This flora and fauna information sign can be found on The Vale which is a Registered Park of Special Historic Interest.
The information board is close to the footbridge at the northern end of the man-made lake gives the following information on the flora and fauna found on the site:
'
Ecology and WildlifeThe Vale is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, from mighty cedars to delicate speedwells, from big and bold geese to more shy and tiny long-tailed tits. Here are a few interesting facts about some of them.
Native flowering plantsLook out for the tall herbaceous perennial
Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudocorus) on the lake edge, flowering May-June. This is one of only two native iris species. it is often used for water treatment due to its ability to absorb heavy metals through its roots.
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is popular with long-tongues insect, including bees and butterflies. Athough this perennial has become something of an invasive plant where introduced abroad, in its native UK there are plenty of insect feeding on it and keeping it in check such as black-margined loosestrife beetle, the loosestrife root weevil and the loosestrife flower weevil. The leaves turn bright crimson in the the autumn.
Tall stems dard green pleated leaves and characteristic slender, drooping flower spikes are clear distinguishing features of
Great Pendulous Sedge (Carex pendula).Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) is related to carrot and parsley. This early (April to June) flowering umbel is considered edible and a mosquito repellent when rubbed on the skin. However, it has an unpleasant flavour and can be confused with
Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mategassianum), which burns the skin when rubbed against it. So maybe it is best just to look at it! This plant prefers slightly shady places and can be seen growing around the base of trees in The Vale.
(To the right of this text are colour photographs of the plants described).BirdlifeA wide variety of waterfowl can be seen at The Vale pool at different times of the year, including
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula).
Also resident and breeding on the Vale are two similar reed-nesting waterbirds, the
Coot (Fulica atra), which is distinguished by its lareger size and striking white bill and forehead and
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), which sometimes weaves the reeds over the nest into a thatch to protect its young from aerial predators.
Perhaps the most notable, however, is the
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis). It is superficially similar to the more familiar Canada Goose but Barnacles are smaller and greyer, with a black breast, and a white face (contrasting with the Canada's white chinstrap only). Barnacle Geese spend the summer in the Artic, where they rear their young. Because they were never seen in the summer and young were never seen , legends developed that they hatched fully-formed from underwater shells! In the UK they are usually found in very large numbers at protected sites (such as Caerlaverock in Scotland). However, there are a few small urbanised populations, such as the one at The Vale, possibly made up of escapees from private collections.
Apart from waterfowl, many other bird species can be seen on The Vale.
Barn Swallows and
House Martins are common summer visitors. Due to their sudden appearance and disappearance at the start and end of summer, it was thought for centuries that they ‘hibernated' in the mud at the bottom of pools.
Greater Spotted (Dendrocopos major) and
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) are also relatively commonly seen and quite striking in their colours. They can be recognised in flight by the exaggerated undulating motion. Green Woodpeckers seen commonly on lawns where they favour anthills for foraging. Also occasionally seen is the Kingfisher. It is a rare visitor and is seen usually as just a flash of metallic blue. Not seen that often as prefer to feed on fast-flowing rivers where it nests in burrows in steep-sided banks.
(To the left of this text are colour photographs of a Moorhen, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and Barnacle Goose). TreesThere are over 1,500 trees on The Village with many mature examples of native Oak, Beech, Yew, Field Maple, Silver Birch, Hawthorn, Ash and Rowan which will increasingly support biodiversity as they age.
Others, however, were clearly planted for their ornamental value and, more than anything else, give the site its distinctive character. Particular examples include the
Bhutan Pine (Pinus wallichiana)originating in The Himalayas, with long soft needles and board-crowned growth habit giving an attractive 'weeping' effect - look out for the foot-long yellow cones.
Sweet Chestnut(Castanea sativa) a very distant relation to the Horse Chestnut, this tree was introduced here from Southern Europe as far back as Roman times and cultivated for its wood and fruit (Roman soldiers were given chestnut porridge before entering battle). Sweet Chestnuts can grow to as much as 35m and live for centuries with one example in Corsica estimated to be 1,000 years old. They are also important food sources for many Lepidoptera species.
(Butterflies and moths).There are also examples of
Corsican Pine(Pinus nigra), Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum),
(Moose Maple (Acer pennsylvatica) and
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra), the latter thought to be the only elm species truly native to Britain. While very susceptible to Dutch Elm Disease, it is thought to be less attractive to the elm beetles although numbers have declined severely since the 1960s.
There are several species of
Cedar on The Vale
(Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus libani and Cedrus deodara) and they have a dramatic impact on the landscape. One way of telling them apart is to look at the direction in which the branches grow and thinkd of ALD; Atlas ascending, Lebanon level, Deodar drooping.
(To the left of this text are colour photographs of a Bhutan Pine, a Sweet Chestnut, a Wych Elm and a Cedar).The information on flora and Fauna is located on right of the board towards the base. To the left is a colour plan of The Vale Village site. Above this information is a brief history of The Vale Village site.
In the top righthand corner of the board is the crest of the University of Birmingham and some bye-laws to help the University maintain the character of the area.
(
visit link)
(
visit link)