife Trusts in many ways, and the Natural Prospects project was only one of them.
In the meantime, here are seven places in Birmingham to see the lovely spring blooms:
1. Cherry Blossoms, Brindleyplace
Oozells Square was chosen as part of a nationwide campaign around blossoms by the National Trust in Birmingham as the first location for one of its Blossom Together Picnics. The gorgeous Sakura trees are in full blossom there right now. (Photo - Brindleyplace)
2. Bluebells, multiple locations
Bluebells can be seen in the Moseley Bog, Winterbourne House and Gardens, Dorridge Wood and Park, Lickey Hills Country Park, Kingfisher Country Park and Yorks Wood, Hill Hook Nature Reserve and Jones’s Wood. (Photo - Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust )
3. Castle Vale meadow
Located on the edge of Castle Vale estate, there was a wasteland that local charity The Community Environmental Trust and The University of Wolverhampton transformed into a meadow. You can catch rare green winged orchids and cowslips there now. (Photo - Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust )
4. Deer’s Leep Wood Nature Reserve, Smethwick
The nature reserve is a mix of informal woodland, pond, boundary brook and meadow areas which have been formally designated as a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINC). With spring here, you can see several kinds of flowers like daisies, and more. Located on the boundary between the Edgbaston, Harborne and Soho Wards - it’s a great spot for a small break in the urban area. (Photo - Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust )