Nature notes

Poker Wood, the story of a new Suffolk wood.

Willow emerald damselflies: new trees and shrubs for egg-laying producing scars like those on holly, left.

Owl research in Latvia. Results and perils on our Latvia owls web page.

Ural owl (Latvian Owl Research Society)

La Mancha flora, an ID guide to some tricky to identify species in this Spanish region.

Cretan Bluet, damselfly

Wood-meadows, a special habitat in Estonia, and wintergreens, also Estonia.

Have you ever seen a wolf?

Artur Wiatr writes with an account from Poland.

Map butterfly
(either of these two!)

Andalusian wall lizard: photos of a recently recognised species.

Bryony ladybird: photospot.

Whiskered tern photos & movies from the Danube Delta here, or click on the picture.

Photospot: Dark Spreadwing

Extremadura flowers features flowers we see here — mostly on our March holidays — that aren't in the usual field guides.

Linaria amethystea, amethyst toadflax

Danube helleborine: a photospot and account of a probable new species, Epipactis danubialis, seen on Honeyguide's Danube Delta holiday in June 2014.

Photospots Hoary mullein

Rue-leaved saxifrage

An overlooked plant?

Photospot: Peloponnese lizards

Greek rock lizard (this photo, Morag McGrath) and Peloponnese wall lizard.

More from the same area: the Peloponnese in January

Pyrenean brook newt and Pyrenean rock lizard

Two special 'herptiles' from the French Pyrenees. More here.

Welsh poppies

What are the links between Welsh poppies in the French Pyrenees (right), Wales and our gardens? More here.

Thorpe St Andrew Marshes

Norfolk Wildlife Trust's nature reserve on the edge of Norwich.

Right: Norfolk hawker dragonfly, larval case

Crete orchids

Left: Ophrys cretica - Cretan bee orchid.
Right: Orchis boryi

... and Crete orchid gallery

Dordogne butterflies and Dordogne bugs

Black-veined white (L), field cricket.

Autumn in Poland

Photos by Piotr Tałałaj.

The Cévennes and Causses
– a wild flower wonder

The text and photos about this 'flowery place' by Bob Gibbons, from his book Wildflower Wonders of the World. Read more here>

Pasque flowers (Bob Gibbons)

The Norfolk Cranes' Story

When cranes nested at Horsey in Norfolk in 1981, it was the first time in the UK for some 400 years.

This book, by their guardian John Buxton and Honeyguide's Chris Durdin, tells their story. More here.

Crane silhouettes (Nick Upton)

Cretan flora through a macro lens

Reflections on a Honeyguide wildlife trip to Crete, 6-13 April 2011, by Honeyguider Phil Brew, here.

Asparagus pea (Phil Brew)

Winter in Poland

winter nature notes from Honeyguide’s Poland host and leader, Artur Wiatr. Waxwings, grey partridges and European bison here

Bison (Artur Wiatr)

Timber and truffles in Istria

Discover the link between Venice, oak woodland and truffles here

WW
Wildlife where a WW or W-W features in their names. Can you add to our collection here?


Above: slow-worms (Stan Lovett)
Right: Outeniqua yellowwood, South Africa

Mystery lily, Extremadura

It's a mystery. Can anyone identify this bug (below) and this flower (left)? More here.

Amazing armoured beetle or weevil in Extremadura, March 2010

Crown daisies: for three years, a Mediterranean flower thrived in Norfolk.
How come? >

Crown daisy with 7-spot ladybird

Orchids are often centre stage on our Dordogne holiday, not least at our holiday base at Castang. Read more >

Sombre bee orchid Ophrys fusca

A cuckoo's song in spring is a minor third. But this musical interval crops up elsewhere in nature too. Can you shed light on this mystery? Read more >

Cuckoo

Brebis sheep. Our nature notes feature, for the first time, livestock. Rachel and Robin Hamilton look at how brebis sheep shape the landscape, wildlife and cuisine of the Cévennes. Read more >

Wallcreepers in Bulgaria and elsewhere.
The ups and downs of looking for this sometimes tricky-to-find bird.

Read more >

Right: wallcreeper in Trigrad gorge

Monarch butterflies in Europe and South Africa Read more >

Above: African monarch.
Left: Monarch on pride-of Madeira

Beavers created this wonderful habitat in the celebrated primeval forest at Białowieża, Poland. Read more >

Left: Evidence of beavers!

Red and black bugs often feature on holidays, and here's a selection.
Read more >

Left: Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Painted ladies: 2009 was a bumper year for this gorgeous migrant butterfly.
Read more >

Right: painted lady on marguerite at home in Thunder Lane

Iberian orchids: trips in Spain and Portugal reminded me that the names of orchids change over time and it can get quite confusing.

We hope this web page will help. Read more >.

Left: Lusitanian mirror orchid Ophrys vernixia

Glanville fritillaries
are named after Mrs Eleanor Glanville, a butterfly enthusiast of the late 17th/early 18th century "whose Will was contested on the grounds that nobody of sound mind would have such a hobby!"

Read more >

Above: Glanville fritillary in the Dordogne