Lichen

Is the air getting cleaner or is it to do with where things are ?

This photo was taken walking along a footpath just below the very busy slip road onto the A52 at the Wyvern in Derby.

Lichen cannot grow in any form of polluted air , but this is thriving while 5 metres above it lorrys and cars trundle past day in day out.

I like this little oasis between Sainsburys and the A52. Often I must get taken for a potential mugger or deviant as I stop and "loiter" to gaze at nature there.

In the past month I have seen pairs of Wrens,Goldcrests,Great Tits,Bearded Tits and Robins looking for nest sites and/or food. Added to the usual Blackbirds, Starlings and Sparrows that universally get ignored by the shoppers and staff who use this path.

I sometimes wonder if the folk who always moan and complain about the effect on nature of road building ever stop to see what happens in the little enclaves that these developments create. Me I find they can often raise the spirits on a dull day. I would love to hear of your opinions.