Nature on our network

Published

22 May 2023

Highlighting plants and wildlife that have found a habitat on our land

We can make use of our network of green land to:

reconnect habitats
reverse the decline in biodiversity
help wildlife thrive across a wider landscape

Here are pictures of some of the plants and animals found on our land - and the habitats we create for them.

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Five Spot Burnet Moth

Location: Yorkshire and North East

The five spots on this moth's wings are a warning to predators, as it contains hydrogen cyanide.

Butterflies and moths can be valuable pollinators, together with bees and other insects.

2 / 8

Nest box for Peregrine falcon

Location: North West

Peregrines have been observed nesting on the walkways underneath the M60 Barton high level bridge.

Thought to be the world's fastest animal, Peregrines are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

We installed a nest box under the bridge this year with help from local raptor volunteers.

3 / 8

Bee Orchids

Location: South West

15 years ago, we changed our methods of scrub control to encourage the spread of the existing Bee Orchid population.

4 / 8

Creating ponds as natural habitats

Location: North West

This picture shows one of the twenty ponds we constructed as part of the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon road scheme.

Surveys in 2020 confirmed Great Crested Newts in several of the ponds.

5 / 8

Deptford Pink

Location: South West

The Deptford Pink is only found at 15 sites in the UK, mainly in the South of England.

One site on our network in Plymouth has over 100 plants.

6 / 8

Homes for bats

Location: North West

We built this underground bat chamber as part of mitigation works for the A595 Parton to Lilyhall bypass.

We can also build bat chambers into overground structures, like bus stops.

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Dormice

Location: South West, East Midlands

We need to take account of Dormice populations in approximately 90% of our South West projects.

The population at A43 Hazelbrough Wood is one on the most northerly populations of Dormice.

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Oystercatcher nest

Location: Yorkshire and Norh East

We've found Oystercatcher eggs at several of our balancing ponds along the A1(M).

Oystercatchers seem to be big fans of the filter drains that surround the ponds. They provide these ground nesting birds a perfect place to lay their eggs.

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Location: Yorkshire and North East

The five spots on this moth's wings are a warning to predators, as it contains hydrogen cyanide.

Butterflies and moths can be valuable pollinators, together with bees and other insects.

Location: North West

Peregrines have been observed nesting on the walkways underneath the M60 Barton high level bridge.

We installed a nest box under the bridge this year with help from local raptor volunteers.

Thought to be the world's fastest animal, Peregrines are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Location: South West

15 years ago, we changed our methods of scrub control to encourage the spread of the existing Bee Orchid population.

Location: North West

This picture shows one of the twenty ponds we constructed as part of the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon road scheme.

Surveys in 2020 confirmed Great Crested Newts in several of the ponds.

Location: South West

The Deptford Pink is only found at 15 sites in the UK, mainly in the South of England. One site on our network in Plymouth has over 100 plants.

Location: North West

We built this underground bat chamber as part of mitigation works for the A595 Parton to Lilyhall bypass.

We also build bat chambers into over-ground structures, like bus stops.

Location: South West, East Midlands

We need to take account of Dormice populations in approximately 90% of our South West projects.

The population at A43 Hazelbrough Wood is one on the most northerly populations of Dormice.

Location: Yorkshire and Norh East

We found Oystercatcher eggs at several balancing ponds along the A1 (M).

Oystercatchers seem to be big fans of the filter drains that surround the ponds. The drains provide these ground nesting birds a perfect place to lay their eggs.