Nature

Whilst driving down a lane between the M20 and Brands Hatch I pulled into a verge which I think is an emergency entrance to a part of the Brands Hatch race circuit. I was going to take a shot of the road and the trees on either side, when I noticed this sign. Never really thought about the nature in road verges until now.....

'The Kent Road Verge Project was set up in 1994 to identify, protect and manage road verges of importance for wildlife. Roadside verges support a significant part of the county's threatened habitats and wildlife.

The Road Verge Officer, together with a team of dedicated voluntary wardens, now looks after 130 Roadside Nature Reserves (RNRs), totalling some 55 miles of key wildlife habitat.

The network of RNRs supports a range of scarce or threatened wildlife habitats, such as ancient woodland, chalk grassland, and heathland.

Many RNRs are important for wild orchids, including the striking Greater Butterfly Orchid, the Man Orchid and even the resplendent Lady Orchid.

RNRs by their very nature are long and thin, so they can provide vital wildlife corridors for many species, particularly mammals such as badgers and dormice, and threatened reptiles, such as adders.

Roadside Nature Reserves can be recognised by the blue butterfly signs at each end. Please be careful if you are visiting a RNR. Make sure you wear a fluorescent jacket or bright clothing so that you are clearly visible to passing traffic and take extra care where there are no pavements'.