My dinner party
Niamh loves to feed the birds, so makes natural feeders out of pinecones and berries, to help them through the winter. She’ll tie this to a branch so that the birds can feast from it safely.
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Water vole by Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Chwilio
Wild carrot
Wild carrot does, indeed, smell of carrots, but the roots are not like our cultivated, dinnertime favourite. Look for this umbellifer on chalk grasslands and coasts.
Lizard orchid
The petals of the rare Lizard orchid's flowers form the head, legs and long tail of a lizard. They are greenish, with light pink spots and stripes, and smell strongly of goats! Spot this tall…
Wood sage
Despite having the familiar sage-green leaves, Wood sage has very little scent, so is not a good cooking herb. It can be found on acidic soils on sand dunes, heaths and cliffs, and along woodland…
Gardd Gudd
Boed yn fawr neu'n fach, gall gerddi fod yn llawn hud. Gallant ddarparu cartref ar gyfer pob math o fywyd gwyllt anhygoel, a bod yn llawn rhyfeddodau natur. Beth allwch chi ei wneud i ofalu am eich gardd am fywyd gwyllt yr hydref hwn?
Caves
Caves are naturally occurring hollows in the ground and are usually large enough for a person to enter. They are made by a process known as "speleogenesis"! It sounds complicated, but this basically describes how caves begin and develop.
Turnstone
The turnstone can be spotted fluttering around large stones on rocky and gravelly shores, flipping them over to look for prey. It can even lift rocks as big as its own body! Although a migrant to…
White dead-nettle
White dead-nettle does not sting. It displays dense clusters of white flowers in whorls around its stem, and can be found on disturbed ground, such as roadside verges.
My perspective
Ben grew up at the Naze paddling in the sea and looking for sharks’ teeth. After graduation, he returned to the landscape he loves to help local people experience the wonders of the natural world…
Red dead-nettle
Red dead-nettle does not sting. It displays dense clusters of pinky-red flowers in whorls around its stem, and can be found on disturbed ground, such as roadside verges.
Yellow wagtail
The yellow wagtail can be spotted running about, chasing insects on lowland damp marshes and meadows during summer. As its name suggests, it does wag its tail!
Blue-tailed damselfly
The blue-tailed damselfly does, indeed, have a blue tail. It is one of our most common species and frequents gardens - try digging a wildlife pond to attract dragonflies and damselflies.