You have argued that the protection of nature is a cultural project, not a natural project. Why?

Because it involves changing people's values and ideas, and building a politics around those cultural conceptions. Whether what we protect is deep wilderness or an inner-city community garden, from a cultural point of view what we are protecting is a symbol of what nature means to us. This doesn't mean that places are only symbols or pure cultural constructions. The world exists, and yet we experience it through our own ideas. Our politics in particular are built out of those words, ideas, symbols.

wild flowers of the city

These are the most common wild flowers, often called weeds, found in towns and cities in Europe and North America, Bittersweet, Burdock, Canadian fleabane, Charlock, Coltsfoot, Creeping Thistle, Curled Dock, Dandelion, Fat Hen Golden Rod, Greater Plantain, Knotgrass, Meadow Grass Mugwort, Red Clover, Rosebay Willowherb, Rye Grass, Shepherd's Purse,Smooth Sowthistle and Yarrow. Why not look out for them in the coming monthes and send me any spottings of them?

Are you out there on the streets?

I began this blog sometime ago, I knew I would come back to it and now feel its the right time to continue, I feel excited by the subject area, is anyone else I ask myself? Anybody out there interested in these?

• roads
• motorways
• zebra crossings
• interventions in public spaces
• anonymity
• between time and space
• the soft estate, roadside verges
• the growing lack of contact pedestrians have with drivers now we have traffic lights at zebra's
• lighting
• hard shoulders
• road kill
• tribute to people killed on the road/shrines on roads
• art in streets and public spaces

I want to find others who are interested or work in these areas, doesn't matter what you do. So if you know anyone who might be interested, pass on the message. It would be great to have a dialogue with you.

Listen to Richard Mabey on Private Passions on radio 4

I turned on the radio today and Richard Mabey the wonderful nature writer was being interviewed about music and his relationship with the dynamic changing environment. You can still hear for the next seven days on the link, well worth a listen.

Mabey is very tuned into the changing landscape, he is no romantic about nature, but has a special attachment to the overlooked areas of nature that we often drive by or dismiss. Private Passions is like a more thoughtful version of Desert Island Discs so might not be everyones cup of tea!!!

Beachcombing the hard shoulder

A scavenger
patrolling the borderlands
for illegal immigrants.
Clearing the litter
and corpses of
insignificant mistakes

Combing the edges
cruising, hovering for a
mere morsel,
a rubber innard,
a bird stapled to the tarmac,
showing off all it's got
for all to see

Beach combing for scraps
tossed from a window
the sound of 90 miles an hour
won't put me off.

At the scene of pile ups
I never fail to beat the cctv cameras,
spills won't be neglected,
as I cruise the corridor of time
cleansing my flight path,
for the forgotten moments

(AR)

blackbird song

click on the blog post title to listen to a black bird