Biodiversity At Billingham

Although the Billingham Site has been largely used for chemical manufacture since the 1920's, many species of plants and animals have made it their home.
GrowHow is a long standing member of INCA (Industry's Nature Conservation Association) INCA is a membership organisation providing environmental and ecological consultancy to businesses in the Tees Valley since 1989.
They regularly visit the site to survey the plant and wildlife living there as well as offering advice on how GrowHow can manage its landscaping to provide suitable habitats. In 2005, INCA provided the expertise to create a wildflower Meadow and pond.
Children from local school High Clarence primary had great fun putting Common frogs, tadpoles and other pond species into the water.
The pond was established very quickly but the wildflower meadow struggled, as the existing population of rabbits thought it very tasty!

In late 2007, an area was fenced off (to deter the rabbits) and re-seeded - the result was well worth the effort!
For the first time this year the meadow has been seen in full splendour with a variety of species being in bloom all at the same time:- Ox-eye daisys, red campion, viper bugloss and poppies all add their colour.
Meadows such as this are a haven for wildlife and among other things a variety of insects are now using the area. The cinnabar moth, the common blue butterfly and the Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans) , a bumblebee-mimic  all can be seen in the meadow

The mix of wild grasses present in the meadow also provides a larval food source for other species of butterfly such as the Meadow Brown and Small Heath.  There is a patch of Stinging Nettle beside the meadow; it is also an important habitat for several other butterflies; the Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma and the Peacock.
The larvae of these species use nettles as their food plant. Having nettles in close proximity to the meadow ensures that the adult butterflies which then hatch in July and August will have a ready supply of nectar upon which to feed, it is hoped that all of these species of  butterflies will appear in the GrowHow meadow this summer.

Wilder Visitors to GrowHow Billingham.
Two of the more unusual visitors to the Site in recent years have been a barn owl and a seal spotted swimming in Billingham Beck which is runs along the perimeter. Earlier this year, an Oyster Catcher nested on the site of a recently demolished office block. The Common Blue, Cinnabar and Hoverfly have been seen enjoying the meadow. The Blue Damsel dragon flies have the pond their home.