Where the Rivers Sing: Protecting Wales’ Lifeblood
A blog written by our ambassador for Saint Davids Day about rivers and their connection to the welsh landscape, heritage and biodiversity.
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Chwilio
Coniferous plantation
Dark and brooding from a distance, the strong geometric lines and monotonous rows of uniformly sized trees can jar the eye and seem devoid of wildlife. But venture within and open ride edges,…
Orange ladybird
The orange ladybird is pale orange with up to 16 cream spots on its wing cases. It feeds on mildew on trees like sycamore and ash, and hibernates in the leaf litter. It often turns up in moth…
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon spends most of its life at sea, but makes an epic journey back to the river or stream in which it hatched to spawn. Look out for it in freshwater rivers in the north and west…
Yellowhammer
Like many of our farmland birds, the yellowhammer has declined in number in recent years. Spot this bright yellow bird singing from the top of a bush or fence, or in a mixed-species flock in…
Dredging up the past – why have we stopped dredging rivers?
There is one question that comes up time and time again as I meet people as part of the Wilder Lugg project – why do we not dredge the rivers anymore? And it is a valid question; dredging was once…
RWT Warn of Catastrophe in Radnorshire's Rivers if Pollution Continues
Phosphate pollution will continue to kill aquatic life in Radnorshire’s rivers if the authority responsible for protecting them remains under-resourced.
The warning comes from Radnorshire…
My Early Days
I was appointed to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust on 20th July 2020, as Head of Nature Recovery South, after being interviewed on two Zoom meetings, a very odd experience in these strange…
Dipper
The chocolate-brown, plump dipper can often be seen bobbing up and down on a stone in a fast-flowing river. It feeds on underwater insects by walking straight into, and under, the water.
English oak
The English oak is, perhaps, our most iconic tree: the one that almost every child and adult alike could draw the lobed leaf of, or describe the acorn fruits of. A widespread tree, it is prized…
Sphagnum moss
Sphagnum mosses carpet the ground with colour on our marshes, heaths and moors. They play a vital role in the creation of peat bogs: by storing water in their spongy forms, they prevent the decay…
Pike
Famously predatory, the long, slender pike will lurk among the vegetation of a river or lake, bursting out with ferocious speed to catch its prey. Look out for it across the UK.