Getting to know our hibernating mammals
As the days get colder, wildlife species are building up fat reserves and getting ready for winter. But did you know there are only three mammals in the UK that truly hibernate?
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
Bee orchid
The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…
Fen violet
A pale member of the violet family sometimes known as ‘milk violet’, the fen violet has a delicate and unassuming appearance. A real specialist of the wetland habitat, this species has seen a…
Festive myths and folklore
Sophie Baker, communications officer at Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, explores our native species that have become enduring cultural symbols in festive myths…
Coniferous plantation
Dark and brooding from a distance, the strong geometric lines and monotonous rows of uniformly sized trees can jar the eye and seem devoid of wildlife. But venture within and open ride edges,…
Hazel
Hazel is a small tree of woodlands, grasslands and gardens that is regularly coppiced - the practice of cutting the stems of a tree to allow new shoots to grow. It is well known for its long,…
Horse chestnut
A tall, broad tree of woodlands, roadsides and parks, the introduced horse chestnut is familiar to many of us the 'conker' producing tree - its shiny, brown seeds appearing in their…
Team INNS
The management of the invasive non-native plant species Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed, and American skunk cabbage in the Middle Dee, Corwen to New Bridge, North Wales
Horsehair worm
Horsehair worms are parasitic worms of the clade Nematoida alongside their sister taxa Nematoda, the roundworms. The most famous trait of certain species of horsehair worms is the ability to alter…
Ponds
Whether found in a garden or part of an agricultural landscape, ponds are oases of wildlife worth investigating. Even small ponds can support a wealth of species and collectively, ponds play a key…
Is it a 'COP' half empty or a 'COP' half full?
You may have heard of the recent COP15 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBP), which gives hope for nature. But what exactly is it and what does it mean for invasive species…
Beached!
Beached! is a project which aims to map the species washed up on our beaches, especially the occasional mass accumulations of dead or dying sea life on our beach strandlines.