About this site
A passion project…
This site is a passion project by me, Betty Adamou.
I’m a local Suffolk resident originally from London, and Christchurch Park has been a tonic to me for the last five years.
I actually thought of starting this site back in 2019, when I first caught site of the Wollemi Pine.
What’s a Wollemi Pine? I hear you ask.
That’s the same question I had too, when I saw the label on a very strange looking young tree in the Arboretum (toward the back of the park, near the school exit).
Turns out, the Wollemi Pine is a tree that was around when dinosaurs ruled the planet, and when there was massive continent called Gondwanaland.
The Wollemi Pine was thought to be extinct, but, a discovery of this tree in the Wollemi Park of Australia in XXX saw this brilliant piece of Earth’s history being re-identified, and re-introduced throughout the world, with an ongoing project that you can check-out here.
I couldn’t believe that such an amazing plant, with such awesome history, was just sitting there nonchalantly, and no-one realising the significance!
I excitedly told friends about this amazing plant sitting in our local park, but soon realised that there is no where to see this kind of information for those who want to know more. I wanted to do something about this, by creating a site solely focused on the the biology of the park, to act as a one-stop-shop directory and nature archive.
Hence, Biology of Christchurch Park was born.
Without any background in plant or Earth sciences, I’m learning as I go, and speaking to fantastic people in the local area know lots about the parks’ creatures. and plants. And doing a LOT of Googling!
With more than 80 acres, there’s a lot to cover…
I anticipate that by the time I document each and every plant or mamal, lichen or fungi, I’ll be an old lady. With that in mind, this site, much like the park itself, is growing and changing, so expect things to become more populated over time.
Because of the sheer size of the park, and the vastness of each individual area, I’ve given nicknames to the areas and also use What 3 Words to help you see the exact location of a specific piece of flora or a habitat.
You can check out What 3 Words here:
I’ve also sectioned the park into 28 areas, if we need to discuss parts in a more broader sense.
These maps can be found here.
