A prickle of hedgehogs and an armada of newts: wildlife settles in at London’s new Queen Elizabeth garden

A former horticultural nursery in Regent’s Park has been transformed into a diverse mix of habitats, with a wide range of species already spotted ahead of its opening to the public on April 27

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hen the Queen Elizabeth II garden opens in Regent’s Park this month, the first people to visit the Royal Parks’ £5m biodiversity project will quickly discover they are not, in fact, the first visitors.

That honour belongs to a hairy-footed flower bee, a breeding pair of geese, some dragonfly nymphs, a flock of grey wagtails, a prickle of hedgehogs, an armada of newts, a flutter of spring butterflies and a “very cheeky” fox.

The Royal Parks has transformed the former brownfield site – which was historically used as a horticultural nursery – into a 8,000 sq metre (two-acre) paradise for flora and fauna, bringing about an estimated 184% increase in biodiverse wildlife habitat.