Shoresearch Cymru rocky shore surveys June 2021
In June we visited a couple of areas of shore which are not within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering the intertidal area, but which are part of wider areas of protection.
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
Shoresearch Intertidal surveys - Jan 2023
The low tides suited later surveys in January and, although cold, the weather played fair for all three group visits to the shore. We were in for a nice surprise with many lovely finds (more squat…
Raft spider
The chocolate-brown raft spider inhabits bogs and ponds. It can be spotted sitting near the water, its legs touching the surface. When it feels the vibrations of potential prey, it rushes out to…
Dog-rose
Look for the pinky-white flowers of the dog-rose in summer, and its bright red rosehips in autumn. It is a scrambling shrub of hedgerows, woodlands and grasslands.
My back-to-school
As a child growing up in Ghana, Patience never took an interest in what was going on in the garden. Now, she’s growing her own flowers and vegetables every week, both at the Centre for Wildlife…
Himalayan balsam
As its name suggests, Himalayan balsam is from the Himalayas and was introduced here in 1839. It now an invasive weed of riverbanks and ditches, where it prevents native species from growing.
Marsh helleborine
The Marsh helleborine is a beautiful orchid of fens, wet grassland and dune slacks. Growing in profusion in places, look for reddish stems and white-and-pink flowers.
Picnics, rocky shores and friendships for life
Three of our Living Seas Champions have developed a firm friendship through their love of the rockyshore and the need to be a part of helping to conserve the special patch of nature that is…
Giant hogweed
As its name suggests, giant hogweed it a large umbellifer with distinctively ridged, hollow stems. An introduced species, it is an invasive weed of riverbanks, where it prevents native species…
Sandwiches arrive late for Cemlyn’s Picnic!
No matter how well you think you might know a place and its wildlife, there are always surprises! This year, the terns of Cemlyn have really kept us guessing. Alison Brown, Roseate Tern LIFE…
My laboratory
Nora’s study of bird behaviour explores how small bird communities flock together to ward off larger predators. Nature has many things to teach us and is now widely acknowledged as a key…
My city break
The hustle and bustle of city life melts away when Kathryn visits Camley Street Natural Park. Without leaving central London, she can go from man-made soaring skyscrapers to an oasis-like…