The name of the rose
Mary Green explores why we call our flowers by so many names.
I was unhappy to see that the railway people have mowed down all the...
Under the spreading chestnut tree
Mary Green identifies ‘useful’ trees to look out for in May.
May is a lovely time to visit woodland, before the trees close out the...
Caterpillars and snails
Mary Green reminds us of the important role played by ‘pests’.
Following last month’s article about hedges (and the lovely reader’s letter that echoed it),...
Here’s a health to the bird in the bush
Mary Green praises ‘good’ hedges and the birds that use them.
The title this month comes from an old folk song. I can’t find any...
Plant wisdom
Mary Green looks at the hidden powers of our plants.In the old way of describing the year, February is the first month of Spring....
The secrets of ducks
Mary Green shows why our wildlife is fascinating.
During my illness last year, I found watching what was going on in the world around me a...
Dark month, dark trees
Mary Green continues her series on trees in the Celtic calendar.
We have a wildlife star in Alvechurch now – an albino (white) grey squirrel!...
As black as any sloe
Mary Green continues her series on trees in the Celtic calendar.
September at last brought cooler weather, but we’ve certainly had a summer this year!...
September harvest
Mary Green continues her series on trees in the Celtic calendar.
The hot dry summer had quite an effect on wildlife, though not always in...
Hazel & heather
Mary Green continues her series on trees in the Celtic calendar.
Summer so far is warm and dry, but there is lots of sun, so...