Species: Past, Present and Future
"Wolves, beavers and red squirrels deserve a second chance."
- School Student
About the project
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Newcastle University and the National Trust worked with 40 students aged 12-14 from Astley Community High School and James Calvert Spence College in Northumberland to create an exhibition of poetry and artwork inspired by the written, built and natural heritage of Northumberland.
The project invited students to reflect on climate change and biodiversity in their local area with a focus on species in Northumberland. Students were exposed to these ideas in a variety of formats, from handling items from Newcastle University's Special Collections and taking part in poetry lectures and workshops, to spending time immersed in nature at Wallington and working with academics from the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Throughout the project, students were provided with opportunities to engage with not only their local heritage, but to consider their future careers through the people they met. From National Trust rangers and printmakers to poets and environmental researchers, students were able to see how different roles can have a positive impact on the climate.
Students were invited to choose a species to focus on, from the extinct wolf, the protected red squirrel and the beaver which has recently been reintroduced. With support and inspiration from Newcastle University's School of English and Northern Print, the students each wrote a poem and produced a print of their chosen animal, which are all being exhibited at Wallington throughout the summer of 2024.
Species Past:
Wolf
Fierce
Fierce
Howling in the night
At the moon
At the stars
Shining bright
Alone
Away from the pack
Will you ever go back?
By Riley
Trilogy
#1
A wolf in a cave
Looking at its prey
Waiting to eat the rabbit.
#2
A wolf waiting
For the prey ready to snack
But suddenly bang.
#3
My wolf my wolf,
I love my wolf.
My wolf, my wolf,
Wolves are kind.
By Maddie
Life
My howl puts fear into souls
My growl tells you your end is near
But now my howl doesn’t even echo.
My growl now Is something you can’t even hear.
My howl maybe will be heard again.
Maybe my growl will never end,
but we will never know.
As it is that we all have a past and future
but what makes it is that we have lived it all.
By Dexter
The Lone Wolf
The moon shines bright
in the forest night.
The wolf’s howl is such a fright
which makes animals all around tremor in fear.
The tree's leaves laugh
and the squirrels feel startled
in the clear silence of the night.
By Jackson
Wolf, the last of many
In the heart of the ancient woods, a wolf’s song
Echoes through the trees all night long.
Majestic creature with eyes so wise,
Underneath the starlit skies.
A shadow in the moon’s soft light,
Moves with grace through the silent night.
A guardian of the wild and free,
In the heart of nature, where it’s meant to be.
Fur as dark as the midnight sky,
A spirit untamed, flying high.
In the wilderness, it finds its call,
A wildness which shall never fall.
So let the wolf run wild and free,
In the depth of the forests, let it be.
A symbol of strength, in the night’s embrace,
In the heart of the wolf, wild and untamed grace.
By Lily
Wolves
as swift as the wind,
as strong as the trees,
what do you see?
the pups stumble over their paws,
the adults intimidate,
what would you do if you came face to face?
extinct from England,
would you dare reintroduce them?
beware! beware!
wolves are strong,
they prowl in the night,
if you saw one you’d flee in fright.
By Chloe
Body mingled
Body mingled, mangled in red
Breath heaving up down up down fast
peace no longer
Did they mean to shoot so fast?
Did they mean to kill a soul?
Did the poor wolf scare the beings?
Now no howls at night
Now no blood spilled
Bot now the small cub with no mother
But now the small cub with no one to feed them
A shot in the silence strikes a soul
But the soul
The one soul
Kills a different poor soul.
By Emily
A wolf is a weapon,
They can attack,
If you come across one alone,
You may never come back.
A wolf is like a grey cloud,
They can just suddenly appear,
If you come across one alone,
Inside spawns a build up of fear.
A wolf is a predator,
They aren’t afraid,
They sprint through the forest,
They hide in the shade.
A wolf is like a fence,
They’re strong and can protect,
They are becoming endangered,
Do you know the effect?
By Alice
Dawn of Extinction
The blinding light shines off its silver-grey coat,
Its ears attentively turned up in the wind,
Its paws trek swiftly and cautiously
Through the branch littered floors,
The ferns flattened beneath its weight.
The moon reflects off its crimson, blood stained fur,
Its ears droop in the deafening gunfire,
Its broken paws limp clumsily and painfully,
Through the corpse ridden floor,
Its body flattens the ferns,
As its life is drained.
The sun illuminates the dawn of its extinction,
People’s ears turn down the idea of reintroduction,
Their hands wave frantically at the demonised,
The ferns are flattened,
By their concrete industries.
By Daniel
Wolves
Wolves are voracious vampires. lurking in the shadows
Watching… waiting…
Wolves are raging storms. Striking with precision
Pouncing… leaping…
Wolves are hidden caves. Hiding in the darkness of the night
Staring… stalking…
The lone wolf roams freely
By Megan
The timeless tale
In the moon''s gentle glow
A wolf roams free
Through the silent woods
A spirit wild and keen
Its eyes like orbs of amber hold ancient lore
In the nights embrace it seeks and explores
A wolf's way of life is much different than yours
A guardian of the night, its soul untamed
In the wilderness it’s howl is famed
Majestic and proud in the forest aloud
Through the darkened woods it gracefully strides
A creature of instinct, where wisdom abides
In the heart of the wild
Where echoes unfurl
Lives the timeless tale of the noble wolf's swirl
The moon's gentle glow
A wolf no longer roams
They were persecuted
Not set free
By Phoebe J
Species Present:
Red Squirrel
Who cares?
Who cares for the red squirrel?
Whom which stare,
their teeth bare,
as they look at the old yet so youthful life,
reduced to nothing but a chair.
Who cares for the red squirrel?
Whose mother’s mother – who?
Do you care that your table hosts
the memory of whose mother’s mother was?
Who will care for the red squirrel
when the forests run too hot and dry?
As the warming world means their numbers
slowly but surely start to die,
without that tree for shelter from
storms in an unforgiving sky?
Does anyone care for whose mother searches in vain,
but can’t feed her young and it's starting to rain.
Will you wake up in time to cut emissions and stave off the worst?
Or will the red squirrel end up part of nature’s dirt nap rehearse?
Without their new generations, this glass amongst shells
will slowly be dispersed.
Their barking calls in the treetops soon may only be found in books of old lore,
As the climate emergency means their habitats can take no more.
Who will take care if no forests remain and the red is nothing more than folklore?
Their plight serves as a warning –
if we push Earth past its adaptive thresh,
Even shy forest critters we never meet
may perish in the climate fresh,
so let’s cut emissions fast and give the red a chance to prevail,
Lest their extinction be one more casualty
in the climate crisis tale.
By Sadie
Would life ever be the same?
As they dart across the ground
like a whistle’s gentle sound,
without red squirrels so tame
would life ever be the same?
Without their brushed and bristled tails
as they flop, flap and flail,
without their red raging flame,
would life ever be the same?
Their deaths would ripple, the environment stained
all signs of their existence drained
with the now corroded and broken food chain,
would life ever be the same?
Preservation of the nation is the key to their life,
ecological evolution is the solution to help them survive
so that they can live so calm and tame
life should remain the same.
By Jake
Among the timbers
Among the timber, reds once thrived
Before the shifty greys arrived
The greys attack, so slick, so smooth
Their advances forcing the reds to move
Competition relentless, a battle unseen
The greys becoming truly supreme
Red squirrels vanish, present becoming past
For how much longer will they last?
Among the timber, a troubling sight
The red squirrel species a dwindling fight
Nature's balance seems a fragile dance
The red squirrel soldiers don't stand a chance.
Odds stacked against them, habitats being lost
Their once beautiful homes become simple compost
For with the destructive powers humans seem to wield
The red squirrel's fate appears forever sealed.
By Charlotte
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel looks down at the river,
His eyes reflecting the colour of the once clear waters.
His fur, previously a vibrant match for autumn leaves
Now stands in sharp contrast against the missing trees.
The songs of nature go silent as the trees fall down,
The unnatural sounds build up with city heights
As the moon is replaced with neon lights.
By Evie
What is a red squirrel?
A red squirrel is autumn
Chestnut brown and auburn
A red squirrel is windy
Rapidly moving
A red squirrel is a treehouse
Climbing up high in the towering trees
A red squirrel is shy
Hiding amongst the branches
Hiding away from the grey
Hiding away from danger
A red squirrel is no longer
A red squirrel is gone
Gone like others
Gone forever
By Anna
Whispers of the woods
In the woods where once they played,
Red squirrel in the Sunlight- can you hear their serenade?
Their fur like fire, bright and bold:
Now in their absence, a story untold.
Amongst branches, that they did roam,
Serene Sunlight danced on their quaint woodland home.
Their striking presence, a vibrant tale,
Now which echos in the mumbling gale.
Trees chatter of their vanished grace,
Empty dreys; a solemn place.
Their noise now lost on the Summer's breeze,
The leaves rustle, mourning, displeased.
Yet in this loss, a lesson found,
To cherish all that does abound.
Let their tale a reminder be:
Of nature's silent, resilient plea.
By Cassidy
Dawn began to emerge from its shell,
Its light piercing through the forest’s ceiling.
A gentle morning breeze dancing elegantly,
Through the sun-dappled woodland way,
Begin the day. Begin the day.
The squirrel wearily waltzed from his bed,
Passionate to play with his companions,
Running through the treetops, gay.
And thriving from the gorgeous display.
Hail the day. Hail the day.
But suddenly, a mighty bellow roared
A great grind to the gut of the trees rained out
Panic, distress, disaster and more
Animals darting every which way,
The little squirrel left in dismay
Fear the day! Fear the day!
A violent judder left him stunned,
Clambering around like a candle’s flame
The world seemed to shift
As the once proud house
Lost its balance in such a way
That it fell to its grave in a violent display!
Curse the day! Curse the day!
That their tree was butchered,
And sold for a cost.
The stump a reminder…
That their home was lost.
And the squirrel left dumbfounded
That they could evict them in such a way.
Rue the day. Rue the day.
Curled up all alone in the dystopian land
His family all gone and nowhere to be seen.
But his red stood out from the monotonous grey,
Like a campfire flickering, outdoing its prey.
Perhaps we could still save them in a way.
Begin the day. Begin the day.
By Isabel
Endangerment
Dwindling, not only in blaze;
But also in population.
Dimming, not only in luminosity;
But also in essence.
The embers of animals;
Wither and Fade-
Deprived of their burning spirit,
Emitting nothing but extinguished cinders.
Reigniting the flame:
Shows Cruciality and Urgency;
Desperation and Demand-
For Contributions of any size.
Everything helps Reignite that fire,
And Restore that species.
By Katie
Red is Dead
Red was innocent yet he met his fate.
Just lounging around, living the dream.
He couldn’t react when this brute attacked.
An ashen-grey squirrel like a thundering tornado.
It was on that date violence killed the peace..
Red. Is. Dead.
She had been foraging for food to feed her young;
Two small girls and her eldest son.
Taking her nap she was rudely awoken:
With a whir of a chainsaw, her abode was stolen.
Down with a woosh her family perished..
Red. Is. Dead.
Let us return to somewhere closer to home,
Cramlington; people shop, eat and wildlife roams
However, roads are unfamiliar territory to squirrels
And cars are unidentified objects.
41 million lives of squirrels are taken by us annually.
Red. Is. Dead.
This describes the fatalities of a few,
But it is more common than you think
This could be the future of our beloved, fiery friends
This can be prevented by us working together to save them
Red. Isn’t. Dead.. (yet)
By Kaydan
Their way of life
In the heart of the forest
Where the trees stand tall
Red squirrels scurry
Not afraid to fall
With fur like fiery embers
It dashes through the leaves
Gathering acorns as the wind weaves
Its bushy tail a flame, a vibrant hue
In the woodlands tapestry
A crimson due
Bounding from branch to branch
In a graceful dance
Natures tiny acrobat
A sight to enhance
Their way of life
By Layla
Red Exertion
Upon the forest of old, a vibrant hue of red,
A story divine, woven with threads of time,
Where wisdom whispers rustle untold
Like statuesque leaves of gold.
A battle brews silently, like a rage filled threat,
Reds dancing blithely, unperturbed, precise mindset.
Abruptly, a rival appears, draped in grey attire
And advanced towards the battlefield, eyes full of desire.
A war drastically unfolded in the shadowed glades,
Red against grey, a battle of cascading shades.
Have they pushed them to the brink
With their numbers and strength?
They dominate, leaving the reds to shrink.
The trees wept with sorrow,
Leaves falling like tears
As the reds fought on, facing their fears.
Their numbers dwindled, a tragic sight to see
As the grey claimed victory, unbridled and free.
Red, once proud and strong,
Now cover in fear and dread,
As the greys pillage their homes and food,
Leaving them hungry and almost dead.
The wind sighs mournfully through the trees,
As the red mourn their loss.
Their once bustling division now silent
And cries drowned out by nature’s boss.
The grey with their cold eyes,
And hardened hearts, show no remorse,
For the suffering they inflict on the reds.
Their greed knows no bound, a dark force.
For in this war of anguish there’s room to heal
To preserve the peace that both sides feel.
Let the red and grey soldiers find an effective way,
To coexist in harmony, come what may…
By Lucy
Crash!
Trees felled squirrels flee
Burnished bush wagging wildly
Its frightened plea echoes into the distance
It scampers and it scuttles through fauna and flora
Leaping and bounding
It soars and it springs from tree to tree
Finally it stalls
It lives to fight another day with the trees swaying in the wind and the fresh scent of pine heavy
The squirrel stands tall and proud
A red squirrel is like a rose . Talons sharp and forever wild
By Molly
The grey, cold killers
Wiping them out one by one
They just never rest
By Phoebe K
Majestic Squirrel
Jumping from the trees,
Fragile as an autumn leaf,
You twist to the ground.
Winding ‘round the rocks,
Tricky as a flowing stream,
You leap from the sand.
Gliding in the woods,
Sneaky as a gentle breeze,
You slip through the fence.
Struggling in the debris,
You’re violently mutating,
A squirrel no more.
You struggle and leap,
As your coat, once red, turns green,
Twisted by the waste.
Into a creature,
Not bound by squirrel morals,
It’s Growing Hungry.
By Ryan
The dodos, the sabretooths and the mammals march on
Knifed rifles, drawn, loaded and strung
Hang limp by their side, a damaged lung
With their shame burning hot like a gun
From a home beyond, they shall come
So please, cherish the time
As he bids his warm goodbye
It won’t be long until he’s gone
The foe hold a strong position
And with a strength of his, it can only be a con
Fair as a skin of rust
Clear as the setting sky
A fire flame walking, so alive and bright
Gather round everyone, learn how to watch a red squirrel die
Witness the nightingale cease to sing
The timid beauty he would bring
Like a phoenix from ashes out of the dying sun
He shall rise, all mighty, a chestnut clutched for the unjust occasion
And here he will take his final bow
For not even the angels will save him
By Gracie
Species Future:
Beaver
Beaver
As you plod along the riverbank
You have wood in your grasp like a construction
Worker building a dream house.
Your tail thumps along making
Beats as it goes like a drummer
In a marching band leading the way.
***
Your tail beats along like a drum
Your eyes are as purple as a plum
You scratch with your claws
And bite with your jaws
Your tail beats along like a drum.
by Sophie
Thorns on the riverbank
Thorns on the riverbank,
And frogs leaping,
Flowers blooming,
And the wind through the trees,
With rocks on the floor,
A beaver comes.
His job is simple,
He collects twigs,
Branches too,
To build his home,
And share his love.
His children come,
To live together,
It becomes,
A happily ever after,
Forever and ever,
By Felicity
Worker Beaver
I once knew a beaver,
Who could not quit his work,
He lived a long life with his family,
Burrowed in the earth.
Busy worker beaver,
Rushing to and fro,
Gnaw and carry wood like mine,
To cease the rapid river’s flow.
Not as vibrant as a fox,
Or as dainty as a deer,
But he puts to use his special skills,
As nature’s engineer.
Don’t think of him as a pesky beaver,
Please leave his dam alone!
His endless toils and patience,
Creates a fish’s home.
I know my time is limited,
My leaves won’t always touch the air,
Make good use of me friendly beaver,
Before I am chopped down for a chair.
By Isla
Busy Beaver
Busy beaver was working on a dam
He chopped a tree and it went bam!
The forest shook, it made a roar and rumble
He dragged the tree to the river without a stumble.
A little bit of brown sticky mud,
His beaver tail went thud, thud, thud!
What do you know? A strong new home,
For Busy Beaver’s family to roam.
By Charleigh
In a forest
In a forest, lives a beaver by a stream
With water so clear, it feels like a dream.
He builds his dam at a steady pace,
Ready to challenge any animal to a race.
In his cosy home safe and sound
The beaver thrives, nature’s wonder found,
Logs and twigs he piles them high,
Creating lodges wherever he lies.
By Anya
Beaver Haikus
Beavers build their dams
Waters rise, forests reshape
Climates changing hands.
Water levels rise,
Beavers struggle to find food.
Adapt or vanish.
One final last stand
Habitats disappear fast;
Beavers fade away.
By Noah
The Beaver
Beaver, beaver,
In the dam,
How you’ve made my mind go BAM.
In your home of wood,
Your life must be good,
We should be friends if you could.
Beaver, beaver,
In the dam,
How you’ve may my mind go BAM.
Swimming in your little river,
Everyone’s hearts start to quiver.
You really are the cutest thing ever,
You really are one of nature’s givers.
Beaver, beaver,
In the fam,
How you’ve made my mind go BAM.
By Micah
Beaver
The beaver sits in the stream,
The beaver has a dream.
The beaver wants a dam
To stop the water’s ram.
The beaver had another dream
To build a gleaming lodge.
The beaver’s ready to protect his family
From a hungry foe.
The beaver has a dream
To sit in the stream
And live his life in peace and tranquillity.
By Finlay
500 years ago there was an animal called a beaver
This animal made its own home out of wood and resilience
We called it a dam and destroyed them
And they paid for it
We used to care for these animals
We used to work for these animals
But our greediness caused a problem
And they paid for it
Imagine there was a world where we looked after beavers
We would live with less floods and we would still have its predators
But we can't live in a world where we all are safe
And we all paid for it
A beaver was a warrior
A beaver would live through anything for its family
A beaver was caring
And they paid for it
They were as brown as a tree
They were innocent
They were strong
And again they paid for it
One day we will forget about these architects
One day our own pets will suffer like they did
One day we will all suffer to extinction
And realise what we have done
By Caleb
In the heart of the forest where tall pines stand proud
Live creatures of wonder, in a world unbowed
By the babbling brook with a gnaw and a nip
A beaver builds dreams with each tree that it clips
With a slap of its tail and a mind sharp and keen
It crafts sturdy lodges in the waters serene
Architects of the world, with persistence and might
Their dams tame the rivers, a natural delight
Acorns and pinecones in caches concealed
The red squirrels hoard is a harvest revealed
Agile and fast, with a leap and a bound
It scurries and scampers on aerial ground
In the shadows of twilight where the moon starts to rise
The wolves greet the night with their soulful cries
Pack-bound and loyal, with eyes gleaming gold
They roam through the forest both fearless and bold
With a howl to the heavens, they sing of their kin
In their vast, wild woodlands where their journeys begin
Hunters and guardians, with hearts fierce and free
The wolves claim the night with a wild melody
Together they dwell in the forest's embrace
Each playing a part in this enchanted place
From the beavers' grand dams to the squirrels' high nests,
To the wolves' haunting songs that lull the woods to rest.
In nature's grand tapestry, their stories entwine
A tale of survival, of instinct divine
So here’s to the beavers, the squirrels and the wolves
By Bailey
Gilded Chisel
Majestic Beaver
A Gilded Chisel Through Stone
Carving the future
By Ewan
Bob's guide; to be being a busy beaver
I work and swim,
I eat the stick.
I Trim and trim.
I am so quick!
By Heidi
Beautiful beaver
Beautiful beaver
Beautiful beaver is like a coffee bean.
They are both round
They are both brown
They both have a nice smell
Beautiful beaver
When it rains the beavers get busy
When the tip toes
When the river runs
The beavers get busy
They find stickers for home
Beautiful beaver
Beavers are very useful
They have great fur
They have meat to eat
They have ingredients for perfumes
They have ingredients for medicine
Beautiful beaver
Welcome back !
Welcome after getting hunted to extinction
Welcome after being gone for 400 years
Welcome back England and Scotland missed you!
By Rhea
Find out more
The National Trust
The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity. They look after nature, beauty and history for everyone to enjoy by caring for miles of coastline woodlands, countryside and hundreds of historic buildings, gardens and precious collections. With the strategy ‘For everyone, for ever!’ their 21st century ambition is to play a major role in the fight against climate change, meet the needs of an environment under pressure, and the challenges and expectations of a fast-moving world.
Here in Northumberland they have looked after the Wallington estate since 1942 when it was gifted to them by the Trevelyan family who had previously owned it.
Library Education Outreach Team
Newcastle University Library's Education Outreach team work with schools and colleges to develop online resources, workshops and project-based learning opportunities inspired by the Library’s Special Collections and information resources.
School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics
The School of English has a strong sense of community, working with a wide range of partners from the North East and across the UK to offer opportunities for study and research in various fields. Literature, creative writing and linguistics all offer opportunities for study and research in a collaborative way.
School of Arts and Cultures
Fine Art seeks to actively encourage students to be imaginative and creative, to question orthodoxies, to cross boundaries and to make their own mark in the contemporary art world. Through exhibitions, installations, interventions, books and publication Fine Art provides a medium to encourage all to stop and think and look afresh via painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, performance, film and video, digital media or installation.
Fine Art also houses the Hatton Gallery which is free to visit.
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
The vision of the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences is to improve lives and livelihoods through world class research and the teaching of science. With research as far ranging and diverse as climate change, species diversity, biotechnology and medicinal chemistry, it actively engages with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Their research aims to make a real difference to people’s lives and environments locally and globally; making real inroads into areas as varied as new treatments for ovarian cancer, the development of pest-resistant crops and the discovery of the world’s deepest-living fish.
Northern Print
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne's cultural quarter of Ouseburn Valley close to the city centre, our building is equipped with a studio, gallery and education space all dedicated to printmaking. Learning and participation are at the heart of what we do. We support artists who make original prints in their professional practice as well as working with school groups and running a programme of classes and events for everyone.
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