Have you seen an alien species in Norfolk?

Muntjac are often seen in gardens. Photo credit M Challis.

Mink, hogweed, Himalayan balsam, knotweed and Muntjac are all featuring Norfolk Wildlife Trust's latest wildlife survey - to map alien Wildlife Invaders in Norfolk.

February 2009. Norfolk Wildlife Trust is working with Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership and Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service as part of its Natural Connections project to map the distribution of five non-native species in the county. These have been identified as having a potentially undesirable impact on Norfolk's wonderful native wildlife. NWT is asking local people to be on the look out for these species and let them have details of their sightings - every single record counts! The species are:

• American mink - originates from escaped animals imported for fur farms
• Giant hogweed - can be dangerous to handle as the plant contains a toxic sap
• Himalayan balsam - the seed capsules ‘explode' flinging their seeds several metres
  
• Japanese knotweed - all Japanese knotweed plants in the UK are female and probably derive from the same mother plant
• Muntjac - Muntjac deer regularly visit gardens even in urban areas

NWT wants to find out where these species are found in Norfolk and what impact they are having on Norfolk's countryside. The Wildlife Invaders survey will run until the end of October. It can be completed online at www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections or via a survey card, available by calling 01603 598333.

NWT's wildlife and community officer Gemma Walker said: "This is a very interesting survey and gives people the opportunity to actively get involved in nature conservation. We believe it is really important to understand the extent to which these non-native species have spread in the county, because they can do harm. For example: invasive plants shade out the native plants, and when they die back often leave bare ground which is vulnerable to erosion, especially on river banks. The American mink is a veracious predator of water voles and plants such as Japanese knotweed can cause damage to buildings and hard structures."

NWT has run several surveys of this kind in the past, including the hunt for the Notable Trees of Norfolk, Mistletoe and Garden Wildlife. The surveys are made possible thanks to a grant of £207,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support the involvement of local communities in wildlife surveys and conservation projects. The project also includes a free wildlife information and advice service for people across Norfolk. The website covers frequently asked questions, species profiles and an online photo gallery gathering the public's images of Norfolk's wildlife. Visit www.norfolkwildlifetrust/naturalconnections.

Also, take a look at the Norfolk Non-native Species Initiative webpage which is the ‘one-stop shop' for information on invasive non-native species in Norfolk. The site can be found through the NBP website: www.norfolkbiodiversity.org