Last weekend, I decided to take a closer look at wild and naturalised spring bulbs. From snowdrops to crocuses, here are a few spotted on recent walks. Daffodils, crocuses and of course, snowdrops are some of our most iconic and beautiful spring flowers. Despite this, they can be a tricky bunch to tell apart withContinue reading “Getting to Grips with Spring Bulbs”
Category Archives: Wild Newcastle
An Urban Flora of Newcastle: Progress & Problems so Far
An update on ongoing survey carried out to map and record the diverse and fascinating Urban Flora of Newcastle.
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.
Adventives and Invaders at Walker Riverside
A short round-up of a glorious Saturday morning spent botanising one of my favourite local sites. It is no secret that I am a big fan of the messy, post-industrial yet incredibly diverse riverside park at Walker. Visiting for a few years now, I’ve already amassed a fairly respectable plant list for the site yetContinue reading “Adventives and Invaders at Walker Riverside”
An Urban Flora of Newcastle – Mapping Wild Plants in the City
A short introduction to a personal passion project mapping the diverse and fascinating flora of Newcastle As many of you will know, I have a bit of fondness for Britain’s urban flora. I’m not sure why precisely, but for me, there’s something fascinating about how our plants adapt to artificial ecosystems and how species fromContinue reading “An Urban Flora of Newcastle – Mapping Wild Plants in the City”
Ladybirds along the Tyne – Elswick, Heaton, Havannah & Prudhoe
From the city carparks and cemeteries to chalk mounds at Prudhoe, it has been a fantastic fortnight for local ladybirds.
Spotted Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula scutellata, at Gosforth Nature Reserve
This week, I was delighted to record what appears to be the first Spotted Marsh Ladybird recorded in South Northumberland (VC67). Searching various local wetlands this year for Red Marsh Ladybird and Water Ladybird, one thing that has persisted at the back of my mind had been the possibility of finding the former’s far scarcerContinue reading “Spotted Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula scutellata, at Gosforth Nature Reserve”
A ladybird extravaganza – local recording in July
With visits to some of my favourite haunts and lots to see elsewhere, July has been a great month for ladybird recording.
Industrial orchids in Newcastle
A quick account of a fruitful few days spend admiring orchids in Newcastle, featuring Bee Orchids, helleborines and more!
Urban Botany on the Ouseburn
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of leading my first guided walk for Wild Intrigue, a fantastic ecotourism enterprise seeking to bring people in the North East closer to nature.
Bee Orchids at B&Q
Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) are like hen’s teeth in the North East. Sure, they’re fairly reliable at a few more calcareous sites in the near area (Silverlink, in particular) but by large, pop up sporadically in odd places. In any given year, I tend to only encounter a few away from my usual haunts –Continue reading “Bee Orchids at B&Q”
Exploring the scarcer ladybirds of Newcastle
While out and about in search of ladybirds this last few weeks, I have been lucky enough to stumble across a number of scarce and unusual species