Category: Spotlight on...
Spotlight on… Alder Buckthorne: Brimstone Bush
This months spotlight has been written by our incredibly knowledgeable Park Ranger, Sean Garvey, revealing revelations about native shrub species, Alder Buckthorn. Let me introduce you to one of St Nicks’ scarcest shrubs: Alder Buckthorn , Frangula alnus . It’s an unassuming plant that is easily overlooked; but it has a fascinating, and literally explosive, […]
Spotlight on… Tawny Owls
Our brilliant Meadow Keepers intern, Eithne Phillips, has written Octobers spotlight, giving us insight into the wonderful world of Tawny Owls. The Tawny Owl is one of Britain’s most familiar species of owl and has been heard throughout our forests, woodlands and parklands for thousands of years. Our relationship with owls has often been a […]
Spotlight on… Orchards
Written by Maria Gill, our Volunteer Co-ordinator, drawing on information from Traditional Orchards: A guide to wildlife and management Change is afoot here at St Nicks as temperatures begin to cool and autumn moves in. Nights are getting longer and sunshine is becoming soft and hazy. Plants and animals alike are beginning to make preparations […]
Spotlight on…Thistles
28 species in the Collins Flower Guide have the word “thistle” in their name. They are all members of the large and often confusing family of Asteraceae.[1] Sixteen of them are classed as true thistles, and at least ten of these are native species. For the purposes of this spotlight, we’re going to concentrate on […]
Spotlight on… Common Carder Bumblebee
The Common Carder Bumblebee, Bombus pascuorum, is the most frequently seen Bumblebee on the reserve at St Nicks, though the Tree Bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum, is rapidly catching it up. Tree Bumblebees first arrived in the south of England in 2001 from continental Europe, and have since spread northwards, reaching Yorkshire in 2010 and Scotland three […]
Spotlight on: Bumblebees in spring
Nothing quite confirms the arrival of spring like the first bumblebee sighting of the year as they emerge from hibernation. The low hum of their wings as they zoom past is always a comforting sign that nature is buzzing back to life after those quiet winter months. Wind back 6 months or so to the […]
Spotlight on: Woodland Birds
Of the 24 acres of St Nicks, nearly 60% (14 acres) is classified as woodland – a prime habitat for birds. So it’s no surprise that St Nicks has a rich variety of woodland birds. Woodland birds are more often heard, rather than seen, especially in the Summer, when they can be hidden by foliage. […]
Spotlight on… Otters
Looking back, it is clear to see that otters (Lutra lutra) had a rather difficult time throughout the 20th century; they were hunted, much of their wetland habitat was destroyed and the introduction of poisonous pesticides led to dramatic declines. When used, these pesticides were washed and leeched into watercourses where they were then ingested […]
Spotlight on… Woodland structure: the understory
A woodland can be split into distinct layers of vegetation: • the canopy: top layer consisting of the tallest trees which receive lots of light • the understory: the herb or field layer which includes our native spring wildflower bulbs and other plants such as grasses and nettles • the ground layer: what we find […]
Spotlight on.. Daddy Longlegs
There are three candidates for the title ‘Daddy Longlegs’. Two of them are arachnids (spiders and their relatives) – first the thin frail-looking long-legged spiders of the Pholcus species which inhabit our outhouses and our bathrooms, and second the related harvestmen (about 25 species in Britain) which are frequently found resting on vegetation around the […]
