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Lots of gardeners curse them, and goodness knows I've had some battles with those growing between our paving stones. But as it flowers from early spring until the Autumn, the Dandelion really is the pollinator's best friend, and perhaps we should try to leave some in our gardens for the bees, butterflies, moths and beetles. Goldfinches and House Sparrows love the seeds, too. The name derives from the French "dent de lion" or lion's tooth, a reference to the leaf shape, though

One of these small, delicate moths was on our kitchen window, handily-placed for our herb garden below, where its caterpillars will also eat Marjoram and Thyme. I identified it mainly by the golden spots on its brown/maroon wings, though these yellow markings vary and can sometimes be completely absent, just to confuse part-time lepidopterists like myself. It flies both at night and during the day. Better distinctions between butterflies and moths are that the former rest wit

Usually a star of the RSPB's #dawnchorusday , this bird can often be heard at Gallows Hill. Its beautiful song consists of repeated phrases, interspersed with grating sounds and mimicry. One bird can have a repertoire of as many as 100 phrases, many copied from its parents and neighbouring birds, and the mimicry may include man-made objects like phones. Their melodious voices led to them being kept as pets until at least the nineteenth century, and people still eat them in Sp

May always used to be the Bluebell month, but with climate change we have seen them around Otley for several weeks. As well as creating an attractive carpet of blue in the woods, they also have a strong, sweet fragrance. For the full assault on your senses try Middleton Woods around Curly Hill (maybe after Lockdown). Half the world's Bluebells are here in the UK, and they are a common indicator species for ancient woodlands. However some that you see around Wharfedale will be

Yes, we're finishing "Bird Week" with two for the price of one. House Martins are attending nests in Albion Street, and Sand Martins can be seen hunting insects above the Wharfe upstream from Wharfebank Mills. House Martins are distinguishable from Swallows by their white rump and preference for urban settings, where they often nest under eaves. They also typically feed at higher altitudes than Swallows and so don't compete. Young from a first brood will sometimes help feed t

Another summer visitor with a somewhat nondescript appearance but a distinctive call - I've seen it accurately described as a "wistfully descending cadence". In late summer these birds, (including juveniles only a few months old), travel 5,000 miles to spend the winter in Sub-Saharan Africa. Swallows fly even further, to South Africa. Prior to name standardisation in 1843, the Willow Warbler was sometimes called the "Willow Wren". They are unusual in that they moult all their

Half a dozen were skimming the meadow below Haslinghall farm, hunting for insects, and at times it seemed like they were skimming our heads as they swooped effortlessly around us. I'd actually seen the Kipchoge of the Swallow world on April 6th, but they are here in numbers now, helping to make the summer (despite the weather). I love the way they drink from pools whilst in flight, their bill leaving trails of delicate circles in the water.

Pairs of these shy, graceful ducks can be spotted on the Wharfe in Otley and east towards Knotford Nook. With the water shallow and clear, I was able to see the male's streamlined body underwater as it dived for fish, but my favourite sight is of the young birds on the mother's back as she swims along. Hopefully we'll get chance to see this in the coming months, when the chicks leave their nests in holes in trees on the riverbank. My daughter works for the charity WaterAid wh

One of the easier warblers to identify by sight, the top of the male Blackcap's head is a sooty black, though as with yesterday's bird (Blackbird), the top of the female's is a chestnut brown. They have a distinctive song, too, and this was how I first spotted the one I saw this morning near Wharfebank Mill. It is attractive enough to have earned it the nickname "the northern Nightingale". As with the Chiffchaff, increasing numbers of what was once only a summer visitor now o

A male was soaking up the sunshine with its wings spread downward, an action that maintains the health of its feathers. Over-exposure to what was once Britain's commonest bird has perhaps made us impervious to the beauty of the Blackbird and its melodic song. Whereas most English Blackbirds seldom move any distance from where they hatched, they are joined in the winter by others from northern Europe.

I love the alliterative name, and they're quite striking to look at - with their bright orange abdomens, Mark Cocker describes them as looking like "animate furry fruit bonbons". I saw mine, predictably enough, in amongst the bilberry bushes on the Chevin, where I also saw a Green Hairstreak butterfly. The bees also feed on heather.

Cuckoo flower, also known as Lady's Smock has pretty lilac flowers and grows in wet meadows and on riverbanks and roadside verges. The flowers emerge at the same time as the cuckoo begins to sing, hence its name. A frothy/foamy substance known as 'cuckoo spit' sometimes appears on cuckooflower. This 'spit' is actually the larvae of the Froghopper, which protects it from predators. There's a lot of it around Otley at the moment: these photos were taken by the stream at Otley G

The haunting call of the Curlew is evocative of the moors and estuaries it inhabits. It is a sound immortalised in the poem "Seafarer", which is at least one thousand years old: "I take my gladness in the …. sound of the Curlew instead of the laughter of men." One of the many ways in which we're lucky here in Otley, is that even when confined to the house we can sometimes see the birds that use the valley as an aerial highway, Curlews amongst them. As well as the distinctive

These Buttercup-like plants, with their large flowers and large, rounded leaves, favour damp or wet conditions: they would be ideal in that wildlife-friendly pond you're going to create during lockdown! They are mentioned frequently in literature, for example Shakespeare, Hardy and Charlotte Bronte all make reference. The name derives from "Mary Gold" - they were a tribute to the Virgin Mary in mediaeval churches at Easter. But there are numerous alternative names: Kingcup, H

Soaring into the skies above the Chevin and the fields below Farnley Hall, the male skylark shows impressive levels of stamina. It belts out a seemingly non-stop song in its almost vertical ascent to heights of up to 300 metres, alerting potential mates and rivals alike, and inspiring one of Britain's most-loved pieces of music. This crested bird can be hard to spot up there, and unfortunately a change in farming practices in the 1970's has resulted in numbers plummeting.

This name gives a good indication where many of them are found around Otley, but it's also known as Poor Man's Mustard. Its edible leaves can even be found and eaten in the winter, as they contain a natural antifreeze. It is biennial, and its first year leaves are a completely different shape (rosette-like) to the second year's (serrated edges, as in the photo taken today).

A native, sap-sucking insect that derives its name from its distinctive shape. They are no threat to plants. There are more than 30 species of shield bug in Britain, most of them brown. In the US they are known as "Stink Bugs" due to the unpleasant odour they use as a defence.

Pretty nondescript warbler to look at, but one of the loudest birds around Otley at the moment, with the call that gave it its name. Also capable of incredible endurance: weighing less than a £1 coin, they can fly all the way from Sub-Saharan Africa to spend spring and summer with us. With climate change some now over-winter in Europe.