Yew
The yew is a well-known tree of churchyards, but also grows wild on chalky soils. Yew trees can live for hundreds of years, turning into a maze of hollow wood and fallen trunks beneath dense…
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
Wild Walks
What better way to keep fit, discover new places and embrace nature than walking or hiking in beautiful North Wales?
Enjoy a circular route taking in one of our nature reserves, enjoy an audio trail and learn about local heritage and wildlife, or come along to a walking event with one of our expert wildlife guides.
Enjoy a circular route taking in one of our nature reserves, enjoy an audio trail and learn about local heritage and wildlife, or come along to a walking event with one of our expert wildlife guides.
Hedgehogs need you!
Hedgehogs face a combination of threats at this time of year – well, if you have nowhere to live and gather enough food to survive the winter, you’re going to be in trouble! But there are simple…
Snipe
Listen out for the 'drumming' sound of a male snipe as it performs its aerial courtship display. It's not a call, but actually its tail feathers beating in the wind. Snipe live on…
Water spider
There are several species of spider that live in our wetlands, but the water spider is the only one that spends its life under the water. In its pond habitats, it looks silvery because of the air…
My daytime drama
Carol loves watching the rituals of the birds at Rutland Water, especially at the feeding station that she helps to maintain as a volunteer. She loves to lose herself in her own personal episode…
My flood defence
Bev is grateful to live down the road from Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, a 210ha wetland site which stores excess water from the River Torne during times of high
rainfall. This saved her…
Summer on North Wales' coast
Encountering wildlife in its natural environment is a privilege and, while spending time scanning the open sea can be therapeutic in itself, coupled with chance encounters these experiences can…
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…
My regeneration
30 years ago, if Jeremy had fallen in the river then he’d have been more worried about being poisoned than drowned! A 1980s trawl survey found just one fish in the Billingham reach of the Tees,…
Parent bug
The parent bug lives up to its name. The female lays her eggs on a silver birch leaf, watching over them until they hatch. She stays with the young until they are adults. Other shield bugs lay…
Blaenyweirglodd Nature Reserve
A wild sanctuary set in a sea of agricultural land, this secluded peat bog is home to a colourful array of specialist plants and animals.