Viper’s-bugloss is a flowering herbaceous plant belonging to the family Boraginaceae. They are perennial plants with an erect stem, hairy leaves and many dense spikes of bright blue or violet funnel-shaped flowers. The scientific name Echium vulgare has two meanings: “vulgar” (common) and “A city of Lydia” (Echium = Echioion). The word “Bugloss” comes from …
The gatekeeper (pyronia tithonus), also known as the hedge brown, is a member of the genus Pyronia and the family Nymphalidae. It is one of the most common of British butterflies and is thought to be most closely related to the red admiral and, like it, it flies in summer and is particularly fond of …
The common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is a plant of the Onagraceae family, which typically blooms from June to September. It goes by many common names such as coffee plant, cure-all, fever plant, heavenly blue, blue star, and evening star. The flowers of the common evening primrose open in the evening and fold back to …
Common monkshood is a perennial herb belonging to the genus aconitum and family Ranunculaceae. It is native to Europe and North America; introduced to Australia, New Zealand and parts of East Asia, where it is considered invasive because it has displaced native plants. It is also known as wolfsbane, old wives hood, soldiers helmet, dogs …
If you live in the UK and find a big spider in your home, you might be seeing one of these scary-looking giant arachnids, known as the giant house spider. It is the larger cousin of the house spider (Tegenaria domestic) and is one of the largest and most common spiders found in the UK, …
Ducks spend a lot of their time eating, in fact, as much as two to four hours a day. This can add up to about eighty hours a month just eating. In the wild, ducks eat for between one-third and one-half of their lives. In captivity, however, our feathered friends have been known to eat …
What Do Ducks Eat? What You Can and Can’t Feed Ducks Read More »
The common knapweed (centaurea nigra), also known by many other common names (lesser knapweed, black knapweed, and brown knapweed) is a flowering plant that is a member of the daisy family. It is native to Europe and North Africa, but has become invasive in some other parts of the world. What Does Knapweed Look Like? …
The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a member of the waterfowl family, which also includes Canada geese, brant, and swan. The Muscovy’s closest relative is the domestic mallard which has been hunted to extinction in its native North America. The Muscovy duck is the only type of domestic duck breed that didn’t descend from the …
A tiny little bird, the marsh tit belongs to the genus Poecile. They are members of the tit family of passerines which includes other easily recognisable birds such as buntings. However, they can be easily confused with the great tit, coal tits and willow tits, but they are all indeed separate species. Marsh Tit Identification …
Purple loosestrife is an invasive perennial herbaceous plant that grows on the shores of lakes and rivers as well as in moist, shaded areas around ponds and marshes. The closest relative of purple loosestrife is another invasive plant called yellow loosestrife (“Lythrum salicaria”). The two are known for forming impenetrable stands where they grow, causing …
