Industrial revolution
Some of Britain's ugliest industrial sites are being transformed into
wildlife paradises, providing a haven not just for plants and animals,
but also for the people who visit them, reports Stephen Moss
Monday September 3, 2007
The Guardian
Canvey Wick, on the edge of the Thames Estuary, has been called
"England's little rainforest", and with good reason. For its size, the
site supports more different species of plant and animal than any other
place in Britain.
When I visited on a sunny July day, marbled white butterflies flitted
from flower to flower, brown-banded carder bees fed on rich supplies of
nectar, and the eponymous Canvey Island ground beetle crawled around the
sandy soils. Meanwhile whitethroats sang, marsh orchids flowered in
profusion, and common lizards sunbathed on burned-out cars.
cont'd....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/country/article/0,,2161274,00.html