1. Start at Wrexham Library, Rhosddu Road
Each year a black bird nests on the roof of the library.

2. Llwyn Isaf
Walk across the green at the rear of the adjacent Guildhall and have a look under the sycamore and beech trees. In the grass there is a variety of mosses and liverworts which include:

Atrichum undulatum

Lophocolea cristata

Eurhynchium praelongum

Brachythecium rutabulum
In the autumn you may find wild mushrooms like the shaggy parasol mushroom growing under the shrubs.

3. Walk towards the zebra crossing on Chester Street
But before you cross, have a look at the leaves of the holly trees. Some leaves have brown blotches on them caused by the holly leaf miner, a larvae of a tiny fly which lays its eggs in the leaf.

4. Wrexham Police Station
After crossing Chester Street, walk past the memorial plaques and in front of you there is a group of sycamore trees. Have a close look at the trunks of these trees. There are several lichens:

Physcia adscendens (grey with whiskers)

Chysothrix candelaris (yellow)

Parmelia glabratula (brown)

Parmelia saxatilis (grey)

Ulota crispa (moss)
Lichen are very sensitive to air pollution and the more species of lichens you can find the cleaner the air.

Walk down the footpath heading towards the back of the police station. In the spring you see wild garlic, green alkanet and bluebell along this old hedgerow together with hawthorn and elder.

If you are lucky you might see the peregrine falcons which are nesting on top of the police station.

5. Thirsty Scholar Pub
Turn around and head back to the library.
Walk around the green along the path between the Library and the Guildhall. Cross Rhosddu Road to the corner of Trinity Street where there is a pub called the Thirsty Scholar. Around the edges of the beer garden are several plants which grow in disturbed soil:

Small Nettle

Chickweed

Red Dead Nettle

Shepherds Purse

Oxford Ragwort

Mexican Fleabane

6. St Mary's Church Wall (along road by bus stop!)
Walk through the beer garden to the bus station. Turn left and walk straight to Regent Street. On Regent Street, cross the road and walk to the right past the Post Office. Continue past Wrexham Museum. At the end of the street turn left down Bradley Road towards Wrexham Fire Station. The wall by the bus stop has several plants growing out of it:

Pellitory-of-the-wall
This plant was once used in herbal medicine to treat kidney stones.

Feverfew
This can also be found on the wall and is well known for alleviating migraines.

7. Wrexham Lager Brewery site
Walk past the fire station and over the railway bridge. Look to your right and notice the area of land where Wrexham Lager once stood. The open areas of land are habitats which might not look much but they are invaluable for both plants and animals.

8. Corner of Bellevue Road
Carry on walking towards the roundabout. Follow the road left to walk down Watery Road. At the roundabout, cross the road to the corner of Bellevue Road and there, growing out of the brick wall, are several ferns and flowers:

Hart's Tongue Fern

Maiden Hair Fern

Wall Rue (fern)

Ivy leaved toad flax

Oxford Ragwort

Red Valerian

Sheeps Fescue (grass)

Eriophila verna

Groundsel

Shining cranes-bill

Wavy bitter cress

9. St Giles Church
Wall down Brook Street, and at the crossroads turn left up Town Hill. At the top of the hill turn right to go to St Giles Parish Church. At certain times of day you can hear song thrushes singing in the pollarded lime trees in the old grave yard.

10. Queen's Square & Lord Street
At the church gates turn with your back to the church and head towards the centre of town along the pedestrian streets. Take the right fork along Queen Street and walk towards the Tourist Information Centre on the right hand side of Queen's Square. Look up Lord Street and there are some small whitebeams which have been planted in these pedestrian areas. In the winter more than 100 pied wagtails come to roost in these trees every evening. You can see them waiting in the trees at dusk on the shop roofs before they roost.

I hope you enjoyed this walk which shows the diversity of life in Wrexham town centre!

Text provided by the biodiversity department of Wrexham Council.
Website: www.wrexham.gov.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

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