aLL UPDATES

Another insect-eating warbler that crosses the Sahara to spend the summer with us, adding its almost angry-sounding, “scratchy” song to...

BRIMSTONE MOTH: This beautiful moth has quite distinctive colouring: yellow with chestnut markings at the edges. You might even be able...

Whilst out walking with a friend recently, he asked me if a plant was edible, I said to him that most plants are ‘edible’ but if they are...

We are well into fly season, any sunny day from now on is going to be accompanied by swathes of flies. Whilst you are batting them away...

Green Alkanet More piercing blue flowers are to be found in the wilder spaces of Otley, the pretty flowers of the forget-me-not relative...

ST MARK’S FLY: This is that shiny black fly with the dangly legs that you see in swarms at this time of year. Some people find them...

I was delighted to find a healthy patch of ground ivy whilst rambling around the East of Otley, I haven’t encountered it anywhere else in...

Whilst out on your walk, encountering clumps of bright blue flowers along your path could be the ever popular forget-me-nots, but could...

Little white flowers are popping up everywhere around Otley now, from Cow parsley, Wild garlic and the pretty star-shapes of Greater...

I love these feisty little fellas. They can be surprisingly noisy, especially at this time of year, and the pattern of their feathers...

A familiar frothy flower (try saying that a few times) has begun to bloom. Whilst out on my daily walk along the river, looking out for...

Picking stinging nettles, even with a really good set of gloves always leaves a sting, but there is a lookalike growing among them...

Fruit trees are heavy with blossom now, all pumping out tempting aromas to seduce passing pollinators. A smaller, less blousy cousin of...

REDSTART: I was excited to get good views of a male Redstart at the weekend. I don’t often see them around Otley, and numbers generally...

These sturdy trees with their dense foliage and heart-shaped leaves, are valuable to a range of wildlife, including invertebrates such as...

Coltsfoot Spring is my favourite time of year, more and more wildflowers appear every walk I take at the moment. If every month had a...

Whilst picking stinging nettles, a dark metallic blue catches the light and draws my eye. This beetle measuring around 7mm in length...

Right now distinctive little white flowers that will later become miniature, juicy red strawberries can be spotted on the edges of...

Seen in Otley: COOT: A common and often noisy presence on Otley’s ponds and lakes, Coots are omnivores yet often struggle to feed their...

If you have never tried before, now is the time to pick stinging nettles, with some good gloves obviously, just pick out the tender most...