Ravens were almost extinct in Hampshire by the mid-19th century. So it was good to see, or more often hear, a pair in the riverside treeline at HCF.
Wasps – what are they good for?
Dave Hubble takes a look at these little unsung heroes and the cultural references to them. You'll never look at a wasp in the same way again!
We’re going on a worm hunt.
In early February and March 2018, Dr Jackie Stroud, a Natural Environment Research Council Soil Security Fellow at Rothamsted Research, led a project to study the worms in farm soils. 126 farmers took part. They dug 10 pits in one field, each 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm, in one field. They counted … Continue reading We’re going on a worm hunt.
Mason bees: no sting in the tail!
You are probably aware of bug hotels with drilled wooden blocks and bee nesting tubes with bamboo bundles or narrow cardboard tubes, but what uses them? There are several bee species – mason bees (genus Osmia), leaf-cutter bees (genus Megachile) and a few others, but the commonest is the Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) which … Continue reading Mason bees: no sting in the tail!