new roadside verges always worth checking for the unexpected

[Wild-Woman]

You need a T-shirt Brian with ' Hi I'm Brian and I'm only looking for plants!' on the back so they 'leaf' you alone.

Yep motorway services are a good area not only for plants but birds too. Red kite and owls in the evening. I suppose the dropped food attracts the mice, hence the owls.

[The Woodman]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Yep motorway services are a good area not only for plants but birds too. Red kite and owls in the evening. I suppose the dropped food attracts the mice, hence the owls.

...and bats. The Highways Agency's own BAP obliged them to put up (from memory) 2000 bat boxes alongside motorways and trunk roads nationally.

In our area - Area 13 - there are many along the A590 and M6 on bridges and on roadside trees, the majority of which I've just checked. I'm pleased to say they are being used although at a fairly low rate. At Killington Services on the M6 in Cumbria there are a number of bat boxes within the boundary.

There are also bird and insect boxes near me on HA owned property, also a created pond and symathetic woodland management.

The recent A590 High and Low Newton bypass embankments near me are vegetating well and the mitigation for badger, otter and bats all working and being used.