The Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Great Britain and Ireland is out now!
Ladybirds have captivated me for decades. I am not alone. Thousands of people have sent records of ladybirds to the UK Ladybird Survey and in doing so have contributed to our understanding of these incredible beetles. In our field guide we celebrate the wonderful world of ladybirds, but we also thank the ladybird-recording community who provide unique and inspiring insights into this world
How to garden for wildlife this autumn…
Autumn is the perfect time to create wildlife habitats, be they in the garden, allotment, or your balcony or doorstep. It’s a time when we’re typically doing less gardening, and when plants have started to die down, so you can access the back of the border. It’s the best time of year to dig a pond, to make log and leaf piles, to plant spring-flowering bulbs and bare-root shrubs and trees. All of these habitats make life easier for wildlife, many of which – such as hedgehogs – desperately need our help.
Jess French discovers some of the world’s most venomous creatures…
Part of the joy of a lifelong fascination with invertebrates is that you can never know it all. When writing my latest book, Minibeasts with Jess French, this superabundance of information presented me with somewhat of a dilemma. There were simply too many incredible facts to condense into one tome.
World Wildlife Day 2018 turns the spotlight on big cats
Today is World Wildlife Day! Set up by the United Nations and organised by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), World Wildlife Day has been an annual event since 2014.
How to make Seaweed & Garlic Biscuits inspired by Food You Can Forage
We’ve done it, guys. February half term has arrived, and even if you don’t have feral children to dance around this week, it means we’ve all made it through the miserable post-Christmas slump – and spring is finally on its way! The landscape is already bursting with signs of spring; our hazel trees are full of catkins and we’ve seen the first daffodils, snowdrops and primroses emerging from the soil.
The intelligence of ravens
Three immediate truths tend to register with a person when they find themselves close to a raven.
Firstly, the sheer size of the giant corvid, which can possess a wing span of more than a metre.
Then there is the colour. Whilst from a distance the raven’s plumage appears a funereal black, up close it morphs into a shimmering pool of inky blue and brown.
Take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch!
This weekend is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. There’s still time to register online for this year’s event, and help provide the RSPB with important information on how the UK bird population is doing. It is simple and enjoyable – and a great excuse to watch your garden birds from the comfort of your living room!
Here are five things you may not know about hares
To the people of rural Britain, hares are deeply beloved, perhaps above all other animals. But how much do we know about these elusive creatures? Marianne Taylor, author of The Way of the Hare, illuminates some of their lesser known traits.
The launch of the Arabic Birds of the Middle East
Early March and Richard Porter is on the edge of the Arabian Gulf, the strong sunlight sparkling on the khors, mangroves, deserts and Dubai’s dramatic skyline. He is at the annual Emirates Festival of Literature to talk about bird conservation in the Middle East, take a wildlife walk for children and, especially, to launch the Arabic Birds of the Middle East.
Why We Should All Garden for Wildlife
The fact that you’ve clicked on this blog post probably means you have a good idea why you want to garden for wildlife – or indeed why you already do. But it is still worth reminding ourselves why it is such a good thing to do. For some, it is about the sheer, simple joy of watching living things – connecting with nature, if you like – right on your doorstep.
Jim
Julie
Nigel
bloomsburywildlife
Vicky
Bloomsbury Wildlife 