Holm oak
The Holm oak is an introduced species that has been widely planted near the coast and in parkland. It is self-seeding in the south of the UK. Its young leaves are spiny like Holly leaves, and it…
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
A very successful harvest mouse survey!
The volunteers of the Mon Gwyrdd youth forum in partnership with the Cwlwm Seiriol project took part in an incredibly successful harvest mouse survey this winter, monitoring the populations of…
Wildlife Super Powers
Isn’t wildlife amazing? North Wales is full of nature using its super powers to breathe, eat, drink, swim, fly, hide, save the planet and even go on holiday!
My social network
For our regular volunteers, weekly work parties on our nature reserves are not just about helping to protect local wildlife. They are also a chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones and…
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…
Kelp forests
Forests of kelp sway in shallow sunlit waters, offering shelter to a host of sea life from tiny worms to juvenile fish.
Sea-buckthorn
Sea-buckthorn is a spiny, thicket-forming shrub of sand dunes. It's native to the east coast of England but considered an invasive species elsewhere. It is most obvious in autumn when it is…
Shoresearch Cymru rocky shore surveys October 2021
With the nights drawing in, surveying low tide in daylight around North Wales becomes trickier, so we made the most of the large Spring tides earlier in October, before the clocks turned.
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…
Red-breasted merganser
The streamlined red-breasted merganser is a handsome bird and a great fisher - its long, serrated bill helps it to catch and hold its slippery fish prey. It is most commonly spotted around the…
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…