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, […]
Giant House Spider (Eratigena Atrica) Read More »
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?
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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
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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
Marsh Tit (Poecile Palustris) Read More »
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
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Read More »
Marsh marigold (caltha palustris) is a member of the buttercup family. It is also known as king cup, caltha biflora (in Europe), and potamogeton cymbalaria (in Latin America). Identification The Marsh marigold is a low growing large buttercup-like flower with heart-shaped scalloped leaves and bright orange or yellow flowers that bloom from March through June.
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The brambling (scientific name Fringilla montifringilla) is a bird of the finch family Fringillidae. It has featured on stamps of some countries, including Denmark and Sweden, because of its original distribution range across Scandinavia. There are several recognizable subspecies in Europe and Asia, but in America, there is only one. This bird’s name comes from
Brambling (Fringilla Montifringilla) Read More »
Wood anemones (scientific name Anemone nemorosa) are flowers in the Ranunculaceae family, which is in the buttercup family. It grows in large patches or colonies, which can produce a spectacular sight when blooming in large groups. As one steps into deciduous woodland carpeted by the species, over time, the feet are usually enveloped by carpets
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The name “Toadflax” is mostly used to refer to “Linaria vulgaris”. However, the Linaria genus actually encompasses over 600 species of plants. The genus name “Linaria” comes from a Greek word meaning “lion’s mouth”. The species name “vulgaris”, derived from Latin, means “common”. Toadflax is also sometimes called rabbit flower, butter-and-eggs, wild snapdragon or eyebright.
Toadflax (Linaria Vulgaris) Read More »
