October element - Bee Hotels
Not all bees live in hives - bee hotels can offer safe nesting places for these incredible pollinators that keep our gardens thriving!
Not all bees live in hives - bee hotels can offer safe nesting places for these incredible pollinators that keep our gardens thriving!
An introduced species, Common evening-primrose is now naturalised on waste ground, roadside verges and railway cuttings. It has long been used to produce the herbal remedy, evening-primrose oil.…
Found in ponds and marshes, the fragile look of the Common water-measurer belies its fierce nature. A predator of small insects, it uses the vibrations of the water's surface to locate its…
The fearsome common backswimmer hunts insects, tadpoles and fish. It uses its oar-like legs to swim upside-down under the water's surface where unsuspecting prey can be found.
Fennel has feathery leaves and open, umbels of yellow flowers. It was probably introduced by the Romans for culinary use, and is now a naturalised species of verges, waste ground and sand dunes.…
Greater burdock is familiar to us as the sticky plant that children delight in, frequently throwing the burs at each other. It actually uses these hooked seed heads to help disperse its seeds.
The Hybrid black poplar is a variety of our wild Black poplar that can be seen along riversides, roadsides and in parks. Used for ornamental planting and timber, it has become naturalised in the…
Richard used to work in the docks across the water from Thurrock Thameside Nature Park. Since his wife died, he likes to get away from the hustle and bustle, coming out with his dog to escape and…
The brown rat has a bad reputation, but it mostly lives side-by-side with us without any problems. It can be seen in any habitat.
This seagrass species is a kind of flowering plant that lives beneath the sea, providing an important habitat for many rare and wonderful species.
Their long narrow shells are a common sight on our shores, especially after storms, but the animals themselves live buried in the sand.
The spiny spider crab lives up to its name in every way! Their distinctive spiny shells are often found washed up on beaches.