Project Archives

Featured below is a selection of our older projects, which are displayed in more technical terms and feature raw project data, including live and interactive maps, alongside other downloadable files.

To see our favorite projects, which are explained in more detail, head over to the Case Studies section. If you think CBDC can help you or your project, please get in touch.

Bee Roads North

This project aimed to develop a network of wildflower-rich meadows and grasslands that allowed pollinating insects to move across North West England. CBDC collaborated with Buglife, Natural England, and record centers to analyse species and habitat data and model the most likely routes for bees and other pollinators.

Read more…

Cumbria Bird Atlas

CBDC staff worked with members of the Cumbria Bird Club to create over 1,500 maps illustrating the distribution of species, breeding birds and wintering birds in Cumbria.

Read more…

Cumbria Moth Atlas

CBDC worked with the members of the Cumbria Moth Group to improve moth recording across Cumbria which resulted in a new Atlas suitble for downloading to a mobile phone.

Read more…

Cumbria Mammal Atlas

CBDC and recorders noted that there was not much mammal recording other than bats in the County.  CBDC helped set up the Cumbria Mammal Group to created an atlas (suitable to download to mobile phones) to encourage more records.

Read more…

Upland for Juniper

Cumbria Wildlife Trust carried out a survey of Juniper in Cumbria.  CBDC were invited to produce maps and retain the data for future studies.

Read more…

Mapping Atlantic Woodlands

Plantlife’s LOST Senior Project Officer is working to conserve Lichens and Bryophytes in Cumrbia’s Atlantic Woodlands.  By mapping species data and analysing meteorological and topological maps CBDC predicted which woodlands in Cumbria should host the rare Atlantic Woodland species.

Read more…

Mapping Wild Rusland

CBDC undertook a complex project for the Rusland Horizon project partners including Natural England, Lake District National Park, and others. We were asked to create a GIS layer of phase 1 habitat maps of the valley, which consisted of over 11,500 polygons. CBDC also created a GIS layer of data from Stewardship Farm Environment Plans and a revised priority and broadhabitat layer for the area.

Read more…

Rusland Hidden Hedgerows

Hedgerows may be a little underappreciated, but they’re very important for wildlife. We mapped and analysed hedrgerow data for Rusland Horizons and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

Read more…

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle keeps wildlife information for the county of Cumbria. Tullie House Museum, in its role as a local natural history museum, has collected and disseminated records of wildlife in Cumbria since its inception in 1893. From the early 1990s the Museum has developed a computerised database of species and habitat records in Cumbria and has taken the central role in providing a local biodiversity data service for the county. This role was restyled as Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) in 2010, a not-for-profit organisation hosted by Tullie House Museum and advised by local stakeholders.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, October 1st, 2026 at 1:23am
Over the next month, you might see more ladybirds coming indoors - especially if you live in more urban areas of Cumbria like Carlisle and Kendal. While native ladybirds will over-winter in garden sheds, leaf litter and crevices in woody plants or fences, the non-native Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) is looking for somewhere a little warmer to spend the winter diapause and will enter houses to congregate in corners. These ladybirds are originally from Asia so need drier and warmer conditions than the native species.

The Harlequin is very variable - hence the name. The two examples shown here were collected at the same time in the same place! Some colour patterns can look very similar to the native species but generally Harlequins have brown legs and undersides while native species tend to have black legs/underside. Harlequins tend to be quite large too compared to the more variable sizes seen in the 45+ native species.

Over-wintering ladybirds won't do any damage and shouldn't pose a problem wherever you find them. But if you do find some in your home and they have brown legs, you can be confident that they are the Harlequin. Do record any ladybirds that you see so we can better understand the key locations of Harlequins across Cumbria and how they might be interacting with the natives.

And if you want to see a plentiful number of Harlequins this month, Mayor's Drive near Bitts Park in Carlisle is usually a good spot.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 23rd, 2026 at 4:57am
Cumbria has over 1500 County Wildlife Sites, many on private land. We are working with @CumbriaWildlifeTrust to provide free surveys of these sites so we can understand their condition and help guide landowners to find management advice and support.

Find out more about County Wildlife Sites in general and across Cumbria using these resources - and contact the Cumbria County Wildlife Sites Project if you think you have a site and would welcome a survey.

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/county-wildlife-sites
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-sites-and-nature-conservation/local-sites-and-nature-conservation
Or the LWS Hub: https://www.localwildlifesites.org/
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 16th, 2026 at 1:12am
As well as the excellent Plantlife resources and Waxcap Watch, CBDC has two upcoming waxcap training sessions - Thursday 8th October and Sunday 1st November. We're finalising details but do let us know if you would like more information/have priority booking by completing our expressions of interest form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5JQ99XCSMMIyUX641NL8EqGz6gXH4C2hItqp9EFL-iFXhKw/viewform?usp=publish-editor
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, September 14th, 2026 at 5:51am
It is apple season! The apple harvest looks good again this year - albeit with possibly smaller apples than usual. Traditionally managed orchards are good sites for biodiversity but their location and condition in Cumbria are not well understood. If you manage a traditional orchard, tell us about it. Do get in contact if you would be willing to share information about your orchard.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, September 11th, 2026 at 12:56am
Ever wondered who works at @CBDC and what they do? Over the next few months, we'll feature a different team member each month and find out a little more about their role. So watch out in October for the first profile.....

We asked a well-known AI chatbot to create a cartoon of the CBDC team and it developed this image. Find out what it got right and what it got wrong in the coming months.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 9th, 2026 at 1:06am
Biological recording in the autumn months sees a shift from recording flowering plants and summer migrant birds to fungi and winter migrant birds. Look out for the different fungal fruiting bodies that are appearing widely across different habitats at the moment - this year is already looking very promising for fungal forays.