Parks A Haven For All Kinds Of Wildlife

So many parks sprang up when old tips were bulldozed over and grass and new trees planted ,the ground was too unstable for building houses so new green areas emerged,one such park is the John Smiths Playing Field at Longridge.I remember when the place was a huge tip,Rats and Vermin were common place as were weasels and stoats,i even remember before that when the trains used to run from the stone quarries down to Preston.Nowadays the wildlife has returned with a vengeance as i hope this will show, a great picture to start off was one of a Yellow Tailed Mouse that i got within a foot of,he was enjoying a good feed on some seeds and it was a good job i am not a Owl or it would of been his last supper.

Yellow Tailed Mouse eating seeds.
Just a bit further on a flash of brilliant colour caught my eye and a Black and Red Frog hopper came in to view ,this is one of the largest Frog hoppers ,they and the smaller Frog hoppers are better seen some times as the tiny bug inside Cuckoo Spit .

Black and Red Frog hopper.
There are many old tunnels in the park and i noticed activity of bats by chewed off moth wings on the floor these tunnels have a wealth of ferns and flora growing all around them.

Old Railway Tunnel with Bats hiding away.

Walls festooned with Ivy great hiding place for Bats and Bird Nests.

In the shadow of the bridge fantastic Ferns flourish.

Going back out in to the light of the park a pair of Large Skipper Butterflies were busy enjoying a private moment after all the wet and cold weather i was pleased to see some out.

Large Skippers breeding.

There was a good range of flowers out as well and most had a good range of bees on them.

Red Tail Bumble Bee.

Red Campion .

Welsh Poppies.

                        Where the sides of the banks had worn away over periods of time a tree was clinging to life by sending its roots out looking to keep a purchase on the bank.

A maze of Tree roots there was a Robin nest among them with chirping young.

A multitude of Fungi in a shady spot.

This park also has a nature trail to follow its about a mile round walk and you get to see some fantastic descriptions of all kinds of trees ,dogs are also welcome as long as you clean up after them, if you ever get the chance try and visit it you there is also a play area for the children,and from the top of the park is a wonderful view of the countryside all around.

Nature man Andy.