Read More“It has been almost three years to the day since we moved into our new home and the obsessive naturalist in me has kept a species list for the garden since day one. Looking over it recently, I am slightly taken aback by the length and breadth of it so I thought it might be worth sharing my findings, three years on from acquiring a garden full of potential, but one crying out for some positive adjustments.”
Forgotten Pollinators
Read More“There are around 2,500 moth species in Britain. There are only 59 butterfly species. I can well imagine that you would find a similar ratio in reverse if you asked members of the public which one they prefer. Little may it be known however, moths are proficient pollinators themselves.”
Mustelid Magic
Read More“Whilst I was quietly confident that birds would use it fairly quickly for bathing and preening, there was one visitor that I could never have really expected to show up, nor so promptly. The visitor in question arrived almost immediately after the pond was first filled and frequently returned for refreshment in the forthcoming days.”
Summertime Splendour
Read More“The Hogweed Bonking Beetle. Otherwise known as the Red Soldier Beetle, this charismatic, elegant little bug swarms over Hogweed flowers at this time of year to reproduce, spending very little time doing anything else in fact.”
Winter's Farewell
Read More“As I looked up from the field tracks of the Woodcock, I was instantly captivated by the entrancing effervescence of a wall of suspended icicles, frozen in time. The rock face had been encased by mosses, ferns and the gigantic teeth of winter’s farewell.”
Badger Watch
Read More“Rumour has it that they will pilfer hay from a farmer’s field in aid of a new mattress, although I am sure such an endearing animal would never partake in such an unruly act.”