Dudley College of Technology was awarded £1,000 in the 2018-19 PEBBLE grant to develop its Nature Nook.

The project looked to take an area of the college grounds, which was overgrown and unusable and turn it into a habitat for wildlife and an education resource.

The overgrown area was cleared by staff and students from the college. Some small trees were felled to open the space up and make it more accessible. The trees, which were felled were, turned into log piles, providing an additional habitat on the entrance to the Nature Nook.




During the clearance of the Nature Nook, the college discovered some mining bees and so created a dedicated area for them, which would be undisturbed.

The students planted the perimeter of the Nature Nook with pollinator flowers to attract bees and butterflies.



They then worked to start digging and lining a pond. This gave the students on the science and animal science courses an opportunity to gain relevant work experience whilst they developed this area.








As the college finished the pond and filled it, disaster struck when a tree was hit by lightning fell into the pond. The tree has been cleared but the students will look to make any repairs to the pond liner in the spring. In the meantime, the students can observe the habitats created by the log piles, the pollinator perimeters and the area for mining bees.

The students are also busy making posters for the area which will describe the kinds of animals and insects using the site and what they hope to find in the pond.





Posted: November 2020