I’ve always had an interest in the ecosystems and habitats that interface built and natural environments, the places within cities and at their edges where nature finds a foothold largely ignored by people.
It was with this in mind that I journeyed by bike along the Thames towards the Thames Barrier, searching for those magical spaces where a tapestry of plantlife exists within man-made cracks and crevices
Here is a short photo essay.
Buddleja davidii the Butterfly Bush, is a garden escapee species, originally from china the common name is due to the large numbers of butterflies attracted to its rich nectar.
Grass seed heads against a dumped refuse sack.
Blackberrys growing up through cracks in the pavement, this is the common or uncultivated form otherwise known as Bramble.
Oenothera glazioviana the Evening Primrose growing on the concrete path next to the Thames
Evening Primrose flower head, these are often used in herbal remedies due to the calming, sedative properties in the plant.
Stones, ‘weeds’ and cigarette butts
Papaver rhoeas the common Poppy against a blue fence
Convolvulus arvensis the Common Bindweed amongst Buddleja near Canary Wharf
A type of Plantain stretching its leaves and flowers against a wall
Plants invade a disused jetty
Buddleja with some threads attached
A dead tree is left to rot in a car park near the O2
Sculpture and plants near the O2
Sedge grasses growing on the banks of the Thames near the O2
A forgotten doorway is slowly being reclaimed by nature
Some waste art mimics the natural forms of the vegetation along the riverbank
A local artist reminds us that nature and man can co-exist
