Promoting & Enhancing The Natural Beauty of the Sid Valley
While most adult UK butterflies die off in the autumn, the next generation surviving the winter as eggs, caterpillars, or chrysalises, five common species overwinter as hibernating adults: brimstone (which we wrote about with their antifreeze body fluid last year), comma, small tortoiseshell, redRead More
Leave a comment Insects are amazing in their diversity and range, there are insects found in almost every habitat that supports life: they live in the soil, in streams and ponds, on plants, high in the mountains, there are even insects that live in the Antarctic. TheRead More
Leave a comment People are alarmed by them, which is not surprising when what looks like a giant wasp is buzzing around trying to escape through the window, but our native hornets would rather get away from humans and are valuable part of our biodiversity. The largestRead More
Leave a comment Darters, skimmers, chasers, golden-ringed and emperors, with their stunning colours and amazingly agile flight, dragonflies are probably one of the most thrilling groups of insects, and Devon is one of the best counties in which to see them. Fossil records show that insectsRead More
Leave a comment It is hot and dry, last month saw local records broken, some love it, others can’t cope with it, but what about our local nature? As I move around the valley I can see clear impacts, some positive, but mostly negative. Nature will respondRead More
Leave a comment It looks as if this year is a good year for seeing another beautiful butterfly that migrates to Britain from the Mediterranean area. Back in May I wrote about Painted Ladies, now there are plenty of Clouded Yellows around too. Migrants fromRead More
Leave a comment If you go up to Mutter’s Moor or on to Aylesbeare Common as it gets dark at this time of year, you might hear an eerie churring and clicking sound. The RSPB describes it as like a strange clockwork toy unwinding. If you lookRead More
Leave a comment Many people around the town are looking out for butterflies, they are taking part in the Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science project organised by Butterfly Conservation. Each year volunteers spend 15 minutes at a time recording how many butterflies they see in theirRead More
Leave a comment The River Sid is a thread of life through the valley supporting so many different animals and plants. If you walk quietly you might be lucky enough to see one of its most delightful residents, a small dark brown bird with a white front known as the Dipper. They are waryRead More
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