“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.”

“A few things began to catch my eye. The first being an entirely unexpected flittering and wavering of a phenomenal looking butterfly, and although they were nectaring around the flowering thistles, they were really keeping up with the fire-coloured trend of the surrounding area.”

“The woodland rides were swarming with Red Campion, Greater Stitchwort, Forget-Me-Nots, Violets and White Dead-Nettle. Blankets of viridescent Dog’s Mercury as far as the eye can see and the smell of Ramsons and Hedge Mustard in the air was unmistakeable.”

"This month I was kindly asked to contribute a short piece on a recent uplands excursion for the regular newsletter from Hen Harrier Day UK, managed by the charity Hen Harrier Action."

“A truly wonderful bird to watch, the Dipper gets its name due to the little ‘dipping’ dance that it will regularly display. This is a bird that can literally walk underwater, and this is just one of the many reasons why they are my favourite.”