Contents
Biodiversity in Solihull
A few parks to explore yourself
An explanation of biodiversity and a set of local sites to visit and explore
Millison's Wood
Picture by Larry Corbett
Millison's Wood is the largest woodland owned and managed by Solihull Council. It's part of the former Forest of Arden which once covered a much larger area of Warwickshire. It is ancient semi-natural woodland which means that the site has been continuously wooded in some form for at least 400 years. There is a rich ground flora with wood anemone, bugle, red campion and wood sorrel and in early to mid-May bluebells carpet the ground. Deadwood habitat supports a diverse range of fungi and hole nesting birds such as the greater spotted woodpecker. Rotational coppice management, glade clearance and birch thinning has been reinstated in the wood via a volunteer scheme, to improve habitat for butterflies like the brimstone, orange tip and speckled wood.
What you might see:
- Bluebells, greater stitchwort and wood anemone in spring
- Chiffchaff, blackcap and greater spotted woodpecker in spring and summer
- Bracket fungi on deadwood in autumn and winter
Details
Location: off Albert Road, Millison's Wood(Nr Meriden)
Bus Route: 900 to Birmingham Rd/Albert Rd
Best time to visit: Spring
Designation: LNR and SINC
Blythe Valley Countryside Park
This flagship Business Park owned by The British Land Company PLC is a good example of where biodiversity benefits have been built into the development from the start and efforts have been made to enhance connectivity with the surrounding farmland, woods and meadows. The development incorporates 40ha of open space which has been designated as a Countryside Park.
Boardwalks and a nature trail have been included as features within the Countryside Park. There is a wide range of both existing and created habitats including wildflower grassland, woodland, streams, hedgerows and open water with reed beds. Newly planted wood consists of oak, ash and small leaved lime, in keeping with the Arden Landscape character. Skylark nesting plots have been created to encourage this local Biodiversity Action Plan species to breed.
The Park includes one of the largest and earliest SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) in England, which controls surface water flow with ponds and reed beds and protects the River Blythe. The creation of the SUDS has allowed a variety of different animal and plant habitats to be created ranging from damp willow woodland through tall reed beds and wet grassland.
What you might see:
- Swans, coots, herons and moorhens all year
- Redpoll, siskin and goldfinch feeding on alders in the winter
- Bats foraging over the grassland and ponds from May to September
Details
Location: Off A34 Stratford Road, M42 junction 4
Bus Route: 166* to Blythe Valley Business Park
Best time to visit: All year round
Designation: Business/Countryside Park
The Cole Valley
Connecting North Warwickshire to Eastern Birmingham, the Cole Valley meanders through the North of Solihull. The river corridor includes Babbs Mill Park Lake and Cole Bank PLNR, with valuable links to Yorks Wood, Alcott Wood and Smiths Wood LNRs.
There are a wide variety of habitats along the Valley from Babbs Mill Lake which was dug as a flood water management system in the 1960s, to wet grasslands at Cole Bank Park PLNR. There are areas that have been planted as small woodlands and remnant ancient hedgerows still survive in some places. Yorks Wood LNR is a superb example of semi-natural ancient woodland and looks fantastic when the bluebells are in flower. This mixture of habitats means that there is a great abundance of wildlife including kingfishers, grey herons, sparrow hawks, foxes and bats. In the wetter areas, plants like ragged robin flourish and southern marsh orchids can be seen at Cole Bank Park.
What you might see:
- Bluebells and wild garlic (Ramsons) in Yorks Wood in early May
- Kingfishers along the river all year
- Bats especially foraging over Babbs Mill Lake from May to September
Details
Location: Car parks at Fordbridge Road, Cooks Lane, Meriden Park (Moorend Avenue) and Partridge Close
Bus routes: 55& 71*to Fordbridge Road94to Cooks Lane 55, 966*& 966A to Moorend Avenue/Meriden Park 97Ato Yorkminster Drive/Partridge Close
Best time to visit: All year
Designation: LNR and partial SINC
Coldlands Wood (pLNR)
This 3 hectare woodland is completely surrounded by housing but is an excellent example of semi-natural ancient woodland, with good age range and structure of trees.
There are two distinct types of woodland, with the main area being dominated by oaks with hazel coppice underneath and bluebells carpeting the floor in spring. There is a small area of beechwood land surrounded by the oak wood and the contrast is striking, especially in spring. Because of the dense canopy of the beech trees and the fact that their leaves are thick and hard, the woodland floor is virtually devoid of plant life as it is covered throughout the year. It is unusual to find very old trees in a woodland situation as most woodlands have been cleared in the past to harvest the timber, so the ancient beech trees here are of special interest.
Butterflies and hoverflies are among the more obvious insects, flying along the woodland tracks and resting in the dappled shade holding their territories. Woodland birds also hold territories, singing to announce their presence to potential rivals.
What you might see:
- Ancient beech trees
- Bluebells in early May
- Nuthatches sealing their nest holes with mud in spring
- Butterflies and hoverflies in summer
Details
Location: Access from Buryfield Road or Naseby Road
Bus route: 41*, 42C*, 57, 57A*, 71*, 72*, 169*& 672*to Lode Lane/Buryfield Road, then a 5 minute walk.
Best time to visit: Spring
Designation: proposed LNR
Elmdon Park
At 77.5 hectares, Elmdon is the largest of the Council's parks. It includes formal recreation areas, a lake, smaller ponds, a brook, woodland, scrub, meadows and an old walled garden (Elmdon Manor LNR) managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve.
All three species of woodpecker are seen around the park and buzzards regularly soar overhead. Kingfishers and terns occasionally visit the lake to feed where herons are resident.
The north east section of the park is known as Elmdon Nature Park and was arable land until1999, when it was sown with wildflower seed and now is a mass of colour in the summer. Ox-eye daisy, knapweed and meadow vetchling all provide nectar for abundant bees and butterflies. Other areas within the park are being managed to enhance the grassland flora and a small area of wet grassland has southern marsh orchids and adder's-tongue fern.
The woodland is being managed to improve the structure and to increase the numbers of birds and invertebrates, by opening up glades and rides.
What you might see:
- The 500 year old sweet chestnut
- Lesser-spotted woodpeckers calling from the parkland trees
- Meadows filled with butterflies in summer
- Flocks of wintering thrushes
Details
Location: Access from Tanhouse Farm Road or Damson Parkway
Bus Route: 672*to Tanhouse Farm Rd966*& 966Ato Damson Ln/Land Rover
Best time to visit: Summer and Winter
Designation: LNR and partial SINC
Malvern and Brueton Park
Malvern Park, with its formal flower beds and recreational facilities complement the arboretum and Brueton Park LNR consisting of woodland, grassland and marsh. Over 54 hectares in all, within walking distance of Solihull town centre.
The hay meadow in the LNR is rich in flora including greater burnet, devil's-bit scabious and cowslips. Meadow sweet grows in damper areas providing nectar for the many insects.
Butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers are in abundance all through the summer. The swamp is home to nesting reed buntings, sedge warblers and grasshopper warblers. Ravens and red kites are occasionally seen and birds of prey such as the hobby, hunt bats at dusk. Foxes, badgers and hedgehogs all feed in the park at night but are rarely seen. The River Blythe SSSI runs through the park and is a corridor for wildlife including kingfishers. Otters have also been reported on the Blythe so holts (an otter's resting place) have been constructed in the park to encourage them to stay.
What you might see:
- Over 80 species of birds recorded, including sedge, garden and grasshopper warblers
- Wood anemones, ramsons and bluebells in the woodland in spring
- Meadow flowers, dragonflies and butterflies in summer
- Grasshoppers singing in summer
Details
Location: New Road, Solihull or Warwick Road, Solihull
Bus Route: 4, 40A*& 40C*to New Rd/Park Rd40A*& 40C*to Warwick Rd/Marsh Ln
Best time to visit: All year round
Designation: LNR and partial SINC
Designation of sites:
Local Nature Reserve (LNR)
Prposed LNR (PLNR)
Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC)
Bus information
Provided by Travel West Midlands.
Buses marked with an asterisk (*) do not run on Sundays.