Having now passed under the narrow bridge that links Highfield Road and Egerton Road, we begin to approach the edge of urban Blacon and conditions underfoot improve noticeably- the waste tips, broken glass and grafitti are less evident, replaced by lush grass dotted with autumn flowers.

(Left is shown Mexican Fleabane and below, Mayweed)

A survey of the flora and fauna of the Mickle Trafford railway published in 1994 by the Deeside Urban Wildlife Group, at a time when the line was threatened by an earlier madcap plan- a gas pipeline- lists 102 species of plants and trees, 23 species of birds, 8 species of butterfly and dragonfly, and numerous species of mammals such as badgers (protected by law), foxes, rabbits, weasels and bats.
Much of this life, of course, would be largely swept away by the utilisation of the line as a bus route.