My muse
Mark suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia, meaning that in bustling areas the voices he can hear become overwhelming. They are his muses, but can get overpowering. When he’s outside in the garden,…
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Chwilio
Common rock-rose
Golden banks of common rock-rose make a spectacular sight on our chalk and limestone grasslands in summer. A creeping shrub, it is good for bees, moths and butterflies.
My opening night
In the drama of the open spaces around her, Emily can play the role of a lifetime. She knows the wildlife of the nature reserve as intimately as Yorick knew Hamlet, and with an audience of birds,…
Scampi
Did you know your seaside scampi was actually a kind of lobster? Traditionally so - although the scampi that is often eaten with chips can be anything from prawns to fish.
Blue jellyfish
Often confused with the larger but similarly shaped lion’s mane jellyfish, the blue jellyfish can be colourless when young and develop a striking blue-purple bell as it matures.
My kind of festival
Erin has spent 25 years connecting people and wildlife as part of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s team that delivers events and open days at sites across the county including the annual Skylarks…
My loom band
On Skomer Island, Grace can set her own trends and live a life of adventure, from creating fashionable jewellery out of daisies to exploring the wild landscape.
Harvest mouse
The harvest mouse is tiny - an adult can weigh as little as a 2p piece! It prefers habitats with long grass, but you are most likely to spot its round, woven-grass nests.
My family history
Whilst researching his family history, Vic found that many of his ancestors were connected to wild places as gamekeepers, shepherds, millers, gardeners or agricultural labourers. His lifelong love…
Save the Wye
Life in the River Wye is silently slipping away. The crisis can be seen in the death of fish and insects, the unrelenting loss of aquatic flowers, and the huge algal blooms that turn the river green and stinking during long, hot spells. Phosphate, the chemical that creates these algal blooms and the resulting loss of oxygen in the water, is invisible. But you can see, and often smell, the main cause of the problem. Manure from chicken farms making its way into the Wye.
COP15
In 2022, China will host the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal – also known as COP15. COP15 will be a crucial moment in the global fight to reverse the worldwide decline in biodiversity. It’s also an important moment in efforts to tackle the climate crisis and make the case for nature-based solutions to climate change.
Bullfinch
The rose-red breast, large black cap and thick bill make the bullfinch easy to identify. A plump-looking bird of woodlands, hedgerows and orchards, it also frequents gardens.