They are out there somewhere...

Looking for aliens
Invasive non-native plants and animals can have a serious impact on native wildlife. Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is working with the Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership to support their major new initiative to monitor the impact of invasive non-native species that are already established in the county.
As part of its Natural Connections project, NWT is running a survey to map the distribution of five key non-native species: Muntjac, American mink, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed. Their aim is to engage the general public in helping to find out where these species are found in Norfolk and help discover what impact they are having on Norfolk’s countryside.
There are plenty of the muntjac deer out and about in Old Buckenham and perhaps some readers of this blog will report back their sightings to support this survey. They may also know the whereabouts of some of the plants too.
The survey runs from February till October and can be done online or with a Freepost survey card. If you would like to take part or just want some further information, phone 01603 598333 or visit www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections. You can 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