Wildflowers

2026 Calendars For Sale

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

I am really excited to share with everyone, my first ever mass printed nature calendar for 2026 that I have been recently selling! Calendars are still currently available to buy. They make great gifts or help to bring a bit of colour into your home all year round!

My calendar features photos that I have taken myself over the last year, mainly in Dorset, which capture the magic and beauty of nature throughout the seasons, with no photo editing needed.

If you are interested in buying one of my 2026 calendars, drop me a message. I am selling them for £7.50 each, and adding postage if hand delivery cannot be arranged. I am always grateful for everyone’s support as I progress with my passion for photography.

Spring In Photos 2025

/ Laura Tuke / 2 Comments

“The beautiful spring came; and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also” — Harriet Ann Jacobs

As I learn to love how all the seasons in nature have something different to offer, I cannot help but still feel my heart sing when I see the first blooms of spring, hear the first chiffchaff echo across a field, or see the first butterfly flit past on a sunny day. Spring is a time for the renewal of hope, a celebration of colour and vibrancy, and a time that often feels like a collective sigh of relief. It is a season of optimism, and new possibilities, but also passes, like this year, in a blink of an eye.

This year though, I have really embraced the capturing of different light, colour and subjects during spring, giving myself the freedom to explore nature through a lens. As part of this, I also began to experiment with a new camera as part of my photography kit, and kept open minded during the process. It will take a while to sort through all the photos taken so far this year, but for now here is a snapshot of my spring 2025, through a lens, camera or iphone.

Spring In Photos 2025

The new addition to the Tuke family (Barley)

Walking through the Daffodowndillies

My Raven and her baby boy Jackdaw

One of my favourite first signs of spring, the Wood Anemone

The start of new life (here Blue Tits and Robins)

Enjoying the Bluebells from horseback (Dove)

Sunrise swimming in Appledore

Birdwatching on Lundy (Devon)

In my element, camera in hand and fantastic wildlife (Lundy, Devon)

The vibrancy of spring (A Speckled Wood Butterfly on a Rhododendron)

My suckler calves always love to pose for a photo (Orchid)

Herefordshire in the Golden Hour

This is just a very small snapshot of my year so far! More to come.

A Year in the Life of a Woodland – Part 2

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Throughout 2024, I followed in person a year in the life of an ancient, broadleaved woodland in the heart of rural Dorset. I followed its progress from certain points within its bounds, and observed the beauty the woodland had to offer throughout the seasons. It was really interesting to see what goes on during each month of the year within a classic english country woodland, and to be able see the subtle differences as time went on.

Previously on my blog, I left the woodland at the end of June after six months of colourful adventures. I watched as winter transformed into a vibrant spring and moved towards the summer months. From majestic skeletal trees and the unrolling of green to carpets of blue and flashes of beautiful butterflies, the woodland showed itself to be a master of changing its finery in dramatic style. To read more, check out Part 1 on my blog!

This time I delve into the second half of 2024 amongst the trees, as summer brings tranquil days, autumn comes with a riot of colour, and the woodland slips back into its winter slumber. How will these months differ to those of the first half of the year and what can we learn as the days regress once again. Here’s part 2 of my A Year in the Life of a Woodland.

July

Summer has arrived! Stepping into the woodland, humid warmth is replaced by a refreshing cool within the shade of the tall trees. All around the undergrowth is starting to die back, with flower heads dropping their spent petals and seeds beginning to be produced. Herb robert survives on though, with nodding heads of still bright pink flowers, whilst honeysuckle hangs from the trees, giving off their heady scent, and enchanter’s nightshade and bramble flowers start to appear. Amongst all this, ferns now stand tall along open tracks and wooodland glades, lush green and stealing the summer sunlight from any plants tucked below.

Birds of the woodland are now concentrating on feeding their young or are even coming to the end of this year’s breeding season. Distant chiffchaffs and wrens sing on though, alongside woodpigeons calling, and tits communicating up in the trees. Buzzing flies can also be heard on warmer days, whilst dragonflies dance along woodland borders on silent wings. A fox slinks by through the shadows of the trees, on silent paws, at ease, only turning its head as it walks by. With the woodland now full of new life, the excitement and activity of spring is ebbing away, and we welcome the days of the more relaxed summer season.

August

The woods are returning to their quieter state once again. The days are beginning to shorten in small increments, and the first whisperings of autumn can be felt. The start of August has been interesting with the woods seeing hot days broken up with spells of grey and heavy showers. As evening sun breaks through the still lush, but battered canopy, it’s noticeable that the woodland floor is picking up pace receding now. The hint of colour from flowers is completely disappearing, whilst the green undergrowth is beginning to show the brown leaf litter layer below.

Silence blankets the woodland, broken by wind up in the tree canopy, distant bird contact calls, and noise beyond the woodland altogether. The joyful bird song of spring has long served it’s purpose, and now the time has come when summer visitors are beginning to think of moving on to warmer climes, as the first signs of autumn have arrived. Plants hang with fat seed heads, hazel trees are laden with nuts that are already being pilfered, grey squirrels can be heard alarm calling up in the trees, and jays are popping up with their rough screaming calls. It’s a time of bounty and fruitfulness, a time to celebrate what nature has given us this year, and a time to prepare for the slumber to come.

September

The first breath of chilly air has arrived and rarer dry days have an edge to them. Another change in the year is coming, as the woodland floor dies back, leaving increasing patches of last year’s leaf litter open to the air once again. In places grass is crowding out other species on woodland rides, whilst ferns begin to turn brown, like fire catching their leaves’ edges. The first holly berries are beginning to redden, hazel trees are bedecked in green nuts, ripe blackberries are already beginning to soften, and oaks are growing their iconic nuts complete with their classic cups.

The mornings are now renewed with a gentle soundtrack of calling birds in the woodland, with residents claiming territories and migrants passing through on their way. Nuthatches, wrens, goldcrests and robins are amongst this cohort, creating a bubble of bird song. The afternoons are quieter, filled with lazily buzzing insects, and the odd animal sound. This afternoon though, the woodland soundscape is broken up with the sound of a great-spotted woodpecker moving from tree to tree and tapping to find food beneath bark. 

October

Nights are drawing in, temperatures are beginning to cool, and the dampness in the air is creeping in. Trees, such as oak, hazel and ash, are beginning to show changes to the colour of their leaves, adding yellows, reds, and oranges to their palette. As the trees signal the start of changing out of their finery, the ferns covering the woodland floor below are now fully on fire, curling up and browning away. As this dying off progresses, new life is symbolised through nuts, seeds and berries, such as the first ripe holly berries, shiny and red, waiting to be eaten. To buck the trend, ivy tendrils are sprouting clusters of green balls, their late flowers that will reach their peak in November.

Most of the summer avian residents will have begun their travels to warmer climes, leaving overwintering birds moving through and residents staying put. For example, our native robins are beginning to sing strong once again, needing to defend their important territories throughout the winter. Tits can be heard beginning to travel in small feeding flocks, whilst wrens and goldcrests flit in the branches currently going solo. Mammals do not make an appearance during my visit, but there are signs of the badgers, foxes, roe deer and squirrels that call the woods home. Times are bountiful for those who can find it, but harsher days are on their way!

November

The arrival of November is accompanied by shortening day lengths and biting northerly winds. Mostly the month begins calm in the woodland with grey or sunny days. As trees continue to take in the goodness of this year’s bounty of leaves, the green of summer has been fully taken over by bright fierce colours in the canopy, with the orange of oak, yellow of hazel, gold of field maple, and red of hawthorn, amongst others. The leaves also begin to fall from on high, twirling to the ground and beginning to form a crunchy leaf litter under foot. The trees are going to go out with a riot of colour!

The soft sunlight falling through the trees marks a slowing of time and activity for wildlife. Pheasants meander amongst the trees being released from local shoots. A raucous jay echoes through the still trees. Mushrooms poke up from the leaf litter here and there creating a more ethereal quality to the woodland during this time. It finally feels like autumn has arrived just at the point when people look towards the closing of the year in a month’s time. Time to savour the last hurrah of nature!

December

The year is rolling on to its close once again and winter is fully upon us. As I step back into the woodland for one last walk of the year, a cool breeze bites my cheeks whilst cheerful sunshine falls through the trees. Now I find myself surrounded by leafless forms once again, bare, skeletal, but magnificent, especially the ancient oaks. The last few hazel leaves cling to their branches, but most trees have now shed their finery, and a new carpet of leaf litter satisfyingly crunches beneath my feet. The trees are putting nutrients back into the earth as they now lay in slumber.

Up above my head, I can hear a soft tap, tap, tap. The sound of a great-spotted woodpecker moving from tree to tree once again, and tapping for food under their barks. Birds call all around me, from angry wrens, territorial robins, and hungry blue tits, to a raven passing overhead, blackbirds on the wing, and even a nuthatch going about its business. Badgers will now be sleeping more, whilst foxes are more active, thinking about breeding once again. There is still so much life to be found out in this Dorset woodland, even if all are just trying to survive through to another year. December is rolling on and a new year beckons!

A Year In The Life Of A Woodland – Part 1

/ Laura Tuke / 1 Comment

In 2022, I followed the annual cycle of one particular oak tree as it went through its own life stages, and watched the landscape change from its corner of a Dorset field. The tree encountered hunting barn owls, howling gales, breeding kestrels, and even a family of foxes, and observed such a vibrant year in nature even just from one spot. So for 2024, I wanted to follow such a story again, but this time on a different scale.

This year I am following a year in the life of an ancient, broadleaved woodland in the heart of rural, rolling Dorset. I will follow its progress from certain points within its bounds, and observe the beauty the woodland has to offer throughout the seasons. I look forward to seeing what goes on through the year, and the subtle differences from month to month at its heart. To start, I bring to you the first half of a year in the life of a woodland (January-June).

January

Entering the woods again at the start of a new year, there is a distinct feeling that the landscape currently lies in slumber. Though in previous years January has experienced wintery weather with cold spells characterised by hoar frosts and sheets of snow, this year the bite is missing from the weather, allowing the first signs of new life to appear already. The low winter sun breaks through the sturdy trunks of dormant trees, shining weak rays on the green leaves of woodland plants beginning to pop up underfoot, wood anemone and bluebells included.

Up in the naked boughs of the trees, birds fly from branch to branch, including blue tits, great tits, and goldcrests, buzzards whirl in the skies above, and pheasants make their raucous call now and again. Remaining holly and hawthorn berries provide a spot of colour against ivy and plentiful moss, but with the first lush greens and pastel yellows popping up, such as hazel catkins dangling from the trees, the woods are hinting at change. These are the first whisperings of spring in the stillness of the woodland, with more signs being found at night, such as tawny owls loudly defending their territories, and badgers and foxes increasing their roaming amongst the trees.

February

As a new month begins, the landscape feels like it is very much still in the grips of winter. A grey gloom hangs over the woodland, with the overcast sky threatening an endless possibility of rain. Where February 2023 was a cold, dry month, February 2024 is reflecting continued milder and wetter weather than average, with sunshine being much in demand. It is still not warm enough for any further advancement in the signs of spring from the previous month though, with the woodland floor still being mainly dressed in warm browns. Despite this, those first whisperings of new life can still be seen, with the slow marching growth of shoots of well known species, such as bluebell and stitchwort.

The mosses and lichens are also now joined by the much needed warm yellows of primroses and celandines, along with the red gems that are female hazel flowers. The slumbering woodland is currently the backdrop for the day-toiday life of its winter residents, but with the addition of blackbirds and song thrushes now starting to sing their melodious songs ahead of breeding in the spring.

March

As March begins, the start of blackthorn winter brings biting winds from the north, creating a break in 2024’s trend for warmer and wetter weather, which continues for the rest of the month. A rare calm day though sees the woodland bathed in soft, early spring sunshine, as it begins to finally switch from its shroud of brown to greens, with a carpet of new growth. Bluebell leaves are marching on in their advance of growth, making the most of increasing temperatures, whilst spear-shaped wild garlic leaves now carpet areas around the ambling streams through the middle of the wood. Hazel catkins are now fading to a creamy yellow, and their red female flowers are joined by swelling leaf buds. Though spring is advancing quickly, the woodland still waits for more flowers to keep company with the primroses and celandines.

A difference lies up in the trees. The woodland is coming alive with the sound of bird species that have wintered here in the UK and do not have to travel as far to return to their breeding territories. From great tits and blue tits, to wrens and goldcrests, a range of calls and songs can be heard, cut through by the sound of great-spotted woodpeckers drumming near and far. Mammals are beginning to become more active too, with grey squirrels fighting for territory and roe deer groups roaming through and around the woods. Spring is on its way!

April

As spring unfurls, the weather of April feels reminiscent of 2023, with cooler, damper weather dominating due to persistent north winds and plenty of rain. In the woods growth continues to move forward, but at a noticeably slower pace than could be expected. The month opens with tree buds swelling, hazel and hawthorn leaves bursting forth, and trees dripping with blackthorn and willow flowers. The woodland floor is coming to life now with a never ending mat of purple dog violets, pale green moschatel, yellow celandines and primroses, white stitchwort, the beginnings of purple-blue bluebells, and the fantastic starry heads of wood anemones. Wild garlic leaves continue to grow around the bubbling streams, smelling noticeably pungent now and beginning to show the whites of flower buds, whilst ferns unfurl their hairy coils across the woodland.

As the woodland bursts into life, it is accompanied by an intensifying soundtrack. In the background a rich tapestry of bird song can be heard, as migrants make their return, from great tits, blue tits and wrens, to chiffchaffs, blackbirds and robins. These include the continued crow of pheasants, the cat-like mewling of buzzards circling overhead, and the barks of grey squirrels. Listening more closely though, buzzing can now be heard as bees and flies make the most of flowers now blooming. The woodland finally feels alive after the first three months of the year taking its toll, though it waits for the return of some warm spring sunshine.

May

On a quiet afternoon at the start of the month, stepping amongst the trees is like stepping into a whole new world compared to the start of the year. Sunlight falls soft through new green leaves, dappling the woodland floor with warmth and light. At the base of the trees, the floor is now a lush green carpet of plant life. The cooler weather of April has meant that some April events have continued on into May, such as the bluebells, whilst the wind now coming from the south bringing warmer weather is beginning to promote much needed new growth.

Bluebells are just going over their peak after a spectacular show of rich purple-blue that has been breathtaking. Amongst hanging bells, stitchwort is continuing to open new flowers, alongside shocks of pink from herb Robert. New flowers appear in the forms of early-purple orchids, and red campion. Yellow archangel that took some time to arrive is becoming bleached to a creamy yellow, whereas wood anemones are bidding their final farewell. Wild garlic persists as do bright yellow celandines, adding to the show. Things move on though, as the ferns begin to overshadow the bluebells with their green fronds. Spring marches on.

With plant life becoming abundant, the woodland is now abuzz with insects of many kinds, whilst spiders make their homes between the flowers. Midges are particularly prevalent this year with a damp spring too! A highlight right now though, is the woodland’s bird life, with the continued singing of many species that call the woods home and are breeding right now, the chiffchaff really standing out in particular. Somewhere in a hole in a tree, maybe a tall oak, a female blue tit will now be sat tight on her eggs, growing the next generation of blue tits. 

June

As I step into the woodland on one of the first dry days in a while, my surroundings move from bright light to light spots and shadows. The tree canopy is now nearing completion and lush green oak, ash and hazel blanket out the light. Below on the woodland floor, a change has occurred. Spring stars have finally made their leave, and riotous bluebells, early-purple orchids, and wild garlic have been replaced by a dense green carpet of leaves. Herb Robert has taken over, with pink flowers creating a joyful pop of colour. Also these flowers are joined by white pig nut, purple germander speedwell, and pink foxgloves, and the lst yellow archangel, stitchwort and vibrant dog violets. The green seed pods of previous flowers remain, and a bluebell here and there when lucky, but now ferns stand tall above the woodland floor, unfurling their final leaves and making a canopy of their own.

As the spring season bids us farewell, it’s now the time of new life and growth, which is currently evident in the woodland. The drone of insects has lessened as flowers go over, but can still be found with flashes of blue damselflies, battling speckled wood butterflies, and striped flies. The first young of mammals, such as foxes, and birds, such as tawny owls, are also now venturing out to explore their new world. This can be heard up in the trees with the songs of birds and the alarm calls of protective parents. Summer and lazy days are on their way!

12 Days of Laura’s Wild Photos 2023

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

For the last couple of years I have accompanied the 12 Days of Christmas, up to Twelfth Night, with my own 12 Days of Laura’s Wild Photos. On these 12 days I share one photo a day on my social media platforms from the collection of photos that I have taken over the proceeding year out in nature with my camera, camera trap or phone. With these photos I aim to share glimpses of the beauty of nature, share some of my favourites from the year that have yet to take centre stage, and to simply put a smile on people’s faces.

This last christmas I embarked on my 12 Days of Laura’s Wild Photos challenge once again and had a lovely response to my collection of photos with my landscape photos being the main favourites. As I look forward to more wild adventures to come in 2024, here’s my 12 Days of Laura’s Wild Photos for 2023.

12 Photos

Day 1 – I began my 12 Days with a bang on Christmas Day as this photo of a snowy woods in misty sunlight ended up being the most popular photo of the 12 days. It’s a family favourite and was also described as ‘could be a painting’ which I was extremely happy to hear. Maybe it has a future beyond these 12 days!

Day 2 – For the second day, I wanted to share 2 classics of spring combined in one photo: a Chiffchaff and Blackthorn. A season of hope, joy and new beginnings, spring is my favourite time to get out with a camera and this photo captures that start when the landscape is just coming back to life.

Day 3 – As I continued on through the days, day 3 had been a very stormy one in the UK, thanks to Storm Gerrit, and so I wanted to bring some warmth to people’s homes. Here is suckler calf Blueberry Muffin, who in January last year, was still living outside with her mother as the ground had stayed drier than this winter!

Day 4 – Drawing our focus down to the ground, this photo takes us back to the days of spring with lush woodlands and glades with soft light filtering through unfurling leaves. A sign of ancient woodland, the wood anemone is also said to bring good luck!

Day 5 – This year I was licensed for the first time to handle and ring Barn Owl chicks on my own, as part of the vital work going on to conserve protected Barn Owls in Dorset and further afield, including on Dorset County Council farms. Some very special moments were had this year and lots still to be learnt! (Disclaimer: Barn Owl Chicks were handled following specific protocols by trained ringers and under a Schedule 1 license)

Day 6 – When we are in the clutches of winter and the landscape is bare, the snowdrop is a wonderful symbol of the end of winter to come, creating carpets of pure white wherever you go. It will not be long now until the first white heads can be seen nodding in the wind once again, and a feeling of hope and strength will return.

Day 7 – The 7th day marked the arrival of New Year’s Eve and the ending of another year. I thought this photo of a magnificent oak tree resplendent in its skeletal form in front of a warm winter sunset was a perfect way to match the feeling of the light falling on 2023.

Day 8 – This year I finally bought my first super telephoto lens and so to practise I made use of our very last baby lambs born in spring 2023. It is a wonderful sight to now see subjects up close through a lens without having to be really close. Here’s to more fun in 2024!

Day 9 – For the 9th day of my challenge, I decided to focus on the effectiveness of simple photos. My example is a photo from last year when soft winter sunshine could be seen glistening off cobwebs completely blanketing a field. A quite simple and spectacular phenomenon!

Day 10 – I got to experience lots of fantastic wildlife during 2023 with my two camera traps, and one highlight species was definitely the fox. Here is the first glimpse I got of a family foxes with four very young cubs, that I went on to watch grow up to become independent themselves. Fantastic! (For more check out my blog post Spring Dorset Camera Trapping Part 2.: Fabulous Foxes).

Day 11 – For my penultiate day, I picked this photo as I enjoy how the light delicately falls through this hazel leaf, highlighting the veins stretching out across its surface. Thus, I look forward to the return of green leaves when spring rolls round once again.

Day 12 – For my finale, I decided to head back into the woodlands during late spring. Under boughs of hazel here, a lone early purple orchid can be found standing watch over a well trodden animal track, calling the observer deeper into the trees.

For now it is time to look to the present and to make the most of the winter months still to come!

Nature Photos For 2022

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Last year was a very unpredictable year for all walks of life, but for me it was another fantastic year for wildlife, with some wild firsts and much inspiration to be taken from nature. With each new year, I take it as a fresh opportunity to enhance my skill as a wildlife photographer and to also immerse myself in the wildlife that can be found all around me. There is so much to celebrate in nature and so much beauty to be found, and 2022 did not disappoint in this. So to look back on the year, here’s a collection of photos spanning 2022, from my photographic adventures through to simply finding inspiration from nature in my life. Enjoy!

2022

January

The start to the year felt a little grey and bleak, but adventuring out with my camera I was able to find some life and activity in the landscape, which can always be found if you look closely enough. In this photo, this little blue tit looks so small, as they are, but I love how its bright colours pop out from its surroundings.

February

For me one of the joys of my year in 2022 was following the life of one particular oak tree and visiting it regularly to experience its annual cycle and those of the wildlife living within its close surroundings (check out my A Year In The Life Of An Oak Tree blog post).

March

One wildlife first for me in 2022 was discovering frog spawn for the first time in my family’s new pond in our conservation field. I enjoyed making multiple trips to this site at the beginning of spring to enjoy, explore the development of tadpoles and all its intricacies, and to take some cool photos.

April

Sometimes the most simple of subjects can be the most satisfying to photograph, showing a different side to their shape and form. Dandelions such as this one are a favourite of mine as they are a common sight, but have a hint of the magical when you look a little closer. This particular photo has also become a favourite with some of my friends and family.

May

This beautiful boy was a spontaneous joy to photograph and has inspired me to see the beauty in even the more common of inhabitants to be found in nature. All can inspire!

June

Last year was another fantastic year for camera trapping in my local area. From roe deer to fox cubs, I got to record some magical sights, including this wonderfully patterned British mammal and the antics of one particular family.

July

In summer, the countryside around my home in Dorset is alive with the scent and colour of many different species of wildflower, from meadowsweet and dog roses to bird’s-foot-trefoil and wild marjoram. Pictured here is the flower of the common mallow which can be found in a variety of habitats, in this case on a wild chalk mound.

August

Summer is a great time to see lots of weird and wonderful moths, including this red underwing, that will even venture into your garden and home at this time. With over 2500 species of moths in the UK alone, there are lots to discover!

September

Summer mornings waking up very early to go and take part in autumn migration bird ringing is made all the more better by fantastic sunrises, such as this one from September. That golden light over water is simply magical!

October

Though I do not celebrate Halloween myself, I have made it my annual tradition at the end of October to carve a pumpkin with a nature-themed design. The design for my 2022 pumpkin was the shapes of leaves of 5 different tree species, including oak, field maple and hazel.

November

November is a month that observes the end of autumn and the start of winter in Dorset, with greyer skies, shorter days, and the landscape falling into a slumbering state. As a result, a colourful sunset can really brighten up a less spectacular day at this time of year.

December

Though my family and I only have a small Christmas celebration each year, part of advent for me is making Christmas decorations using greenery and natural colourful plants (check out my How to… Bring Nature into Your Home at Christmas blog post for more). Here pictured are some of 2022’s Christmas decorations.

A Year In The Life Of An Oak Tree

/ Laura Tuke / 3 Comments

In the depths of the Dorset countryside, amongst hills, fields, rivers and hedgerows, an oak tree stands tall, stretching its branches over its corner of a field. Having stood proud for many years, each year this tree goes through its cycle, starting with its skeletal form, and moving through budburst, flowering and leaves unfurling, to shedding its green cloak in the autumn at the start of its long winter sleep. Hopefully it will keep continuing its cycle for many years to come.

Every year the rest of nature also goes through its cycle of life, overlooked by this oak tree. From the beginning of new life to the death of others, from howling gales to sleepy sunshine, from constant neighbours to new wildlife spectacles, this tree stands tall through it all. So for this piece, lets follow a year in the life of this particular oak tree in 2022, and see what can be experienced in just one spot.

January

As a new year began, the landscape lay in slumber, riding out the worst of a harsh winter. Hibernating animals, seeds and bulbs laying beneath the earth, and trees standing tall in dormancy. The oak tree was no different, slumbering through a very chilly January 2022, with many dry, cold, and foggy spells. A number of mornings began with the glittering shine of thick hoar frost, turning the landscape into a crisp, white world. During clear nights, the oak tree was surrounded by tawny owls ‘twit-ing’ and ‘twoo-ing’, rekindling pair bonds. By day birds were busy, robins defending feeding patches and forming pairs, great tits singing their squeaky gate songs, and buzzards hunting over the open countryside.

February

As a new month unfolded, the oak tree still stood slumbering, lichen dotting its bark and its buds hard and scaly, waiting. The oak tree may have been dormant, but around it subtle changes were beginning to appear in the landscape. White snowdrops nodding their heads under the hedgerows, lemon yellow catkins blowing in the breeze, and a woodpecker drumming on a trunk nearby. At night, male badgers pass by on the hunt for a mate, and foxes can be heard making their chilling howls, with females now heavily pregnant. February was a wet and very stormy month, but the the tree stood strong throughout.

March

As spring began to unfold, the oak tree experienced a month of unpredictable weather, moving from cold frosty nights to some very hot days. Despite this, change was in the air, with the oak tree beginning to wake up and show swelling in its buds. This was mirrored in the landscape, through blackthorn dripping white from the hedgerows, primroses creating a yellow carpet beneath, and the distinctive nodding heads of bluebells beginning to pop up everywhere. The oak tree also witnessed the first chiffchaff singing, the first brimstone butterfly flitting by, and even the first tawny owl nesting in the oak tree’s box before being unfortunately predated. Mammals were beginning to range further from their homes and other species were making their returns, such as the melodious blackcap.

April

A new month dawned, and the oak tree was becoming a symbol of new life. The first pale green leaves were unfurling and yellowy-green flowers were now hanging down from its branches. Drier, more stable weather meant the oak tree was now standing side-by-side with bovine neighbours, whilst many species were making use of the oak tree itself, such as blackbirds singing from its heights. Hedgerows and meadows around were also coming to life, with spectacular springtime flowers, from snowy stitchwort to sunshine celandines and cowslips. Daily, foxes can be found passing by, off hunting to bring back pheasants and rabbits to their cubs that are growing fast. The oak’s paddock also becomes a feeding ground for wonderful returning swallows and house martins, just the tip of the fantastic spring wildlife that were there to be discovered.

May

As spring blossomed into its full potential, the oak tree became adorned in its full cloak of fresh green leaves, thriving on warmer, calmer weather. The tree’s neighbouring hedgerow also began to bloom into life with flurries of white hawthorn flowers and the swelling cream buds of elder flowers. The tree was now home to a new family of woodpeckers, as well as some boisterous young squirrels and blue tits flitting between the leaves picking off oak eggar moth caterpillars. New life and its signs were everywhere, with fox cubs playing above ground, a male cuckoo singing, and even a female kestrel sitting on eggs in a lone oak tree in the next field. The landscape was buzzing with life!

June

As June hit, the oak tree was experiencing the peak of spring and its ending for another year. The oak tree continued to flourish whilst watching the cycle of nature surrounding it. House martins dancing on the wing, swallows hunting low over the fields, swifts speeding past screaming, red kites circling over fields following tractors cutting grass, hares grazing by falling light, a roe deer quietly sneaking past, and fox cubs beginning to roam. Not too far away the clutch of kestrel eggs had hatched and the chicks were beginning to grow fast!

July

Though a calm and sunny month, July was by far a very hot one, with some extreme heat waves hitting the oak tree and its home, its leaves now deepening to a dark green. In the midst of heat, the landscape was still dotted with colour in the form of wildflowers, from red campion and knapweed to bramble and swathes of cow parsley. Butterflies were busy on the wing, with the sight of a red admiral flitting by the oak tree in lazy summer sunshine being a tranquil sight to the eye. A highlight of the month was the yellowhammers singing their metallic song from the nearby hedgerows, and the neighbouring kestrel nest producing 4 healthy chicks to fledging and leaving their tree silent for another year.

August

Following on from July, August saw the descent of the countryside into a worsening drought state. Now the oak tree’s leaves were starting to look dusty and sad, whilst the oak began to produce young acorns, small and green. The lush summer was beginning to fade, though colour still could be found in the form of darting blue damselflies, orange flashes of a meadow brown butterfly, and the first shining blackberries. As nature’s season of new life passes, with fox cubs becoming more independent and young birds now feeding up ahead of migrating, the tree watches on, as a new mother cow gives birth in the shade of its lofty boughs.

September

With the onset of autumn, the oak tree experienced the continuation of warm weather alongside the return of some rain showers. This was enough for the tree to green up once again and for its plentiful little green acorns to swell into the typical acorns we all know. The oak’s bounty was also joined by hedgerows filled with hazel nuts and shining berries, such as elder, rose hips, hawthorn, and sloes. This bounty was attracting an array of species, including wasps, blackbirds and jays. The oak tree also overlooked other spectacular sights from spider webs glistening with morning dew, red kites scavenging close by, charms of colourful goldfinches feeding on seedheads, swallows lining up on telegraph lines in the evening sun, and some fantastic sights of a family of linnets.

October

The mild weather continued into October, with the oak tree now covered with ripening acorns, and leaves beginning to be tinted with spots of orange and brown. These acorns were already being utilised by grey squirrels and migrating woodpigeons, amongst other species. With the oak tree’s bovine neighbours beginning to leave the tree behind for the winter, the oak was left alone overlooking the landscape changing colour spectacularly, from the pinks of spindle to the yellows of silver birch. The oak tree also watched over other autumn spectacles, such as craneflies lazily flying over the grass in warm sunshine, roe deer bucks chasing does, and the growing of magnificent fungi, such as the oak’s own bracket fungus. The landscape is alive at night too, with the return of calling tawny owls, the snuffling of badgers, and the exploring of now fully grown fox cubs.

November

A mild November led to it being a very wet and windy month for the oak tree and its home. Ripe acorns now lay scattered around the trunk of the tree, and brown and orange leaves were now being blown free with each storm. On calmer days, the landscape was still showing lots of wildlife activity, with territorial robins fighting, families of long-tailed tits flying between hedgerows, flocks of meadow pipits feeding out in the fields, and large flocks of fieldfare and redwings making themselves at home. Whilst exploring around the oak tree, fantastical puffballs could be found in the grass, late ivy flowers and the start of its black berries in the hedgerows, and spectacular pink and orange spindle berries in the hedges further away from the oak.

December

To wrap up the year, December marked a change in the weather, with colder, drier, and sunnier days, and some spells of real hard frosts and frozen ground. By now the landscape was beginning to fall into its winter slumber once again, as was the oak tree, with only the hardier species still active. A lone cattle egret, a murmuration of starlings, wagging grey and pied wagtails, a hare passing through, and hunting barn owls included. As the tree’s surroundings lose their colour, a little can still be found with the shining green of a hart’s-tongue fern or the blood red of holly berries in the hedgerows. Here the year is drawing to a close, with a fantastic sunset and the oak’s last leaf floating softly to the ground.

30 Days Wild 2022: My Wild June

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Every June the Wildlife Trusts hold their annual 30 Days Wild challenge, aiming to connect more people with nature. It is free and easy to get involved with, and is a great way to have fun, relax, and learn something new. It is completely up to you how you spend your 30 days, with every ‘Random Act of Wildness’ counting. Now in its 8th year, the Wildlife Trusts hope that this year will have been the challenge’s best year yet.

For the last 3 years, I have been taking part in 30 Days Wild each June. From baking to birdwatching, this challenge has been an opportunity to slow down and spend more time out in nature. If you want to read all about my previous years participating in 30 Days Wild, check out my blog posts from 2020 and 2021.

For this year, I wanted to try something a little bit different. Instead of intentionally trying to do something wild every day, I wanted to simply appreciate nature in my everyday life. Being a very active, outdoor person, I wanted to see how in 30 Days I naturally connect with nature on an average day-to-day basis. Read on to find out all about my 30 Days Wild 2022!

30 Days Wild 2022

Wednesday 1st: The first day of the month was a busy one, but in my downtime I spent part of my evening exploring my farm’s and neighbours’ buildings for occupied swallow nests ahead of monitoring them over the coming weeks. So far I have found 4 that were either lined or already had eggs laid or chicks hatched.

Thursday 2nd: I spent my Thursday working, but also taking some time to relax out in nature. This included going out for a hack on my neighbour’s lovely mare Marsha with a friend and her horse, and watching a spectacular sunset with friends on Okeford Hill for Okeford Fitzpaine’s Platinum Jubilee beacon lighting.

Friday 3rd: This Friday was my first Wild Friday of the month on my blog. For this one, I went back to one of my very favourite times of the year: the blooming of the bluebells. This post had a twist though as I explored a little further and focused on the life amongst the bluebells this year.

Saturday 4th: As the breeding season for birds continued, I took some time today to check some of my nests. My barn owl nest box was looking good, and I discovered an interesting new nest tree on the farm (stay tuned!). I also discovered a robin’s nest hidden in the middle of a rubbish pile where the chicks are close to fledging.

Sunday 5th: On a more chilled work day, I began reading Simon King’s book ‘The Shetland Diaries’ and continued sketching butterflies and their caterpillars for my next blog post. A little bit of escapism!

Monday 6th: Today I got to ring my first swallow chicks of the year, with one nest that has done well and is 2 weeks ahead of all the others. I hope the chicks continue doing well and fledge successfully! The rest of the day I was out working in nature, until I ended up hurting my knee and going to A and E!

Tuesday 7th: Despite a stitched up knee, between rest and easy jobs, I still went to check my current bird nests. I now have 5 swallow nests, 1 with my ringed chicks and 4 with eggs, and discovered my second kestrel nest of the year.

Wednesday 8th: My wild highlight of the day came in the form of fluffy goslings. At lunch my neighbour’s family of Canada geese got spooked and the parents flew off. The 6-8 goslings fled in fright and I did my best to catch them back up. I only found 4, but I was able to successfully release them back to their lake and their parents thankfully returned to them later on in the day.

Thursday 9th: I began my busy day, that included some habitat maintenance, bright and early with the dawn chorus and a wonderful sunrise. It was a great start to the day, listening to the songs of robins, song thrushes, chiffchaffs, and more.

Friday 10th: Today’s wild time was spent out in nature walking a lovely little dog called Kaya for the Cinnamon Trust. It was also Wild Friday on this blog once again, and this Friday’s post was one of my favourites to put together. With a collection of facts, my photos, and my own drawings, my post was a How to.. guide to identifying common British butterfly species.

Saturday 11th: Today I had a lot on my mind, weighing me down. So I thought it was the perfect time to take a break and be mindful in nature. It was just what I needed to clear my head and calm my body, allowing me to pick myself up and carry on.

Sunday 12th: I took the day easy, giving my knee some more time to rest. I did though check my bee hotel, which is currently being well used, and spent a really lovely summer’s evening with my brother and his family in their wonderful little garden.

Monday 13th: Today was another day when I got to walk the little dog Kaya, and this time we escaped the hot day by walking in the shade of a huge avenue of trees and looking out for all the wildflowers we could find.

Tuesday 14th: Today was a special day on the farm for me. I got to ring the first of this year’s barn owl chicks, which is always a real pleasure, but I also got to ring our very first kestrel chicks on the farm! Stay tuned to this blog later on in the year to find out how our barn owls (and kestrels) have fared this year.

Wednesday 15th: My wild highlight of today’s work day was seeing fox cubs. On my daily travels around our land, I saw not one family of fox cubs, but 3, all out playing and exploring. Whatever people might think of foxes, fox cubs are a real joy to watch.

Thursday 16th: Though a day late, today I made my usual swallow nest checks. My 5 nests are doing well, 1 ringed brood of 5 staying close to their nest, 2 nests nearly ready to be ringed, and 2 more that are just hatching.

Friday 17th: I was outside most of the day, but my wild highlight has to be watching 4 red kites swooping over the fields following grass being cut by tractors. It was also Wild Friday on this blog, and so this Friday’s post was a collection of some of my favourite photos from spring 2020.

Saturday 18th: In between work hours, I used my free time to finish hand painting the bee hotel I had been working on for my niece’s 4th birthday. I really enjoyed painting it and I was very happy with the end result! Maybe I will have to do more wild wood painting in the future!

Sunday 19th: As I had a more relaxed day, I headed out and collected recent photos and videos from my two camera traps that are out and active at the moment. This is my favourite part of camera trapping, and my cameras did not disappoint. Check out my blog posts coming in the next few weeks to see all about my camera trapping adventures this spring!

Monday 20th: Around work today, I picked the first gooseberries of the year, explored what flowers are currently out right now, and watched a lovely sunset.

Tuesday 21st: Today I spent most of the day working away from the main hub of our farm, provided with wild moments including listening to yellowhammers sing, watching adult kestrels feeding their chicks, and escaping a swarm of honey bees. To finish the day, I got to ring another 2 of my 5 swallow nests. I am enjoying monitoring my small swallow population!

Wednesday 22nd: As Wednesday rolled around once again, I was back checking on my swallows that have yet to reach the ringing stage. Now 1 nest has completely fledged, another 2 have been ringed, 1 is ready to ring, and unfortunately 1 of my nests has been predated. This year has definitely been a tough one for swallows once again, but it is good to have seen some chicks fledge already.

Thursday 23rd: After a couple of weeks resting up from my knee injury, I was finally back out on horseback. I went for a lovely chilled hack out around my local area on Marsha, taking in lots of wildlife, including singing greenfinches and a hunting buzzard.

Friday 24th: Today I enjoyed sharing the last Wild Friday on my Laura’s Wild World blog this June. This particular post celebrates spring by looking at how spring happened in 2022. It was an interesting post to put together!

Saturday 25th: For the first day I had had off in a long time, I had been invited to a ‘Greylag Goose Roundup’. This event was being held at Poole Park to catch geese for a project where each year as many as possible of the current population are being coloured ring. It was a great day of catching up with other bird ringers and getting to ring my very first greylag goose!

Sunday 26th: Today I woke up to the rain falling and quenching the thirst of the land right now. It was great to take some time to appreciate the falling rain, before getting some drier spells to walk the countryside.

Monday 27th: Again another day begun with rain, before heating up and drying out. After a busy day, I enjoyed taking a break from life and walking around our land, exploring nature. Flocks of juvenile goldfinches, knapweed blossoming into purple flowers, and hares grazing in the fields, just some of the few sights to be beheld.

Tuesday 28th: This morning I had another lovely ride out on Marsha, with some of my wild highlights being a buzzard trying to hide in a tree, painted lady butterflies on the wing, and hedgerows full of wildflowers. This afternoon I had a good walk with my Dad watching butterflies and birds, including meadow browns and red kites.

Wednesday 29th: Today when I was not working or going to appointments, I spent time organising my wildlife photos and camera trap photos, and playing outside with my young nieces, who both love nature in their own individual ways.

Thursday 30th: For the last day of this year’s 30 Days Wild, I have been travelling up to London by bus to spend a few days exploring with my mum. For something a little different, I challenged myself to my annual A-Z of wildlife, but a travel edition. Here’s how I got on:

Looking back at my June this year, I was very busy, but the month shows that I naturally take time each day to connect with and appreciate nature. This could be through harvesting food, walking out in nature, or even getting involved in conservation projects. Being outside out in nature is important for my mental health, for my inspiration, and for my lifestyle, and so after this year’s 30 Days Wild, I now appreciate our natural environment even more so. Here’s for living every day a wild one!

My 30 Days Wild 2021: A Wild Month

/ Laura Tuke / 1 Comment

June has been one of those months that has passed by in the blink of an eye. Rainy days quickly moved into scorching heat and then back to rain, framing the last of spring’s events. Every day I have tried to be outside as much as possible, with my happy place being out in nature. From work to down time, my life and hobbies revolve around the wild and the natural world around me. This is why I love to share my experiences with others, to excite, inspire, and instill, and to help motivate people to protect and conserve what is left of our natural world.

It is not surprising then that I am always up for a wild challenge. Last year this took the form of the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild, an annual nature challenge that has now run for 6 years, with more than a million people taking part last year. This challenge aims to bring people closer to nature whilst making a positive difference for wildlife and its conservation. All you have to do is complete one ‘Random Act of Wildness’ each day for the whole of June. It is that simple!

Last year I really enjoyed participating in 30 Days Wild, with the challenge enriching my days, helping me to relax, and allowing me to develop a deeper connection with the natural world around me. It also gave me an added focus on days that were busy and stressful, keeping me centred and moving forward. My Random Acts of Wildness ranged from making bird food and picking fruit, to dissecting barn owl pellets and learning my chalkland wildflower species. So it was an easy decision this year to take part once again.

Here’s what I got up to during 30 Days Wild 2021:

Day 1: Tuesday 1st (Work)

For the start of my 30 Days Wild, I began strong.

After failing to find an active kestrel nest last year, I finally found the natural nest I had been hoping for! I also checked and moved my camera trap after a week out at a badger sett, discovering my second family of foxes of this year, with it being by far my best camera trapping season yet!

Day 2: Wednesday 2nd (Day Off)

I love an adventure, and so today I ventured out into my local area in the rain to take in as many different habitats and species as possible, with the highlight being 4 red kites sitting in a tree on my family’s land. After drying off and allowing the rain to pass, that afternoon I headed back outside, this time to test my brand new macro lens and get stuck in to the world of the small.

Day 3: Thursday 3rd (Day Off)

For my second day off, I made the most of free time and went for a long ride with a friend, the highlight being riding through chalk grasslands, embellished with colourful flowers and melodious birds. Being on horseback in this way allows me to take in a range of wildlife in a short period of time and also give me great up-close views.

Day 4: Friday 4th (Work)

For spring, my wildlife blog has been back up and running, and every Friday has been a Wild Friday. For this week, my new post was all about the spring bluebells, which are one of my favourite parts of spring each year. Check it out on my blog now!

Day 5: Saturday 5th (Work)

After a long day at work, I still had energy to work on some of my nature projects. This included putting my dad together a list of all the bird species seen on my family’s land in the last year (65!), and learning how to fill in nest records for the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme, beginning with a blackbird’s, kestrel’s, and barn owl’s nest.

Day 6: Sunday 6th (Work)

A week ago I cleared a small wildlife area of docks and sowed some homemade wildlife mixes, so this evening after work I headed over to the area to do some management and to water the seeds. I then headed home to finish off my day with Thursday’s and Friday’s missed episodes of Springwatch.

Day 7: Monday 7th (Work)

After catching my neice’s cold, today I felt particularly under the weather. It was a perfect way then to spend my evening curled up in an armchair reading some lovely nature blogs to cheer myself up before an early night.

Day 8: Tuesday 8th (Work)

My happy place is out in nature, and so I have been enjoying working at the moment on my family’s farm in Dorset, and keeping an open mind to what I might discover during day-to-day life. Today I had everything from peacock butterflies and Lackey moth caterpillars, to yellowhammers singing and brown hares grazing within 10 metres of me!

Day 9: Wednesday 9th (Day Off)

I began my first of two days by heading to my bird ringing trainer’s private nature reserve to help with summer maintenance work, before returning home to check the kestrel nest and to head round to my next door neighbour’s to look for active swallow nests (4 so far!).

Day 10: Thursday 10th (Day Off)

For my second day off, I had a lovely relaxing hack with Marsha exploring a new route near my home, and spent time watching and counting the birds visiting the feeders in my garden. From pheasants and house sparrows to goldfinches and greenfinches, all species and their abundance are recorded in my garden and sent off at the end of the week to the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch scheme.

Day 11: Friday 11th (Work)

Today after work I spent time expanding my wildlife knowledge through reading the BTO’s Lifecycle magazine and BBC Wildlife magazine, and watching the very last episode of 2021’s Springwatch.

Day 12: Saturday 12th (Work)

Today I used my lunch break to take photos of the bees buzzing around the poached egg flowers in my family’s garden using my brand new macro lens (very exciting!). My evening was then spent relaxing with my family in my brother and sister-in-law’s garden for a lovely family bbq in the setting sun.

Day 13: Sunday 13th (Work)

Last year I completed a self-set challenge to find an example of wildlife for every letter of the alphabet during just 1 day. Today I decided to have a go once again, but with the added challenge of finding different examples compared to last year. It was tough, but I did it!

Day 14: Monday 14th (Work)

After a long day at work, I spent some time exploring Twitter’s wildlife community, visiting some of my favourite and some new pages. Why not check them out yourself to find out what they have been getting up to?

Day 15: Tuesday 15th (Work)

After work, I had a really lovely evening checking my family’s barn owl nest box and kestrel tree nest with fully licensed members of my ringing group. We were excited to find the adult female barn owl brooding 4 young and the adult female kestrel feeding 3 two week old chicks!

Day 16: Wednesday 16th (Day Off)

To finish off a jam packed day off, I went for a lovely evening walk that began with just me and my camera and ended with me also carrying my camera trap and family’s farm cat. He likes to have a walk, but he gets tired too easily!

Day 17: Thursday 17th (Day Off)

Around my usual horse riding today, I kept myself busy with my wildlife photography, using my camera, taking photos off of memory cards, organising photos, and sorting my camera trap.

Day 18: Friday 18th (Work)

Today was another ‘Wild Friday‘ on my blog meaning a brand new blog post went up all about how spring 2021 unfurled. A little scientific, a little anecdotal, and a little visual-based, it was an enjoyable piece to write.

Day 19: Saturday 19th (Work)

Today I have been very busy looking after my parents’ farm whilst they are away. It has been a great opportunity to take in all that the farm has to offer and to appreciate all the work my parents have done and are doing for wildlife on the farm, from digging ponds to planting trees.

For more information check out my 2020 blog post called ‘Giving Nature a Home on the Farm’.

Day 20: Sunday 20th (Work)

After a busy few days looking after the farm, this afternoon I took some time to relax with my family, and be a proud aunt seeing how my very intelligent neice is learning more and more about wildlife. To top off my day, I took part in the Wildlife Trusts Big Wild Quiz, getting a respectable 28 out of 35.

Day 21: Monday 21st (Work)

Nature has a strong influence on british culture, influencing everything from music to art and literature. Nature is also a great inspiration for my own creativity, for example encouraging me to improve my own ability to draw and sketch, and to use my drawings to illustrate my wild ‘How to’ guides.

Day 22: Tuesday 22nd (Work)

After a busy day at work, I decided that for today’s Random Act of Wildness I would make a valuable donation to Dorset Wildlife Trust. Any donation that can be made is important for such organisations to be able to do their conservation work, such as rewilding and habitat management.

Day 23: Wednesday 23rd (Day Off)

Around a lovely much needed catch up with and old friend, I spent my day off countryside walking, checking swallow nests, and baking. I followed suit of last year’s baking, and kept it simple with yummy sponge cakes with wild decorations, in the form of flowers, butterflies and leaves. A lot of fun!

Day 24: Thursday 24th (Day Off)

Today I spent my day checking barn owl nest boxes with Dorset County Council and Alan who I ring with at Conservation Action. Such experiences always feel like a privilege to me and it was a great training experience, topped off with ringing 3 out of 4 of my swallow nests.

Day 25: Friday 25th (Work)

Today was Wild Friday on my blog, with this week’s post being all about my how spring looked for me personally, featuring 16 of my favourite photos from the season. They are either aesthetically pleasing, a great memory, or just bring me joy. Check it out now!

Day 26: Saturday 26th (Work)

Today on a much needed afternoon off, activities included exploring a road verge in my local area to ID plants with my mum (24 wildflower species), and picking elderflower heads to make this year’s elderflower cordial.

Day 27: Sunday 27th (Work)

For the last 2 years I have been enjoying training as a bird ringer, and have become a member of my trainer’s conservation group called Conservation Action. We are based in Dorset and the South West and aim to protect, restore and preserve biodiversity, promote conservation, and to research and monitor the state of nature.

For more information, check out our website at www.conservationactionuk.org or our Twitter and Instagram pages.

Day 28: Monday 28th (Work)

Though my happy place is being outside in all weathers, today was one of those days when I got a bit too wet and then a bit too sweaty. The day was still very productive, so I felt content at the end of the day to head home and curl up with my current wild book: Gavin Thurston’s ‘Journeys into the Wild: Secret Life of a Cameraman’.

Day 29: Tuesday 29th (Work)

Today I accidentally found a bird’s nest at waist height in a hedge on my family’s farm, spent a lovely half hour out in my garden, the flowers thick with bumblebees, and ringed my final of first brood swallow nest.

Day 30: Wednesday 30th (Day Off)

Today I had a glorious last day of 30 Days Wild. I had a lovely early morning walk with my mum, took photos of the many butterflies on the farm at the moment, and finished the day checking barn owl boxes with my bird ringing training as the sun set

A lovely, active and wild month spent in some of the best ways possible!

How to… Identify Chalkland Wildflowers

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Colourful, radiant, buzzing with life, a piece of paradise in the summer sunshine. All words to describe a small piece of chalk habitat nestled within the heart of my family’s farm in Dorset. Amidst a clay-dominated landscape, this small creation aims to emulate the approximately 41,000 hectares of lowland chalk grassland that can still be found across the UK. This super rich habitat contains over 40 species of flowering plants in every one square metre, giving chalk grassland its reputation as the tropical rainforest of Europe! Sadly though, 50% of chalk grassland has already been lost in Dorset alone since the 1950s.

In 2017, my Dad made the decision to transform a small triangular area of land on our farm into our very own chalk paradise. Though we do not live immediately on chalk downland, it can be found to the North and South of us. This makes our location ideal to create stopover habitat or a wildlife corridor, for the myriad of species that rely on these diverse plant communities. Following bringing in 40 tonnes of quarried chalk and lots of wildflower plugs and seeds, we now have a thriving 10m by 3m and 2m in height chalk mound.

Though my family’s chalk habitat is still in its relative infancy, over time it is transforming into a wildlife haven. From Grasshoppers and Marbled White Butterflies to blue Butterflies and Carder Bees, new species are popping up each and every year. This mini habitat has also been a great place for my mum to teach me all about the plant species that call chalkland grassland home. With her inspiration, I have put together a simple guide to identifying just some of the many wildflower species that are appearing on our mound.

Chalkland Wildflowers

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)Wild Marjoram

  • Family: Mint
  • Lifespan: Perennial (lives for several years)
  • Size: Short to medium height (30-60cm)
  • Stems: Erect, dark-red, downy and either round or square
  • Leaves: Oval, often slightly toothed, stalked, and 1.5-4.5cm in length
  • Flowers: Dark purple buds in loose clustered heads, opening to pale purple 6-8mm long flowers. Strongly aromatic. Flowers July-September
  • Range: Found throughout the UK (particularly in the South), but scarcer in Scotland
  • Fun Facts: This culinary herb is a symbol of happiness descended from Roman legend, with Origanum meaning ‘mountain joy’

Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)Kidney Vetch

  • Family: Legume
  • Lifespan: Annual (lives for one year) or perennial
  • Size: Sprawling and medium in height (up to 60cm), but very variable
  • Stems: Silkily hairy, round, and often greyish
  • Leaves: In pairs, they are silky white below and green above, and are 30-60mm in length
  • Flowers: Yellow, orange or a fiery red, and downy-white below. They are found in single heads (12-15mm across) or sometimes pairs. Flowers April-September
  • Range: Found throughout the UK, especially around the coast
  • Fun Facts: In the Middle Ages, it was known for speeding up wound healing, with vulneraria meaning ‘wound healer’. It was also once used to commonly treat kidney disorders

Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) Wild Thyme

  • Family: Mint
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Low to the ground, forming a mat of non-flowering rooting stems (up to 10cm in height)
  • Stems: Square with erect flowering stems
  • Leaves: Evergreen, short stalked, very small oval 4-8mm leaves in opposite pairs
  • Flowers: Faintly aromatic with pink-purple flowers in round and dense heads. Flowers May-September
  • Range: Widespread in South East England, but scattered distribution elsewhere
  • Fun Facts: Long regarded as the favourite flower of fairies, and associated with love. The Greek thumon though means ‘that which is included in a sacrifice’

Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum)Lady's Bedstraw

  • Family: Madder/Bedstraw
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Short to medium in height, often sprawling (up to 100cm)
  • Stems: Four-angled, almost hairless stems
  • Leaves: Dark green, long, narrow, shiny leaves in whorls of 8-12. Said to smell of new-mown hay
  • Flowers: Bright golden yellow, 2-4mm wide, in clusters, with a sweet honey-like scent. Only Bedstraw species in the UK with yellow flowers. Flowers June-September
  • Range: Widespread
  • Fun Facts: Associated with the story of the Virgin Mary giving birth to the baby Jesus, leading to the belief that a woman lying on a mattress of Lady’s Bedstraw would have a safe and easy childbirth

Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare)Viper's Bugloss

  • Family: Borage/Forget-Me-Not
  • Lifespan: Biennial (flowers in its second year before dying) or perennial
  • Size: Medium to tall in height (up to 100cm)
  • Stems: Roughly hairy and spotted (red-based bristles)
  • Leaves: Narrow, oval-shaped lower leaves
  • Flowers: Flowers in drooping clusters of pink buds that open to become erect, blue, trumpet-shaped, open-mouthed flowers, 10-20mm long, in branched spikes. Flowers May-September
  • Range: Scattered distribution across the UK, being most common in the South
  • Fun Facts: The plant’s name comes from a time when it was believed to be a cure for snake-bites, reinforced by the dead flower-heads resembling a viper’s head

Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)Rough Hawkbit

  • Family: Daisy
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Short to medium in height (up to 60cm)
  • Stems: Very hairy, unbranched, leafless, and slightly swollen at the top
  • Leaves: Form a rosette of bluntly lobed leaves at the base of the flowering stem
  • Flowers: Golden-yellow, though often orange or reddish beneath, solitary and 20-40mm wide. Forms seed heads that look like dandelion clocks. Flowers late May-October
  • Range: Widespread and fairly abundant across the UK, apart from in the far North
  • Fun Facts: In Greek, Leontodon means ‘Lion’s tooth’, referring to the toothed leaves. The flowers are also rich in nectar and smell sweetly of honey

Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa)Greater Knapweed

  • Family: Daisy
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Medium to tall in height (30-120cm)
  • Stems: Erect and grooved
  • Leaves: Lobed, where the lobes are positioned in pairs either side of the leaf centre. The leaves are 100-250mm long
  • Flowers: Purple, solitary and 30-60mm across. Flowers July-September
  • Range: Scattered across the UK, but predominantly grows in England
  • Fun Facts: Commonly used to treat wounds, bruises, sores and similar conditions

Common Bird’s-Foot-Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)Common Bird's Foot Trefoil

  • Family: Legume
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Short or medium in height and sprawling (up to 50cm)
  • Stems: Solid not hollow, and trailing
  • Leaves: Greyish-green, downy or hairless, and oval-shaped tapering to a point
  • Flowers: Deep yellow or orange, often partly red, and 10-16mm long, often 2-7 per flower head. Flowers May-September
  • Range: Widespread
  • Fun Facts: It has more than 70 common folk names including Eggs and Bacon. The name Bird’s-Foot-Trefoil reflects the resemblance to a bird’s foot, and is a larval food plant of Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper Butterflies

Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)Ox Eye Daisy

  • Family: Daisy
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Medium in height (20-75cm)
  • Stems: Round, angled or square, erect, and slightly hairy
  • Leaves: Long-stalked, dark green, spoon-shaped, toothed and in a rosette around the base of the flowering stem
  • Flowers:  White, 20-60mm across, solitary and on sparsely leafy stalks. Flowers May-September
  • Range: Widespread
  • Fun Facts: In past times, an extract was obtained by boiling the plant down, that  was used in salves and medicines to cure a variety of ailments from liver disease to runny eyes. Largest native daisy species

Common Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)Common Toadflax

  • Family: Plantain
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Short to medium in height (30-80cm)
  • Stems: Erect, grey-green, and hairless
  • Leaves: 30-80mm long, very narrow, untoothed, and spirally arranged up the stems
  • Flowers: 15-35mm long, yellow with an orange bulge and long straight spur, forming stalked spikes. Flowers June-October
  • Range: Widespread
  • Fun Facts: Most common Toadflax species in the UK, getting its name from previously being considered as useless, fit only for toads

Meadow Crane’s-Bill (Geranium pratense)Meadow Cranesbill

  • Family: Geranium
  • Lifespan: Perennial
  • Size: Medium to tall in height (30-100cm)
  • Stems: Hairy, erect, and often reddish
  • Leaves: Have 5-9 lobes, cut nearly to the base
  • Flowers: Soft violet blue, petals not notched, 15-30mm wide. Flowers June-September
  • Range: Found throughout the UK, but rarer in South West England and East Anglia
  • Fact: With lesser known names such as ‘Jingling Johnny’ or Loving Andrews, it is a horticultural favourite dating back to before the Elizabethan times

Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)Black Medick

  • Family: Legume
  • Lifespan: Annual or short-lived perennial
  • Size: Low in height (up to 60cm), and sprawling or erect
  • Stem: Round or square and hairy
  • Leaves: Trefoil, downy, and 5-20mm in length, with minute teeth
  • Flowers: Bright yellow and small, with 10-50 to one short-stalked rounded head (3-8mm wide). Flowers April-October
  • Range: Widespread across the UK, but sparser in Scotland
  • Facts: Name means ‘plant of the Medes’, referring to an ancient Middle Eastern people, whilst lupulina means ‘hop-like’, due to similarities with Hop Trefoil

 

Now get out there and see what you can find!

 

Drawings and photos all my own