Wildlife gardening experts speaking at Ness Gardens
Wildlife gardening experts supporting Cheshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife gardening expert, Chris Baines, is appearing at Ness Botanic Gardens this month in support of Cheshire Wildlife Trust. On Saturday 26th May, Chris will be giving a talk entitled ‘Gardening for...
River of Flowers wins Silver Medal at Chelsea
River of Flowers exhibited the Honeycomb Meadow Bee Garden at this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The Garden was designed by Kathryn Lwin and Kerrie McKinnon. Upon being contacted by Kathryn and upon hearing of what she was designing and explaining what she hopes to...
What birds will use a garden bird feeder?
Inspired by David Attenborough in my youth I have been an organic and wildlife gardener since about 1986. I would have been one earlier but did not have the opportunity. I can say it has had an enormously positive effect on my life. Living on the outskirts of...
Female Hairy-footed flower bee foraging on lungwort and cleaning tongue
Female Hairy-footed flower bee foraging on lungwort At first glance, the all black female hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) can easily be mistaken for a queen bumblebee in the early spring, albeit she is somewhat smaller, has orange hairs on her hind legs...
Do Hedgehog Highways really work? Absolutely! Video
Concrete Gravel Boards are barriers to hedgehogs According to Hedgehog Street, hedgehogs can travel about one mile every night in search of food and a mate. "We now know that one of the main reasons why hedgehogs are declining in Britain is because our fences and...
Wild Primroses. A good nectar source for early bumblebees?
Primroses. A good nectar source for early pollinators? Many articles I have read over the years state that primroses are a useful nectar source for early pollinating bumblebees. Well, in fact, if we look a little closer, it depends upon their tube-like proboscis or...
Common Groundhopper in my wildflower meadow
Common Groundhopper in my wildflower meadow Living in a terraced house, one of many 1000s, with a backyard, outside loo, no grass, parks, trees, etc., on the fringes of Liverpool city centre in my childhood and early adulthood, I never saw a grasshopper until I lived...
Ectemnius solitary wasp targets solitary bee as food to go
Ectemnius solitary wasp targets solitary bee I quite often see Ectemnius solitary wasps in my garden. They do have noticeable large fang-like mandibles and large eyes. There are several different species and like all wasps, they are predators. Especially of several...
Finches with typical Trichomonosis or fat finch disease symptoms
Bullfinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch showing typical symptoms commonly associated with Trichomonosis Both I and my neighbour regularly clean our feeders and are particular about our bird seed suppliers. Unfortunately for the birds that visit our gardens other people in...
Brownfield site used by bumblebee queens for willow pollen
Brownfield sites. Eyesore or haven for wildlife? When visiting a brownfield site, to many people it appears uninviting, boring and perhaps an eyesore. They could probably also think that wildlife has the same views as them. They could be well far off the mark. I...