CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

This toad crossed our path when we were walking in the Derwent Country Park near Gateshead on Easter Monday. When I kn...

Small ermine moth infestations on bird cherry Prunus padus trees reach plague proportions around here every few years - and this looks like...

I've posted quite a few items on this blog about plants or animals that we've come across in the valley of the river Derwent, on the...

In my youth I used to be keen on motor racing and went to quite a few grand prix to photograph the heroes of the day at speed, but I have to...

When we walked down the Derwent valley yesterday, from Blanchland down towards the reservoir, the hedgerow seemed to be alive with redstart...

Here's a sight that brightened up a dull day at a bleak spot - a large patch of Lilium pyrenaicum , growing on a road...

We found this newly-emerged ghost moth (a.k.a. ghost swift moth) Hepialis  humuli yesterday on the banks of the River Derwent, downstream ...

This is one of the easier toadstools to identify - porcelaiine fungus Oudsmansiella mucida . Conveniently, it's almost always found grow...

This attractive late summer wild flower is orpine Sedum telephium , which is a rather uncommon native here in North East England. Like all ...

Luck was with us this morning, when we were out walking in the Derwent Valley hear Edmundbyers. We managed to get within about 50 m...