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This year’s Otley Walking Festival has a bigger emphasis on wildlife, with more walks focusing on local nature as a result of a new...

Over two days in May four large flower beds in Wharfemeadows Park, Otley were saved for wildlife and planted with over 900 pollinating...

Several classes at Pool Primary School recently enjoyed lessons devoted to wildlife and nature, with hands-on activities in the school...

More delights from a walk by the river, somewhat understated perhaps until you look closely. The tall spikes of bell-shaped, green-white flowers, become pink with age, appear from May to July. The name comes from the deeply fringed habit of the petals. It is in fact an introduction from North America, escaped and naturalised from private gardens. Whilst it seems to be doing well making itself at home here it is listed as vulnerable in some of its native range. By River Six

Wildlife Friendly Otley want to increase the biodiversity in our town by encouraging gardeners to resist the urge to mow our lawns… ‘No...

This beautiful dainty and rare butterfly is on the wing at the moment but it won’t be for long. If you want to catch a glimpse then head up the Chevin now! The Green Hairstreak holds its wings closed, except in flight, showing only the green underside with its faint white streak. They are found in dry, scrubby habitats, including moorland and heathland, the caterpillars feed on a variety of plants, including gorse, broom and bilberry. By River Six Photo by Pixabay

This was one of those rare moments of awe in the ordinary. Whilst out for a walk I paused as I often do by the river to take in the movement and see who is darting around. As I turned around I was struck by the beauty of a natural green wall. The crumbling wall by the river at Wharfebank Mills has been colonised by a variety of wild green plants, one in particular glistened and almost glowed in the light, the opposite leaved golden-saxifrage. This is a creeping perennial of w

Not commonly seen on the wing before April, this bee was seen in mid March, another sign of the changing climate perhaps. Tawny mining bees are one of our most recognisable spring-flying solitary bees with dense gingery (orange/red) hair, although unlike birds, the males are not as striking or noticeable as the females. The Tawny mining bee is what we call a solitary bee, as they don’t live in a hive like the honey bee. They will however still nest in large groups and the vol

This fungus can be seen all year round in Otley, and its descriptive name makes it relatively easy to identify, although its colour varies from grey to black. Alternative names refer to its suitability as tinder: Tinder Polypore, Tinder Fungus, False Tinder Fungus and Tinder Conk. Otzi, the 5000 year old natural mummy found in the Alps, was carrying this fungus for tinder, and so it is also sometimes called Ice Man Fungus. It gets a foothold on tree trunks through broken bark

There are more than 30 species of rabbit around the world, the one we see in Otley is the European rabbit. Whilst not native, actually introduced by the Normans for food and fur are now widely naturalised across the UK. Now is a good time to see them as they are breeding like rabbits with the coming of spring. European rabbits have long ears without black tips and long hind legs; their colouring is sandy and less reddish than brown hare. The rabbit is smaller than the hare an

Local nature group, Wildlife Friendly Otley, is marking its newly acquired charitable status by launching a packed programme of events...

The blossom is out! Blossom, like this one of the Cherry plum heralds Spring for many people. On a warm day these blooms are alive with buzzing, as early bees get busy. Cherry plum is a naturalised species and although not a native fruit tree, it is spectacular on a warm March day to encounter. The white flowers against the blue sky and black flecks of bees moving from one flower to another is mesmerising. The Cherry plum is one of the first Prunus species to flower and later