A hedge or hedgerow is made up of a number of parts or habitats.   It may offer the main bulk of the hedge - that is the trees and shrubs the bottom or base of the hedge - which is a strip of land with its own species, a mix of annuals and perennials, some herbaceous others more woody.  The base of the hedge can be quite variable, sometimes being narrow and light, or wide and dark (perhaps, supporting a badger or rabbit run) a bank that supports the hedge and there may even be an associated ditch (a different habitat in itself) a border or verge - an area of adjacent land which may be arable, pastoral or man-made in nature e.g. highway or managed in some way - mowed, grazed or sprayed. Read more...

It is a fact that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rising.   It has been monitored since 1956 at the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) in Hawaii.   Mauna Loa was originally chosen as a carbon dioxide monitoring site because it is located far from any continent and offers a good average value for the air over the central Pacific. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important trace gas in the Earth's atmosphere; its current level is about 400 parts per million (ppm).   Despite its relatively low concentration, CO2 is a significant greenhouse gas.   Read more...

What’s so special about heather moorland to beekeepers?  Heather is a small plant known scientifically as Calluna vulgaris, or more commonly ling heather.  As the beekeeping season is winding down elsewhere, the small purple flowers that are a characteristic feature of moorland’s stunning scenery are just opening.  The nectar they produce results in a highly sought after and delicious honey, making it worth all the hard work (both on the part of the bees and the beekeeper) that goes into producing it. Read more...

There are many types of woodland, which may be broadly categorised by the dominant type of tree(s) - thus there is, birch woodland, oak woodland, beech woodland etc.  The flora and fauna of these different types of woodland varies though there can be similarities.  Some species, such as brambles and ivy can live in a variety of conditions whilst other plants / animals have very specific requirements. This is certainly true for various animal species - for example, butterflies and moths. For example, the Brimstone (a pale yellow butterfly) has larvae (caterpillars) that need to feed Read more...

Simply some images taken earlier - in Spring or Summer. Read more...

The woodlands' blog has often reported on the problems that face honey bees and bumblebees - our important pollinators (see the list of related blogs in the right hand column on this page). Now there is an important report from the CEH (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) that has looked at the state of the populations of wild bees such as the furrow bee, mason bee. Most research to date has focused on the effect of insecticides, particularly the neonicotinoids on the  behaviour of  honey bees and bumblebees.   However, the CEH team was able to use data that had been collected by the bees, wasps and ants recording scheme - their data extended back to 1994 and involved some 62 species.   Read more...