Nature's Calendar Blog
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Dog roses: meaning, myth and medicinal uses.
By Lorienne Whittle, 07/06/2021
Have you spotted the pretty flowers of a dog rose scrabbling through a country hedgerow? There’s more to this shrub than meets the eye. From making itching powder and curing rabies to preventing Vitamin C deficiency and stretch marks, different parts of this wild rose have been used to treat an array of ailments in the past.
Find out more about identifying dog roses and their medicinal uses.
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How to identify common UK grasses
By Judith Garforth and Martha Boalch, 14/05/2021
Grasses form the Poaceae family, their stems are round and hollow. Learn how to identify and record some common UK grasses.
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Are the swifts late in 2021?
By Lorienne Whittle, 07/05/2021
Have you been looking skyward for the first glimpse of a swift swooping by? These summertime icons delight us with their aerial acrobatics as they return from Africa to breed in the UK.
Looking back at 20 years of Nature's Calendar 'first recorded' sightings we would expect to see swifts from mid-April, but this year comparably few have been recorded yet. Find out more about identifying swifts, their migration and how to add your record to Nature's Calendar.
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When do wood anemones start flowering?
By Judith Garforth, 22/03/2021
Wood anemone flowers are beautiful, symbolic and ancient woodland indicators. One of the earliest spring blooms, their flowering time has been recorded for hundreds of years. Here’s a summary of what we already know about their phenology, but we need your help to continue this important biological record into the next decade and beyond.
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Reflections on 20 years of recording with Nature’s Calendar
By Valerie Hurst, 08/12/2020
Responding to an advert in the newspaper 20 years ago, little did Valerie Hurst know she was embarking on a new hobby that would become an increasing part of her daily life.
Recording the first signs of seasonal changes with Nature's Calendar has not only been rewarding, but also helped Valerie connect to and understand more about her local wildlife.
As Valerie eagerly awaits the first signs of spring that will take her into a hugely valuable 21 year dataset, she shares her reflections of recording phenology and what this has meant to her.
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