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Ashford Green Corridor
Ashford Green Corridor is a green space that runs through the town of Ashford, Kent, Ashford in Kent, England. The Green Corridor is made up of parks, recreation grounds and other green spaces alongside the rivers that flow through Ashford. It is a Local Nature Reserve. The town has been growing steadily since the early 19th century. As the town has expanded, land close to the rivers has not usually been built on, due to the risk of flooding because the Ashford (borough), Ashford Borough Council has protected it as green space. Flood protection Because the Green Corridor areas are right next to Ashford's rivers, many of them hold floodwater, protecting homes and businesses. This is particularly important now because floods seem to be occurring more frequently. Wildlife The Green Corridor brings wildlife to the town. Ashford's rivers are surprisingly natural considering their urban surroundings, and are home for many wild plants and animals. Common kingfishers, grass snakes, da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the Borough of Ashford, Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about by road southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, it had a population of 83,213. The name comes from the Old English ''æscet'', indicating a Ford (crossing), ford near a Clumping (biology), clump of Fraxinus, ash trees. It has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and a regular market continues to be held. St Mary's Parish Church, Ashford, St Mary's Parish Church has been a local landmark since the 13th century, and expanded in the 15th. Today, the church functions in a dual role as a centre for worship and entertainment. The arrival of the railways from the mid 19th century onwards, created a significant source of employment contributing to the town's growth as a rail hub at the centre o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Common Blue Damselfly
''Enallagma cyathigerum'' (common blue damselfly or common bluet) is a species found mainly between latitudes 40°N and 72°N; It is widely distributed in the Palearctic, common in all European countries (including Portugal, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, etc.) and in Asia in Turkey, Iran, Russia, and South Korea. The species reaches a length of with wings long. Damselflies are an important link between the health of the aquatic ecosystem and its response to climate change. The closely related Nearctic species '' Enallagma annexum'' (northern bluet) was at one time considered to be synonymous with it. Habitat These damselflies inhabit freshwater bodies whose conditions range, they have been seen in acidic fens as well as eutrophic ponds. They have been considered one of the more sensitive insects in an aquatic setting. They are important within the trophic levels as they are an intermediate predator. They consume smaller larvae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Reedbed
A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reedbeds age, they build up a considerable litter layer that eventually rises above the water level and that ultimately provides opportunities in the form of new areas for larger terrestrial plants such as shrubs and trees to colonise. Artificial reedbeds are used to remove pollutants from greywater, and are also called constructed wetlands. Types Reedbeds vary in the species that they can support, depending upon water levels within the wetland system, climate, seasonal variations, and the nutrient status and salinity of the water. ''Reed swamps'' have 20 cm or more of surface water during the summer and often have high invertebrate and bird species use. ''Reed fens'' have water levels at or below the surface during the summer and are o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Ruddy Darter
The ruddy darter (''Sympetrum sanguineum'') is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. Distribution The ruddy darter is to be found in temperate regions throughout Europe as far east as and as far south as the northern . Its is regarded as secure, and indeed numbers seem to be increasing in some locations such as central |
Emperor (dragonfly)
The emperor dragonfly or blue emperor (''Anax imperator'') is a large species of hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. It is the largest dragonfly in most of Europe, including the United Kingdom, although exceeded in some areas by other species. Nomenclature The generic name ''Anax'' is from the ancient Greek , "lord"; the specific epithet ''imperator'' is the Latin for "emperor", from ''imperare'', to command. Distribution This dragonfly has a wide distribution through Afroeurasia; it is found throughout Africa and through most of Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, and south-western and central Asia. Since the 1990s, its range has expanded in Europe, both northwards and to higher altitudes. For example, the first Scandinavian record was in 1994 in Denmark; in 2002 it was first recorded in Sweden and in 2004 first in Scotland; today it is regular in all three countries. The species' northward expansion has been tied to global warming, and it is among the first odonata to do so. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Common Hazel
''Corylus avellana'', the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae. The shrubs usually grow tall. The nut is round, in contrast to the longer filbert nut. Common hazel is native to Europe and Western Asia. The species is mainly cultivated for its nuts. The name 'hazelnut' applies to the nuts of any species in the genus ''Corylus'', but in commercial contexts usually describes ''C. avellana''. This hazelnut or cob nut, the kernel of the seed, is edible and used raw, roasted, or ground into a paste. Historically, the shrub was an important component of the hedgerows used as field boundaries in lowland England. The wood was grown as coppice, with the poles used for wattle-and-daub building and agricultural fencing. Description Common hazel is typically a shrub reaching tall, but can reach . The leaves are deciduous, rounded, long and across, softly hairy on both surfaces, and with a double-serrate margin. The flowers are produced very e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills AONB, Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs AONB, Kent Downs. The North Downs Way National Trail runs along the North Downs from Farnham to Dover. The highest point in the North Downs is Botley Hill, Surrey ( above sea level). The ''County Top'' of Kent is Betsom's Hill ( above sea level), which is less than 1 km from Westerham Heights, Bromley, the highest point in Greater London at an elevation of . Etymology 'Downs' is from Old English ''dun'', meaning, amongst other things, "hill". The word acquired the sense of "elevated rolling grassland" around the 14th century. The name contains "North" to distinguish them from a similar range of hills – the South Downs – which runs roughly parallel to them but s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Common Frog
The common frog or grass frog (''Rana temporaria''), also known as the European common frog, European common brown frog, European grass frog, European Holarctic true frog, European pond frog or European brown frog or simply the frog, is a semi-aquatic amphibian of the family Ranidae, found throughout much of Europe as far north as Scandinavia and as far east as the Urals, except for most of the Iberian Peninsula, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans. The farthest west it can be found is Ireland. It is also found in Asia, and eastward to Japan. The nominative, and most common, subspecies ''Rana temporaria temporaria'' is a largely terrestrial frog native to Europe. It is distributed throughout northern Europe and can be found in Ireland, the Isle of Lewis and as far east as Japan. Common frogs metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages — aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile, and adult. They have corpulent bodies with a rounded snout, webbed feet an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Smooth Newt
The smooth newt, European newt, northern smooth newt or common newt (''Lissotriton vulgaris'') is a species of newt. It is widespread in Europe and parts of Asia, and has been introduced species, introduced into Australia. Individuals are brown with a spotted underside that ranges in colour from orange to white. They reach an average length of ; males are larger than females. The newts' skins are dry and velvety when they are living on land, but become smooth when they migration (ecology), migrate into the water to breed. Males develop a more vivid colour pattern and a conspicuous skin seam (crest) on their back when breeding. The smooth newt was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as a lizard, and was then given different genus (biology), genus names before the adoption of its current classification as a member of ''Lissotriton''. There are currently three accepted subspecies of smooth newt. Formerly, there were also four subspecies—all with more restricted ranges—that ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Blue-tailed Damselfly
The blue-tailed damselfly or common bluetail (''Ischnura elegans'') is a damselfly, belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Subspecies and varieties Subspecies and varieties include: *''Ischnura elegans ebneri'' Schmidt, 1938 *''Ischnura elegans elegans'' (Vander Linden, 1820) *''Ischnura elegans pontica'' Schmidt, 1939 *''Ischnura elegans f. infuscans'' *''Ischnura elegans f. infuscans-obsoleta'' *''Ischnura elegans f. rufescens'' *''Ischnura elegans f. typica'' *''Ischnura elegans f. violacea'' Distribution This species is present in most of Europe and the Middle East. It is a common species. Habitat These damselflies can be found in a wide range of lowland environments, with standing and slow flowing waters, brackish and polluted water. Description ''Ischnura elegans'' can reach a body length of and a wingspan of about . Hindwings reach a length of .L. Watson and M. J. DallwitBritish Insects: the Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies/ref> Adult male blue-tailed damse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
