Stephanie Mocroft 
In May I wrote about the wildflower charity Plantlife’s “No mow May” campaign, which was aimed at providing extra nectar for pollinating insects. I was therefore very pleased to see the following headline in my daily newspaper in June, “orchid’s blossom like never before as shaggy lawns enjoy record sun”. Two photographs accompanied the article, …
Having had the unusual combination of plentiful fine weather and plentiful time at home, those of us lucky enough to have a garden will have been able to spend more hours there than usual. Each year I count the different species of damselflies and dragonflies that appear on my garden pond, but this year I …
Whilst pulling up huge amounts of yards-long streamers of goose-grass, clearly planning a takeover of my garden from behind a large shrub, I pondered whether there was enough to say about this commonplace weed to fill a whole article. Stop reading now if you think the answer should be no. As a child, I was …
The subject I’ve chosen for June is a mammal that we rarely see but, by dint of its abundant works, is one we are all aware of, it is the mole. In The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Graham portrayed Mole as a rather timid creature, enjoying warm friendships with practical Ratty and boastful Toad, …
No Mow May! No, it isn’t a political slogan left over from last year, it’s the rallying cry of the wildflower charity Plantlife in an effort to increase the amount of nectar and pollen available to pollinating insects. (Although it did, weirdly, coincide with the departure of a certain Prime Minister in 2019.) This project …
Calling all computer whizzes with an interest in wildlife! The Teme Valley Wildlife Group has recently had a plea from the county butterfly conservators for records of butterfly sightings in the Teme valley area. We know that our beautiful, quiet valley is home to many birds, mammals, plants and insects, but those who strive to …
One of the Teme Valley Wildlife Group’s 2017 Sunday outdoor meetings was expertly led by David Graham, Knighton-on-Teme’s parish footpath officer. He has a keen interest in local history and showed us, in addition to old meadows, marshy places and Worcestershire’s oldest tree, a deserted village and a disused canal tunnel. I was reminded of …
My topic for this month is the garden bird-box. Over the past twelve months I’ve been asked a number of times how to site different types of bird-box, so I’ve put together some information, mainly from RSPB and Wildlife Trust leaflets, to try and guide people who have either made or bought a bird-box and …
At the beginning of last year we were blessed with a series of sunny, bright days; just the thing for an early start to visiting The National Garden Scheme’s open gardens. The draw in January and February is that familiar, shy, winter favourite, the snowdrop. Not a native of these shores, it seems at home …
December signals the close of the year and I have spent some time looking back over 2019. It began with my sixtieth birthday and has been dotted with visits to gardens and wildlife habitats in places as diverse as Dartmoor, Kent, North Wales and the Cotswolds. Sunny weather and blue skies have brightened every month, …