Urban Nature
Cities are habitats too.
Gardens, parks, railway banks, cemeteries, roofs and canals together form a patchwork that many species use. Some, like swifts and house sparrows, depend on buildings; others, like foxes and hedgehogs, move through back gardens as if they were one large territory.
The most useful thing in a city is connection: a hedge, a gap in a fence, a verge left uncut. Small changes in many places add up to a landscape wildlife can cross.
553 species and 1,787 sightings have been recorded in urban nature habitat by the Bosk community.
Species you may see in urban nature habitat
- Common Magpie (Pica pica)
- Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis)
- Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
- Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)
- Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- European Toad (Bufo bufo)
- Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- Great Tit (Parus major)
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
- Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
- Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
- Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus)
- European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
- Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)
- Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Domestic Cat (Felis catus)
- Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)
- American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
- Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
- Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis)
What to look for
- Blackbird and Robin
- Red Squirrel or Grey Squirrel
- Swifts overhead in summer
- Bats over canals at dusk
Urban Nature through the year
Spring
Nest building in every tree and hedge; swifts arrive late in spring.
Summer
Bats hunting over water at dusk; flowers and bees in gardens.
Autumn
Berries and fungi in parks; leaf piles for hedgehogs.
Winter
Waxwings in some years, robins singing, and birds at feeders.
Why Urban Nature Matters
- Many city dwellers meet most of their nature here.
- Green space cools streets and soaks up heavy rain.
- Urban populations can be important refuges for declining species.
How to be kind to urban nature wildlife
- Check for nests before trimming a hedge.
- Switch off unneeded outdoor lights.
- Leave a gap at the bottom of a fence for hedgehogs.
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