From the wasteland a rich carpet of orchids

Industrial wastelands sound like grim places but many of them are refuges for some fascinating plants. A recent survey in north-east England found far more variety of plants on brownfield sites than moorlands, which you might imagine would be wilder and more natural.

But the industrial sites often have a thin, nutrient poor, soil which fast growing weeds can't tolerate, and this allows more interesting species to thrive.