Project Purley

The Local History Society for Purley on Thames

H4000 2/12/18 level 2

Natural History and Ecology

When considering natural history we have two principal concerns: where creatures and plants live (the habitats) and what sort of life actually lives there.

In the article on habitats we are considering the different habitats to be found in Purley and the factors that distinguish one habitat from another. Compared with most parishes Purley has an enormous diversity of habitats and ecological zones. The article looks at some of those zones and the consequent variety of plants and animals which frequent them.

When it comes to the plants and creatures which inhabit these areas we need to group topics but the complete structure used by natural historians is far too complex for an area such as ours. They divide the world of living entities into a number of groups and then progressively subdivide as follows:-

Life - The whole of the living world
Kingdom (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, amoeba)
Phylum eg vertebrate
Class eg mammal
Order eg carnivore
Family eg cat
Genus eg big cats
Species eg lynx

For convenience and to match the natural history of Purley click on one of the topic headings below:-

Habitats and Ecology

Plant Life

Mammals and Amphibians

Insects and other small creatures

Fish and crustaceans

Birds

River Wildlife

Nature notes - recorded by members of Project Purley and published in the Newsletter or Journal

Some other articles may be of interest:-

Autumn in Sulham Woods

Winter in Sulham Woods

Spring in Sulham Woods

Summer in Sulham Woods

Ken Mercer's Oak Trees

Angling and Fishing

Barbara Mercer's Notes about a piece of woodland west of Beech Road








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