Author Archives: jonathan

A walk around one of my favorite fresh water sites revealed signs of otters. These mustelids mark their territories with spraints.They usually pick areas near the water but often a meter or two away on an elevated site.The spraints are … Continue reading →

The heathlands are warmer than the surrounding habits ,and temperatures are regularly several degrees warmer than other places. The sun may feel warm, but on the ground it is much warmer. Reptiles spend the cooler hours basking in the open … Continue reading →

The weather has not been very good down here, when every where else has had milder than usual temperatures, Bournemouth has been chilly. On the heaths though ,things get a little warmer and usually several degrees warmer than the surrounding … Continue reading →

I found a worm climbing a tree. This  species is not the common earthworm but is similar. They are often referred to as eel worms and can grow to forty centimeters in length. Here they live in the ancient oak … Continue reading →

Great, frog spawn has appeared once again in the pond that I built at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society garden, much more than last year, the product of at least ten females, which may mean that there are over thirty … Continue reading →

This time of year is great for searching for lost treasures:the dead annual vegetation being at its lowest , and new growth not yet started, one can see through areas that were too dense and spot all kinds of things … Continue reading →

The New Zealand flatworm ( Arthurdendyus triangulatus) is becoming more common in gardens, having been introduced via garden centers through potted plants. It is a predator of earthworms and is usually of a muddy brown colour, however juvenile animals are … Continue reading →

The form of fungi and the wood on which they often grow can be most spectacular in a photograph. On a visit to the Oxford University Natural History Museum, a display of imported west African tree stumps adorn the yard … Continue reading →

The Chinese new year will be of the dragon. A visit to the Uffington horse in south Oxford shire  was remarkable. Myself and a documentary maker visited the site as it was mainly his interest and idea that the so … Continue reading →

The smooth dor beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius) can be seen trundling across the forest floor looking for animal dung. Here many specimens have found a fox scat. They break it up and bury pieces ,where they then lay eggs on it. … Continue reading →