In the spring and summer, Wild Oxfordshire partnered with local developer Lucy Group to bring more nature to their sites and the lives of their residents.
Lucy Group have a portfolio of residential properties across Jericho in the west of Oxford, and wanted to explore how they could make both their communal green spaces and residential gardens more biodiverse and better for wildlife.
An ecological survey of a number of Lucy Group sites was undertaken in the spring, with the aim of putting together recommendations for ecological enhancement. Urban spaces are often overlooked as being nature-depleted spaces, but with a few often easy tweaks, they can accommodate a range of species such as invertebrates, birds and mammals like hedgehogs. Suggestions for enhancement included the changing of management such as reduced mowing in some areas to encourage the growth of low-lying flowers, and the integration of new nesting spaces for solitary bees and small birds in suitable spaces.
Between April and June, our Nature Recovery Lead and Engagement Officer also ran three events for residents that live in Lucy Group’s properties. The first of these was an urban planting event, where participants learnt about how pollinators help our local ecosystems and each planted up a pot of nasturtiums or sweet peas to increase green ‘stepping stones’ and foraging opportunities for bees. We then ran a walk that took residents across Jericho’s green spaces, walking around beautiful and nature-rich sites such as St Sepulchre’s Cemetery, the Trap Grounds Nature Reserve and Port Meadow – taking a stroll around natural spaces can have huge benefits for physical and mental health. Finally we had a session centred around solitary bees – residents learned about their life cycles and pollinator power before creating and decorating their own solitary bee houses to leave in their gardens.
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