Silver birch
A spindly tree of heathland and moorlands, and dry and sandy soils, the Silver birch is well known for its paper-thin, white bark. It is a great coloniser and can quickly spread in an area.
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Chwilio
Sustainability Appraisal, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulation Assessment
The Sustainability Appraisal, Strategic Environmental Assessment (often called SA/SEA), and Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) are tests of the Local Development Plan (or Strategic Development Plan). They look at the effects of the plan on the environment, social, economic and cultural well-being, as well as the use of the Welsh language. The SA/SEA and HRA process runs alongside the Local Development Plan process, and you can comment on the SA/SEA and HRA themselves.
Cuckoo ray
It’s easy to identify this distinctive skate from the black and yellow marbled eye spots on each wing.
Herald
This unmistakable moth spends the winter as an adult, tucked away in a sheltered spot like a cave or outbuilding.
Save the Wye
Life in the River Wye is silently slipping away. The crisis can be seen in the death of fish and insects, the unrelenting loss of aquatic flowers, and the huge algal blooms that turn the river green and stinking during long, hot spells. Phosphate, the chemical that creates these algal blooms and the resulting loss of oxygen in the water, is invisible. But you can see, and often smell, the main cause of the problem. Manure from chicken farms making its way into the Wye.
Mouse-ear hawkweed
Looking a bit like a ragged version of a dandelion, mouse-ear hawkweed has lemon-yellow flower heads that are tinged with red at their outer edges. It likes grassy places with short turf and…
Grey heron
Spot these tall, prehistoric looking birds standing like a statue on the edge of ponds and lakes, contemplating their next meal.
Herb-robert
Herb-robert is a low-growing plant, with small, pretty, pink flowers. Look for it in shady spots in woodland, hedgerows and coastal areas.
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Spot these giants of the bumblebee world during springtime. They can be seen buzzing from flower to flower getting their pollen fix.
My motivation
I’m Libby, and I’m currently completing a research development internship in sustainable aquaculture (basically farming in water) at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban. In…
Downy birch
A spindly tree of heathland and moorlands, and damp soils, the Downy birch is well known for its paper-thin, white bark. It is so-called for the hairy stalks from which its leaves grow; the Silver…
How to make a woodland edge garden for wildlife
Few of us can contemplate having a wood in our back gardens, but just a few metres is enough to establish this mini-habitat!