Underneath the arches

Thursday's Guardian Country Diary concerns a remarkable haven of biodiversity underneath these three bridges that span the Ouseburn in Newcastle.

The nearest carries the East Coast mainline railway, the middle one carries the Tyne and Wear Metro tracks and the distant brick arches are the Byker viaduct that carries the main road. Below and beyond that lies the wonderful Ouseburn City Farm, which you can read about here.

The triangle of land where the arches converge is a nature reserve and community orchard, and includes ...

...... this pond and boardwork, where school parties can come to pond dip. It's seething with life, including these .........

....... common darter dragonflies that fluttered all around us. But the star of the show on this visit was this .....

.... exquisite holly blue butterfly.






















From a distance it looked like a little piece of silvery litter in the mud on the edge of the pond, where it was 'puddling' - sucking up mineral-laden liquid that is essential for its reproductive success.
















Holly blues have been recorded here in the past but this is the first that I've seen. It's near the northern limit of its distribution here.

There's woodland where the Byker bridge passes under the Metro bridge ....

..... and grassland under the mainline railway arches.

Purple loosestrife near the pond .....

....... a Phragmites reed bed......

... agrimony, with its hooked fruits ......

great hairy willow herb .........

..... teasels.....

.... wild parsnip ....

.... meadow browns on field scabious ... 

.... together with skippers.

A crucible of biodiversity in an area which was once one of the most heavily industrialised parts of Newcastle.