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.”
Intricate Relations
Read More"The variation in fungi types is incredibly vast but for this blog I will focus solely on the tree rotters, organisms that directly cause the wood tissues to decay and break down in variegated ways."
A Passage to Northern Ireland
Read More“It has been almost a year exactly since my last Irish voyage but for this year’s trip the focus was on staying solely north of the border. A journey that would stretch from Belfast to Derry with a traverse along the northern coastline in search of clifftop colonies, tranquil beaches, picturesque estuaries and some of the UK’s most enchanting wildlife, before finishing up at Strangford Lough in County Down.”
Dune Slacks and Natterjacks
Read More“Not only was this my first visit to Sandscale Haws, it was also the first time that I had been able to wander through dune slacks of this beauty and magnitude. Joining the local ranger team we went off in search of one of Britain’s rarest and most strictly protected amphibians, the natterjack toad.”
A Symbiotic Alliance
Read More“For my first writings of 2024, I thought I’d go for something slightly more unconventional. We’ve all seen them on a woodland walk, on dry stone walls, fallen twigs or even on roadside trees, but they tend to at a glance be quite unassuming commodities and ones to which many will just be passersby.“
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.”