Queen of the Mountain The Bilberry, or Mountain, Bumblebee, Bombus monticola, (bombus meaning ‘bee’, and monticola meaning ‘mountain’) is a relatively small, but gorgeous looking bumblebee with a distinctive orange/red behind making up two-thirds of its abdomen and two lemon yellow stripes on its thorax, or middle parts. The queens, workers and males all haveContinue reading “The Bilberry Bumblebee”
Tag Archives: #Heather
Walshaw Moor Windfarm, the Importance of Wide-open spaces for our Mental Wellbeing
Walshaw Moor is an area of great ecological and cultural value situated in West Yorkshire, it can be found on the map within a triangle formed by the towns of Burnley, Keighley and Todmorden and could soon be the site of the largest onshore wind farm in England with 65 turbines towering over 200m (492-657ft).Continue reading “Walshaw Moor Windfarm, the Importance of Wide-open spaces for our Mental Wellbeing”
The Meadow Pipit
The Meadow Pipit, Anthus pratensis, is a small, flighty songbird which birdwatchers often put in the class of LBJ’s or ‘Little Brown Jobbies’, as they are sometimes hard to distinguish from other songbirds that can be found in the British isles. Their scientific name comes from the Greek word anthus, meaning ‘bloom’ or ‘flower’ andContinue reading “The Meadow Pipit”
Cotton Grass
Cotton Grass Eriophorum angustifolium, is a perennial (meaning re-occuring year after year) plant native to the blanket bogs of the British isles and found all over the northern fells. It often covers large expanses of moorland turning them white with its characteristically cotton-like seed heads, which can be an amazing sight in the height ofContinue reading “Cotton Grass”
Peatland Restoration in the Northwest of England
A brief look over Peatland Restoration efforts in the Northwest of England
The Tiny yet Tenacious Merlin
The Merlin, or pidgeon hawk, Falco Columbarius, falco meaning falcon and columbarius meaning dove, is one of the smallest birds of prey to be found in the British isles, similar in size to the Kestrel. It is also one of the fastest and most agile, flying very low to the ground at high speeds jinkingContinue reading “The Tiny yet Tenacious Merlin”
Golden Plover
The month of September marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn, a season of change and movement, when our days noticeably cool and our nights become longer. For many creatures this transition from Summer to Winter triggers ancient instincts which compel them to find safety and shelter from the cold and inclementContinue reading “Golden Plover”
The Clumsy yet Crucial Cranefly
This article looks at the Cranefly, AKA Daddy Long-legs, both generic names for adult members of the Tilupidae family. Its larvae, the scourge of the gardener and lawn aficionado alike, are known as Leatherjackets. Craneflies are what are called ‘true flies’, meaning they only have a single pair of wings, and their family name TipulidaeContinue reading “The Clumsy yet Crucial Cranefly”
Northwest Nature and History 