Brambles are irresistible – for humans and animals alike
Many ‘microspecies’ of bramble occur in Britain, each one differing slightly from each other in terms of fruiting time, size, texture and taste.
Nature Watch
Alpine miracle
Alpine meadows located at 1800 to 2200 metres above sea level can support up to 80 species of plant per 100 square metres and support an incredible diversity of insects and other invertebrates.
Rockpools in Fife deliver the jackpot for Keith
When rockpooling always be aware of what the tide is doing in case you get cut off.
Behind wondrous sight of gannets at Troup Head lies ticking climate change timebomb
Scotland is home to around 60% of Europe’s northern gannets. The world’s biggest colony is on the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth, with over 150,000 birds present during the breeding season.
Observing oystercatchers, holding their own while other wader species decline
Oystercatchers are adaptable birds, and at a time when most of our wader species are in decline, they seem to be holding their own, with some having taken to nesting on flat roofs in our towns and cities.
KEITH BROOMFIELD: If I was the size of a wood ant I would be facing a pride of lions
The wood ant’s main food is sugary honeydew produced by aphids, which the worker ants ‘milk’ from them.
FEATURE: Fireweed’s ability to colonise areas of fire-hit forest give it naming rights over rosebay willowherb
Each rosebay willowherb plant can produce up to 80,000 seeds, which are fitted with plumes of featherweight hair that act like parachutes, enabling them to drift considerable distances in the breeze.
Observing kingfishers at a time of year tinged with sadness
Kingfishers are at the far north-western edge of their European range in Scotland, and as such, can suffer high mortalities in severe winters. They occur on rivers throughout Courier Country.
KEITH BROOMFIELD: Don’t blame the mink, blame us
The American mink was widely kept in fur farms in the mid-20th century. Some escaped and it was first reported breeding in the wild in Britain in 1956.
Painted lady butterflies are ‘everywhere’ as Scotland enjoys bumper season
The painted lady is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world, inhabiting every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It is the only butterfly ever recorded in Iceland.