Botany – Canned Wildlife

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)

Mar 5, 2023Mar 5, 2023Posted in Canal, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Exploration, Farm, Garden, Greenbelt, Lakes, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, River, Walk, WoodlandTagged Adam Frost, April, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Botany, Bromsgrove, Bugs, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Canal, Canal Walk, Conservation, country park, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, Encounter, Exploration, Farm, February, Flora, Garden, Gay Farmers, Gay Naturalist, Get Your Boots On, Green Belt, Green Space, Greenbelt, Horticulture, Huawei, March, Meadow, Micro Farm, Midlands, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Naturalist, Nature, Nature Reserve, Outdoors, Pond, Rewildling, River, RSPB, Semirural, Sir David Attenborough, Spring, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Campaign for Rural England, The Lakes, The Wildlife Trust, Walk, Waseley Hills Country Park, Wetlands, Wild Garden, Wildflower, Wildflowers, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Woodland, Woodland Trust, Worcester & Birmingham Canal, Worcestershire, World Land TrustLeave a comment

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), flowering between January and April; these lovers of damp woodland pathways, stream banks and ditches, can be found in gardens, meadows and shady hedgerows, and even Narnia, yes, Narnia! ✨

Ficaria verna growing on the bank of a field edge

An important nectar source for early emerging insects from hibernation, such as Queen Bumblebees 🐝

Lesser celandine were used to treat haemorrhoids, hence “Pilewort” and scurvy, due to being high in Vitamin C.

All in all, they are a pretty cool plant!

Thanks for reading! 😊

Alder (Alnus glutinosa)

Mar 2, 2023Mar 3, 2023Posted in Birds, Canal, Countryside, Exploration, Garden, Greenbelt, Insects, Lakes, Local, Natural History, Plants, Walk, WoodlandTagged A Bugs Life, Action For Insects, Alder, April, BBC Countryfile, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Botany, Canal, Canal Walk, CPRE, Days Out, February, Flora, Gay Naturalist, March, Natural History, Nature, Park, Rewildling, River, RSPB, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Tree Hugging, Trees, Walk, Wetlands, Wildflowers, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife TV Presenter, Woodland, Woodland TrustLeave a comment

Dwelling in moist places; Alder grow near rivers, ponds, lakes and in wet, swampy woods, also known as Carrs.

Their flowers were used as green dye, to colour and camouflage the clothes of outlaws, like Robin Hood and to also colour the clothes of fairies 🧚🏻‍♂️

Flowering between February and April, Alder catkins provide an early source of nectar and pollen for Bees, and the seeds are eaten by Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls.

The pale wood turns a deep orange after being cut, giving the impression of bleeding. So, in the past, many people feared them and the Irish thought it was unlucky to pass one on a journey 😅

The roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules, conditioning the soil and improving soil fertility on former industrial wasteland and brownfield sites.

Alder leaf beetles (Agelastica alni) feed on the leaves of alder trees. They’ve become common in parts of England and Wales since 2004.

It was said that a few Alder leaves placed in the shoes before a long journey would cool the feet and prevent swelling 🤷🏻‍♂️

Being a tough species of tree, their wood doesn’t rot when waterlogged, instead it makes them harder and stronger. Plus, mature trees can reach a height of approximately 28 metres and live to around 60 years.

Thanks for reading ✌🏻

Day 30 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 30, 2020Jun 30, 2020Posted in BBC, Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, Encounters, Environmental, Exploration, Film, Garden, Greenbelt, Insects, Local, Natural History, Nature Art, Nature Reserve, Plants, TV, Video, Vlog, Walk, WoodlandTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Bugs Life, A Focus On Nature, A Fork-tailed Flower Bee (Anthophora furcata), Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, Antz, ARG UK, Artwork, Bat Conservation Trust, Batcam, Bats, BBC, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Bees, Bill Oddie, Birder, Birds, Birds of Prey, Birdsong, Birmingham, Black Ants, Blackbird, Botany, BTO Garden BirdWatch, Bugs, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Challenge, Chickens, Chris Packham, Collaboration, Conservation, Conservationists, Countryfile, Countrylife, Countryside, CPRE, Cranesbill Geraniums, Creative Conservation, Dance in a downpour, Dancing in the Rain, David Oakes, Dawn Chorus, Days Out, DEFRA, Design, Devon Bat Project, Do Something Great, Documentary, Drawing, Dunnock, Earth Capture, Encounter, Entomology, Environment, Environmental, Exporation, Farm, Farmers, Film, Forget-me-not, Frankley, Garden, Gay Birders, Gay Farmers, Get Your Boots On, Greater Horseshoe Bat, Green Belt, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Greenbelt, Horticulture, House Sparrows, Random Acts of Wildness, Springwatch, Summer 2020, The Wildlife Trusts, Vlog, Wild June, Wildlife FilmmakerLeave a comment

There we have it, 30 Days Wild! Today is the last day of Random Acts of Wildness 🥳 So I am looking back over the past 29 days, and in this post I am sharing my highlights 💚

Thanks for visiting! 🤙🏻 x

Day 15 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 15, 2020Jun 16, 2020Posted in BBC, Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Farm, Film, Garden, Local, Natural History, Plants, TV, Video, VlogTagged #30DaysWild, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Countryfile, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Bees, Birdsong, Birmingham, Botany, Brexit, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Challenge, Chickens, Collaboration, Countryfile, CPRE, Cranesbill Geraniums, Days Out, DEFRA, Do Something Great, Environmental, Exporation, Farm, Farmers, Feeding Birds, Film, Flora, For The Love Of, Frankley, Garden, Gay Farmers, Green Birmingham, Horticulture, Huawei, Iridescence, Journalism, June, Meet The Farmers, Micro Farm, My Wild Life, Nature On Screen, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Organic Farming, Outdoors, Presenting, Quail, Random Acts of Wildness, Rewildling, River Rea, RSPB, Salad, Semirural, Spring, Suburban, Suburbia, The Campaign for Rural England, The Conservation Volunteers, The Countryside Charity, The Wild Side, The Wildlife Trust, Urban, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Garden, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder Future, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife From My Window, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife TV PresenterLeave a comment

Today I visited an Urban Organic Micro Farm, called Rea Spring Gardens – which is a short walk away. It is own and ran by a lovely, enthusiastic couple, Charlie and Ashley, who farm with wildlife and the environment in mind 🌍

In the video below, you get to see what they grow and the animals they keep! 👨🏻‍🌾

Thanks for visiting 💚

Day 13 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 13, 2020Jun 14, 2020Posted in BBC, Challenge, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Garden, Insects, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, Video, VlogTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #NowForNature, #TheTimeIsNow, #WilderFuture, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam Frost, Adam O'Hare, AFON, Bat Conservation Trust, Bats, BBC, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Bees, Birds, Birmingham, Botany, Broom, BTO Garden BirdWatch, Bugs, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Challenge, Conservation, Conservationists, Countryfile, Countrylife, Countryside, CPRE, Cranesbill Geraniums, DEFRA, Digitalis purpurea, Do Something Great, Documentary, Environment, Environmental, Feeding Birds, For The Love Of, Frankley, Garden, Garden BirdWatch, Gay Birders, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Horticulture, Huawei, Insects, Invertebrates, June, Made in Birmingham, Meadow, Moths, My Wild Life, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, Nature Reserve, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Ornithology, Outdoors, Presenting, Random Acts of Wildness, Rewildling, RSPB, Semirural, Spring, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, Suburban, Suburbia, The Wildlife Trust, Timelapse, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Garden, Wild June, Wild Time, Wilder Future, Wildflower, Wildflowers, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife From My Window, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife TV Presenter, Wildlife VlogLeave a comment

I’m going to let the video (below) speak for itself 🙂

Thanks for visiting! 💚

Day 10 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 10, 2020Jun 10, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Encounters, Environmental, Film, Garden, Insects, Natural History, Plants, Video, VlogTagged #30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Bees, Birmingham, Botany, Bugs, Bumblebees, Challenge, Conservation, Conservationists, Cranesbill Geraniums, Earth Capture, Encounter, Entomology, Environment, Environmental, Film, Flora, Frankley, Garden, Green Birmingham, Huawei, Insects, Invertebrates, June, Meadow, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Outdoors, Random Acts of Wildness, Semirural, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, Suburban, Suburbia, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Garden, Wild June, Wildflower, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife From My Window, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife Vlog, WLT Bigger Picture, World Land TrustLeave a comment

Most of the day was chilly & grey, but when there was a warm sunny spell, the Bees came out in force to feed on the Cranesbill Geraniums etc in the garden 🐝 💚 🌸

Thanks for visiting! 🙂

Day 4 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 4, 2020Jun 5, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, Encounters, Film, Garden, Insects, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, Video, VlogTagged #30DaysWild, #NowForNature, 30 Days Wild, A Focus On Nature, Action For Insects, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Botany, Bugs, Butterflies, Challenge, Chris Packham, Conservation, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, Digitalis purpurea, Encounter, Environmental, Film, Frankley, Garden, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Insects, Invertebrates, June, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, Nature Reserve, New Frankley, Now for Nature, Outdoors, Presenting, Random Acts of Wildness, Rewildling, Semirural, Spring, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, Suburban, Suburbia, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, Walk, Waseley Hills Country Park, West Midlands, Wild Garden, Wild June, Wildflower, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife From My Window, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife TV Presenter, Wildlife VlogLeave a comment

On Monday, whilst walking passed some Foxgloves with my Mom up the Waseley Hills Country Park, I remembered that we had some seeds at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards 😉

Digitalis purpurea – Waseley Hills Country Park

Thanks for visiting 🙂

BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2017

Jul 5, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Amphibians, BBC, Birds, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Garden, Insects, Interview, Plants, TV, Video, VlogTagged BBC Gardeners' World, Birmingham, Botany, Bugs, Conservation, Design, Documentary, Environment, Environmental, Film, Garden, Interview, Journalism, Nature, Outdoors, Pond, Summer, Video, Vlog, Wildlife, Wildlife GardeningLeave a comment

Last year I did separate videos of my interviews with the at gardening celebs / presenters and garden designers.

This year I thought it would be better to edit the interviews etc of the show, into one video and that’s exactly what I’ve done in the short video below:

You can see last years videos by clicking: here!

Thanks for visiting! 🙂

Wildlife in May

May 12, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Amphibians, BBC, Birds, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Environmental, Exploration, Garden, Greenbelt, Lakes, Local, Mammals, Nature Reserve, TV, Video, VlogTagged Badgers, BBC, Birds, Birdsong, Botany, Countryfile, Countryside, Dawn Chorus, Documentary, Environment, Film, Frogs, Garden, Herptiles, Mammals, May, My Wild Life, Nature, Outdoors, Spring, Springwatch, Video, Vlog, Wildlife, Wildlife Monthly, Wildlife Trusts, WoodpeckerLeave a comment

A few years ago I made a series of short videos which were featured on the Reader’s Digest Magazine website, entitled Wildlife Monthly.

Each month I produced 3 videos around a minute or more, detailing flora and fauna (mainly fauna) for you to look out for; be it in your garden, local park / reserve or further afield.

Below I have included the videos from my May edition(s).

2012

2011
(apologies for the dodgy voice-overs)

Thanks for visiting 🙂

Wind-back Wednesday, to June 2016

Dec 14, 2016Posted in BBC, Conservation, Environmental, Film, Garden, Interview, TV, Video, Vlog, Wind-back WednesdayTagged Adam Canning, BBC Gardeners' World, Bees, Birmingham, Botany, Conservation, Design, Documentary, Environment, Film, Garden, Green Birmingham, Home Counties, Interview, Journalism, Made in Birmingham, Nature, Pond, Rutland, Summer, Video, Vlog, West Country, West Midlands, Wildlife, Wildlife Gardening, Wind-back Wednesday1 Comment

I think ‘Wind-back Wednesday’ should be more of a trend on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and of course, WordPress. It’ll be for those that cannot wait until Thursday (for Throwback Thursday) #WindbackWednesday or #WBW 😉

Anyway… I realised I hadn’t updated my blog in a while and I didn’t share my completed videos of my reporting at BBC Gardener’s World back in June, all of which I have included in this post.

Owen Morgan (Gold/ Best Show Garden) from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and Adam Frost from BBC Gardener’s World:

My planting advice and Julie Haylock (Gold / Best Border Garden):

Bee Experience – Clive Joyce from British Bee Keeping Association (BBKA):

My interview with Lucy Hall, Editor of BBC Gardener’s World Magazine:

Thanks 🙂