Category Archives: Natural history

Shining Cranesbill

Shining Cranesbill (Geranium lucidum), sometimes known as ‘gentleman’s buttons’, is a charming, glossy-leaved annual wildflower that brightens walls, banks, and rocky spots throughout the British isles.

It gets its common-name from its distinctive shiny, reflective leaves, which set it apart from relatives like Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum). The leaves are rounded or kidney-shaped, divided into 5 to 7 lobes cut about halfway, often with a glossy green surface that can flush red. Stems are brittle, fleshy, hairless, and frequently reddish, growing up to 35 to 40 cm tall (though often shorter and sprawling).

Nicrophorus, the Death Carrier

Sexton beetles, also known as burying beetles, are nature’s undertakers and very good at their job.

They belong to the genus Nicrophorus within the family Silphidae (carrion beetles) and play a vital ecological role by locating, burying, and recycling small animal carcasses, thereby reducing the spread of disease and returning nutrients back to the soil.

Ragged Robin

Ragged Robin (Silene flos-cuculi, formerly Lychnis flos-cuculi) is a plant of many names, these include: Cuckoo Flower (because it flowers as the Cuckoo arrives,) Thunder flower (in some parts of Yorkshire picking it will bring thunderstorms) Shaggy Jacks, and Marsh Gillyflower.

Opisthograptis luteolata, the Brimstone Moth

Adult Brimstones are typically on the wing from April to October. In southern regions, there are often two or even three overlapping generations, while in our cooler northern parts this may reduce to a single brood. The species is strongly attracted to light and can often be found resting on walls or fences near outdoor lamps.

Common Bistort

The pink flower spikes of Common Bistort, towering over other wildflowers on their tall, straight stems, are a familiar sight to many of us who have walked the highways and byways of Northwest England in spring and early summer.

Mute Swans: Graceful Guardians of the Water

Mute swans (Cygnus olor), with their snowy white plumage, elegant S-curved neck, and bright orange bill topped with a black knob, are one of Britain’s most iconic waterbirds and particularly fond of our 2,700-odd miles of canals.

Here in the Northwest we are lucky enough to have over 438 miles of these waterways, namely the Lancaster, Leeds & Liverpool, Bridgewater, Macclesfield, and Manchester Ship canals, upon which these majestic birds are a common and welcome sight, even in the heart of our largest and busiest cities.

Speckled Woods

Speckled Woods are a familiar butterfly to most of us here in Britain yet are often overlooked in favour of flashier species like the Peacock or Red Admiral.

Understated and widespread they may even appear dowdy compared to their lepidopteran cousins yet, as with any wild creature, patient observation reveals them to possess more beauty and character than you would ever suspect.

Purple Saxifrage, Jewel of the High Fells

A creeping, mat-forming plant Purple Saxifrage possesses small, opposite, overlapping leaves (hence the latin epithet oppositifolia) that are fleshy with a tiny pore at the tip which can exude lime in calcareous conditions. Its solitary flowers, typically 1 to 2cm across, sit on short stalks and feature five petals ranging from a pale pinkish-purple to rich violet, sometimes with darker veining.