Cherries on an Oak
There are Cherry Galls, Cynips quercusfolii, on this fallen Oak leaf. Inside each are tiny wasp larvae, protected by the Oak’s reaction to …
There are Cherry Galls, Cynips quercusfolii, on this fallen Oak leaf. Inside each are tiny wasp larvae, protected by the Oak’s reaction to …
There’s only one species of Nuthatch in the UK, the Eurasian or European Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, and it only lives in England and Wales …
It’s been a cold night and there’s an unexpected frost with this clear blue sky. There’s a Grey Squirrel above me. Instead …
Robins. Humans love them. We’ve developed a whole mythology around them and they form an essential part of our mid-winter iconography. We …
There’s a Blackbird skulking and hopping around the path. I love them. If someone tells you they are plain birds, don’t agree …
It’s a beautiful morning in my local country park. I see another photographer and we exchange pleasantries. He says it’s much better …
The ground on Trendlebere Down is full of surprises at this time of year. In amongst the understory of bracken and bilberries …
It doesn’t look like much. After all, it’s just a bulge on a stalk of a leaf, scattered on the pavement in …
I joined my local Natural History Society when I was 11 or 12 years old. It was full of retired men who …
Oak trees are our most common native tree. They host hundreds of species of insects because they’ve had the time to develop …
English Oaks take 40 years to produce their first acorns and don’t reach ‘peak acorn’ until they are 100 years old.
I’m looking for a fungus. It’s not just any fungus, it’s a parasitic fungus which grows on another fungus. I’ve seen it …
What’s the use of illustrations in the age of photography? Surely they are old hat?
The Holly is bursting with berries in South Devon this year. It’s glorious against the colour of the autumn leaves at Yarner …
The Birch Polypore. Razor Strop Fungus. Birch Bracket. Like many fungi, this one has a range of strange and exotic folk names …
Why does the green and environmental movement constantly sabotage itself with its choice of language?
I’m not surprised the Sedge Warbler doesn’t fly much. I would want a rest from flying if I’d just flown non-stop from Africa to Somerset.
A pair of Coal Tits had the largest number of bird fleas ever reported from a single nest: that’s 5,754 fleas.
We’ve killed over one in three Meadow Pipits in the UK in the last 45 years.
Redshanks declined by 38% from 1995 to 2015.
The birds of my childhood books have been almost eliminated from the British countryside in my lifetime.
There’s a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly which has settled in front of me: I’m thrilled because I hardly ever see them. I took …
Leafing through my childhood scrapbooks I come across a drawing of a Common Seal. It has all the characteristics of a Common …
It’s taken me a while to identify this beetle I saw in Italy this summer. It really shouldn’t have taken me this …
Whenever I see Shelducks walking and eating in the mud I wish I could join them. Well, the walking bit anyway. Maybe …
Here’s a Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) from this summer: They get better the closer you look: If you have any children in …
A quick trip out to one of the bridges on Brunel’s Great Western Railway in South Devon means a great view of …
Our UK Swallows are known as Barn Swallows in the USA. It’s a good name because they love nesting in barns. Here’s …
Can you remember the last time you spent a day without drinking water? Without cleaning your teeth? Without washing your dishes? Without …
There’s a plant which normally grows in a place which is at the end of our walk. I’ve been looking forward to …