“I am a blackbird, singing my song” This is what I used to hear when I opened the front door early in the morning. That is, I heard a blackbird from across the street, and the first part of his song sounded just like, “I am a blackbird”, and I added the rest (and more,Continue reading “A bird to be treasured”
Tag Archives: #nature
Woolston Station Gardens – for wildlife and people
We launched Woolston Station Garden Club in May 2025 to revive the station gardens. Long-term volunteer Bridget was the only remaining gardener still available when Charlene Arrondeau, Hampshire Community Rail Officer, contacted me in my Wilder Southampton role with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. My work schedule was full, so I decided toContinue reading “Woolston Station Gardens – for wildlife and people”
Big Garden Birdwatch Plus
Twenty-five starlings, two bluetits, a wood pigeon, a magpie, two or three greenfinches …. I can more or less predict how many birds of each species I’ll see when I take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. What I’m less sure of is what they’ll be doing. And that, for me, is theContinue reading “Big Garden Birdwatch Plus”
Pollinating Peartree: Itchen Ferry Memorial Garden
Near where I live, there used to be a village called Itchen Ferry. Most of it was destroyed during World War 2, as it was close to the Supermarine factory where Spitfires were built, and now there’s a memorial with a garden. The memorial plaque states that, in 1985, pupils from class 3B at LudlowContinue reading “Pollinating Peartree: Itchen Ferry Memorial Garden”
Badger Green
Places like Badger Green seem to be overlooked when people talk of ‘access to nature’ or ‘green spaces’. I’m not sure why this is. Has someone decided a ‘green space’ should be a minimum size, or that it must be designated a ‘park’? Southampton City Council’s website has a category called ‘parks and open spaces‘.Continue reading “Badger Green”
Hedgehogs Return
A few days ago, on a dark February morning around 6 a.m., I opened my front door to see a hedgehog snuffling around the mat in the porch. He or she dashed into the shrubs at the side, but those few seconds were enough to make my day. In fact, it’s made my month! ThatContinue reading “Hedgehogs Return”
Stories from a silver birch
Christmas Day 2023: Day One of 12 Days Wild, the Wildlife Trusts winter challenge to do something wild each day. I started by sitting in the garden in the dark at 7 am with a hot chocolate, taking advantage of the quiet to listen to the birds waking up. On a normal Monday there would beContinue reading “Stories from a silver birch”
A Tale of Toadflax
Meet the Toadflax Brocade moth caterpillar, which came into my life on Wednesday, 23 August 2023. They feed on Purple Toadflax, a plant that I first identified on Peartree Green a few years ago, and which is abundant in the alleys close to our garden. This post is about noticing wildlife in unexpected places andContinue reading “A Tale of Toadflax”
30 Days Wild & the Five Pathways
The idea behind 30 Days Wild is to do one thing in nature each day in June. It takes place every year, and in this post I’m writing about my experiences in 2022. I think that year was the first time I logged something every day. Maybe that’s because it was easier in some ways,Continue reading “30 Days Wild & the Five Pathways”
A sense of place
“What are you doing?” This was the question a little boy asked me on Christmas Eve morning. “Picking up rubbish so the birds can find some food”, I replied. “Okay!” he answered, and off he went. Moments later, a gull landed on the grass and started rooting around for worms, as if it had justContinue reading “A sense of place”
Dandelion Nature 