A short account of a frosty trip to Hareshaw Linn in Northumberland last weekend
Author Archives: James Common
A botanist and invertebrate enthusiast from North East England
Exploring Urban Cotoneasters in Newcastle
Recently, I’ve been taking a closer look at wild and naturalised cotoneasters in Newcastle. Here’s what I’ve found so far, from an amateur’s perspective.
Identifying Snowdrops
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised snowdrops you’re most likely to spot in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
Exploring North East Nature in 2022 – A Few Highlights
A summary of a fantastic year spent watching, recording, and enjoying North East nature. often in great company.
Identifying Small-flowered Fleabanes
Get started identifying small-flowered fleabanes a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners. So far, this fledgling series of botanical cribs has focused on plants commonly encountered in urban areas. In Dead-nettles and Ragworts, we have some of our most conspicuous native plants, but what about some of our lesser-known species? Having discovered several species ofContinue reading “Identifying Small-flowered Fleabanes”
Recording Ladybirds in 2022: a Few Highlights
Ladybirds have been a theme of 2022. Fresh from twelve months of ladybird recording, here’s a quick round-up of the highlights this year.
Identifying Dead-nettles
Start identifying dead-nettles with a new crib suitable for beginners. Includes most of the species you’re likely to spot in urban habitats.
Identifying Ragworts and Groundsels
Get started identifying ragworts and groundsels with a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners. Find keys boring? You’re not alone. While those of us who spend our days obsessively searching for plants quite like them, for most people, they don’t cut the mustard. Indeed, they can be particularly offputting to beginners. It is for thisContinue reading “Identifying Ragworts and Groundsels”
Weekend Botany at Walker
This weekend provided a nice opportunity for our new local botany group to visit Walker Riverside. Here’s what we encountered. Botany (and wildlife recording in general) can often be a solitary affair. For many of us, I suspect, myself included, that suits us just fine. At least most of the time. Sometimes, however, it isContinue reading “Weekend Botany at Walker”
Ladybirds: A Short Talk and a New Course
With the arrival of winter, now seemed like a good time to look back on a year’s worth of ladybirds and look forward to a new course in 2023. A New Short Talk Golly. For someone who shies away from talks of any kind (and don’t even get me started on crowds), Zoom has beenContinue reading “Ladybirds: A Short Talk and a New Course”
NBN Award for Wildlife Recording
This week, I was both suprised and delighted to recieve the NBN Newcomer Award for Wildlife Recording.
Getting Started with Aphid Identification
Having never tried my hand at aphid identification, this Summer proved quite a steep learning curve with many interesting species seen.