CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

One of the pleasures of living in a county like Durham, whose topography stretches from sea-level on the coast to the hig...

We came upon this male field grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus sunbathing on the steps down to Hawthorn Hive on the Durham Coast, this aft...

Today's Guardian Country Diary is an account of a visit to Hawthorn Hive on the Durham Coast, just south of Seaham. As soon as you star...

In my last post I outlined the gruesome breeding habits of the spiny mason wasp, that provisions its nest with paralysed weevil grubs for...

This (I'm pretty sure) is a spiny mason wasp Odynerus spinipes  , which I found amongst the bloody crane'sbill flowers at Hawthorn H...

A visit to Hawthorn Hive on the Durham coast at the weekend coincided with the recent emergence of several butterfly species, including thi...

The landslips on the beach at Hawthorn Hive on the Durham coast (above) have a fascinating limestone flora, where the shelter of the cl...

Most observers agree that the dingy skipper Erynnis tages is a declining butterfly, so it was encouraging to find a small colony at the ba...

These delightful sea pinks Armeria maritima were beginning to come into full bloom along the Durham coast at Hawthorn Hive at the weekend....

The crumbling magnesian limestone cliffs along the Durham coast are excellent places to find these tiger beetles Cicindella campestris . Th...

Just south of Seaham on the Durham coast (see http://cabinetofcuriosities-greenfingers.blogspot.com/search/label/Durham%20Coastal%20Pa...