The Great spotted woodpecker, Dendrocopus major, dendrocopus being Latin for ‘tree striker’, is the most frequently seen of the four species of woodpecker native to the British isles. It is rapidly becoming the most common too as it’s range has spread to areas it was previously rare, including Scotland and Ireland, where they became absentContinue reading “The Great Spotted Woodpecker”
Tag Archives: #trees
Rhododendron, the foreign invader smothering our native woodlands
Rhododendron, arguably the most destructive non-native plant in the British isles The common Rhododendron, Rhododendron ponticum, is widely regarded to be one of the most destructive and widespread non-native terrestrial plant in Britain and has been responsible for the degradation of many of our native habitats, including our temperate rainforest, of which there is veryContinue reading “Rhododendron, the foreign invader smothering our native woodlands”
Beware the Blackthorn Winter
There are many old rural sayings and bits of wisdom that often hold a kernel of truth to them, some of them don’t make much sense at all, others prove to be very useful and well worth paying heed to. One example of the latter is “Beware the Blackthorn Winter”. Blackthorn prunus Spinosa is aContinue reading “Beware the Blackthorn Winter”
The Alder
The Common alder Alder glutinosa, is a very hardy species of tree found all along the cloughs, streams and riverbanks of the Northwest, with some areas of Alder woodland traditionally referred to as ‘Carr’. As it does not usually suffer from late spring frosts and is hardy to early autumn frosts it has been plantedContinue reading “The Alder”
Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution
Lichens There are many rare and exotic species of Plants, Lichens and Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), which call the British isles home and they all have their charms and important roles to play in our ecology, for me one of the the most interesting families has to be the Lichens. Lichens are not what youContinue reading “Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution”
Northwest Nature and History 