Francis Hickenbottom’s Nature Notes.
27th October 2009
I have just spent two days, at the start of the half-
London isn’t an obvious destination for someone who is interested in natural history
but there is a lot to be seen, even in heavily built-
The Lee Valley campsite is near an area of wetland, so there were regular over-
I was quite surprised by the number of young yew trees to be found amongst the roadside planting. I also spotted some wild privet which was carrying plump, shiny berries. These look inviting but privet can be quite toxic to humans and is said to result in toxic honey in areas where the flowers are sufficiently abundant. I wondered whether these two species form part of the natural vegetation of the area.
When I walked out to buy a newspaper one morning, one of the first things I spotted was an adult fox lying dead at the side of the main road. Later the same morning, we were standing on the platform at Edmonton Green railway station when I spotted a fox sauntering across the railway line just beyond the end of the platform. I was pleased, but not surprised, to see the fox because I have had many sightings of foxes in cities such as Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham. When we returned to the same station the following morning, I was on the lookout for foxes but didn’t expect to be fortunate enough to see another one. However. I spotted a fox as it wandered casually across the line and this was immediately followed by a second one. The only other people who noticed the foxes were several people standing near us, who saw me pointing out the foxes to my daughter.
My daughter has spent part of her holiday practising her drawing skills and advising me on how I can improve my own creations. She drew the fine centipede shown above.