Bartholomew the Explorer

We want our travel bug to travel to Crowhurst, England. This is where one of our partner's relatives live.

It is located in a temperate biome. The area often experiences constant bouts of rain and is left damp and soggy. The temperatures do not vary greatly between the seasons. The area is moderately rural with large areas of countryside and farmland. A low fog can often be seen obstructing the narrow, twisting roads that lead across the damp countryside. The damp environment is an ideal habitat for frogs (they can often be heard croaking if you do not approach them). Cattle, sheep, goats and horses are raised on the fields. Birds like chickens and pheasants are bred by the natives, often on their own property. Cats and dogs roam freely across the fields, often owned by the farmers. Slightly south, seagulls can viewed, flocking around the seafront. Bountiful quantities of fish swim by the shore, harvested by the natives for the popular dish, fish and chips. Ducks and geese can be found swimming in lakes and ponds. The Round-headed rampion is a purple wildflower known as the "Pride of Sussex" and can be found in grasslands. Farmers grow hay and roll it up into thick bales. Luscious green grass grows in the fields where the cattle graze. There are yearly farming festivals where citizens compare tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, and apples. Tall trees grow densly along the roads (environmental protesters fight to prevent corporations from buying out the land and destroying the wildlife). Another threat to the trees is a disease that is affecting the elm population (the disease, known as Dutch elm disease, has caused the deaths of millions of trees since its arrival in 1971). In fact, East Sussex (the county Crowhurst is within) contains the only population of mature English elms in the world. About 17% of the land in East Sussex is woodland. A large portion of it is ancient woodland, dating back to at least the 1600s. Another tree grown here is the Nordman Fir, Britains most popular Christmas tree (due to its eye-pleasing symmetrical shape and superior needle retention). These trees can be purchased at Sussex Trees, a local tree farm. The trees can also be purchased on sendmeachristmastree.co.uk and will be delivered for free. While many plants such as these have been enjoying life in Crowhurst for hundreds of years, invasive species like the floating pennywort (banned from sale as of April 2014) have been causing problems for the area. In fact, Britain spends approximately £1.7 billion pounds each year trying to tackle the problem of invasive non-native species.