We have had the unusual pleasure of sharing our house with a little shrew for the last few days. We often have shell-shocked voles lurking in the corner of the kitchen (thanks to our cats), which are duly given time to recover then released in the garden. But…
Category: natural history
Living in the countryside, the dusty smell of harvest is very evocative. Walking back from Uplyme this morning, I passed a stubble field where the oilseed rape had been combined a couple of days ago, and the aroma was very redolent of August, even though we’re still in…
This post is an account of a walk I took this sunny morning to see my favourite tree. It’s an absolutely magnificent English Oak, growing at the edge of a sunken lane at the bottom of a valley with high slopes either side. This has created a sheltered…
I started my life in Essex, and moved via Berkshire to Devon, where I’ve now lived more than half my life. I’m very settled here, but have just returned from a trip to see a friend in Pakefield, which is close to the most easterly point in England.…
No, not a rant about politics, but an explanation of the love-it-and-hate-it scent of the common hawthorn, or May Tree, also known as whitethorn and quickthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Just now, the roadside hedges are dotted with the linear wands of flowering hawthorn, and if you are on foot…
For once, the weather forecast for Easter was for sunshine and light winds, so we packed a picnic and headed west early to miss the traffic. We left Uplyme in brilliant sunshine, and were somewhat dismayed as we crossed the Exe to see louring clouds towards our destination.…
I spent a morning in this extensive broadleaf forest in Wiltshire with a friend. We didn’t know what to expect on our expedition, but the answer was, mostly fungi. There are large numbers of fallen logs of immense girth, home to many species of fungi. I recognised candle…
Having visited Bude earlier in the year, it was wonderful to be back in Cornwall visiting some of the wonderful beaches on the north-west and south coasts. Here are some highlights! Saturday saw a trip to Polridmouth, which involved the car ferry at Fowey – a surprisingly easy…
We were lucky to choose a sunny day for exploring some South Devon beaches – not so easy this summer, which has been alternately cold and wet, grey and humid, sunny and dry. Starting at Ayrmer Cove (which I visited last year), we enjoyed the beautiful rock formations…