Habitat creation

Here are some examples of work that has been carried out in the area.

Community Projects

The Environmental Trust commissioned Valescapes and Birmingham City Council’s Serviceteam to create five new community projects on our behalf to be located on the Castle Vale Conservation Area. Work on the projects was completed in March 2003. They are listed here.

Project Brimstone

Our butterfly conservation project is quite unique. We are trying to achieve the creation of a semi formal butterfly garden in the wild.

There are approximately 58 species of butterfly in the country and our Nature Conservation Area attracts 12 – 15 species every year. Project Brimstone comprises a collection of various butterfly-attracting habitats that will potentially attract a further 9 or 10 species to the area.

It is located next to Project Teal on the Castle Vale Conservation Area.

Project Teal

One of two of the more ambitious of our projects is Project Teal, our wetland conservation project. We are enlarging an existing pond scrape and adding a platform.

This should create an important educational resource on the Castle Vale estate’s conservation area for schools and community groups.

Dragonflies, amphibians and even waterfowl are our main wildlife hopes for the area, as well as all those microscopic and miniature beasties that live and breed in wetland environments.

Project Speckled Wood

Named after the Speckled Wood butterfly

We have created this community project around a woodland clearing, a favoured habitat of this beautiful butterfly, in an effort to encourage its presence on the estate.

The clearing has been developed as a woodland picnic area for the enjoyment of residents and visitors to the estate. This area is located off Farnborough Road, to the left of the Allotments Approach Road (near to the stables).

Project Waxwing

This is a very straightforward project, creating a border planted with climbers and wall plants. It goes along a one hundred-metre stretch of Project Wagtail and is one of the gateways to the wildlife conservation area. It is located alongside the Betterware office and warehouse on the Vale, north east of the stables complex.

Project Nightingale

Walk 2000 is Birmingham City Council’s Exercise on Prescription initiative to promote a healthier lifestyle. There are a number of routes in the Birmingham area, each two-kilometres long.

Nightingale is the first official Walk 2000 route on the estate, wending its way through the conservation area. Just in case you need a breather, we are installing several additional benches. Maps are available from BCC or the Trust and we hope to add more routes at a later date.