aLL UPDATES

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 of green alkanet are buzzing with activity, they are extremely popular with our bees and bumblebees. Whilst it is now widely naturalised, it is actually native to south-western Europe and was introduced into British gardens back in 1700, but had already made its escape into the wild by 1724! Alkanet is self-seeding, with long taproots which

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 annoying, but they are an important pollinator (feeding on nectar). The name derives from the fact that most adults emerge around St Mark’s Day – the 25th April. Another name is Hawthorn Fly. Numbers peak in May, but they’re still around now. The males have the long legs, but the females are larger overall. The males’ eyes are larger, too, and ha

There are more than 500 aphid species in Britain. Some feed on only one or two plant species, but others can be found on a wide range of plant hosts. The Sycamore is an introduced non-native tree and as such has very limited insect fauna associated with it, reportedly only hosting an average of 15 species, where the Oak will support up to 280 species! However one species of insect is extremely loyal to the Sycamore and at this time of year is so prolific, it is hard to find a

Together with the East of Otley Action Group, we have issued a response to this weeks hybrid planning application for a huge development...

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 Otley, so I don’t know how common it is here, although it is apparently one of Britain’s commonest wild plants. Despite its name, Ground-ivy is not related to the more family ivy but is a member of the dead-nettle family. The plant was widely used by the Saxons instead of Hops in the production of ale, which gave it an alternative name of A

Whilst out on your walk, encountering clumps of bright blue flowers along your path could be the ever popular forget-me-nots, but could also be the much less celebrated Germander Speedwell. I find it a charming little flower and from memory every time I have spotting a clump, there has always been an accompanying mist of flies or a solitary bee. The flower is normally fertilised by flies but as it reacts to rain and closes, it can also achieve self fertilisation. Traditionall

Little white flowers are popping up everywhere around Otley now, from Cow parsley, Wild garlic and the pretty star-shapes of Greater stitchwort. They are joyful to accounted on a walk, I have spotted them along the old railway, by the river and around the East of Otley especially along woodland edges and hedgerows. When featured alongside the beautiful bluebell, also in bloom, they create a soothing woodland scene for the eyes. Later in the spring, when their seed capsules ha

I love these feisty little fellas. They can be surprisingly noisy, especially at this time of year, and the pattern of their feathers often makes them look a tad disgruntled. Their diet reflects their size, including a lot of invertebrates, like earthworms, as well as owl favourites small mammals and amphibians. Unfortunately, they are another bird threatened by the upcoming east of Otley development – hopefully you saw Simon Carey’s wonderful photo of one there. The Little O

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 kingfishers actually, I spotted my first umbels (umbrella-like clusters of flowers) of cow parsley instead. At this time of year there’s always something new to find on every walk, so I may not have seen the kingfisher today but I have seen another sign of the year moving on. Cow parsley is a hollow-stemmed, tall plant that grows rapidly in t

Picking stinging nettles, even with a really good set of gloves always leaves a sting, but there is a lookalike growing among them without a sting and decorated with beautiful hooded white flowers, the white dead nettle, also known as white archangel. Like its relative yellow archangel, and other members of the dead-nettle family, it doesn't have stinging leaves, in fact their not closely related to stinging nettles at all, they part of a family of plants that include Mint, B

Fruit trees are heavy with blossom now, all pumping out tempting aromas to seduce passing pollinators. A smaller, less blousy cousin of the wild cherry, the bird cherry releases an almond scent into the wind, I follow my nose to find it whilst out walking in Gallows Hill. After being pollinated by insects, the flowers develop into reddish-black, astringent, bitter cherries, good for wildlife but not for us. It is a useful tree for a variety of wildlife: the flowers provide ne

As part of its plan to work with local schools on wildlife and nature schemes, the group donated a wildlife kit including a bird table...