INTRODUCTION In this extended feature article we’ll be reflecting on the connections between the natural world, on the one hand, and Christian festivals, on the other. We’ll be weaving social history into natural history; tracing cultural traditions and exploring key aspects of the flora and fauna that are used in religious festivities. Before we embark, […]

“What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where you come from?” the Gnat inquired.  “I don’t rejoice in insects at all,” Alice explained, “because I’m rather afraid of them …” Lewis Carroll’s words from Alice through the Looking-Glass neatly frame the theme of this article about insects.  As we will see, the well-being and […]

In this feature article we’re going to look at two migrant birds that have come to rely on us for nest sites. Both are well-known and delight to have in the summer skies over Bredfield: the Swift and the House Martin. These birds have evolved to make use of the man-made environment for their homes. […]

This article is about pigeons. I have a suspicion that, for many people, this might not seem the most engaging and endearing subject.  OK, what if I was to say that this article is about doves?  You know: white dove of peace; the nice little symbol of Twitter (before it was replaced by that horrible X), […]

You won’t need me to tell you that there are Yew trees in St Andrew’s churchyard.  Do you know how many?  My count is that there are about eleven.  As we’ll see, Yews have a way of creating adjacent clones, so there could be fewer or perhaps more.  Of these trees, two are ‘English’ Yews […]

The Book of St Albans[1] – a 15th century document on hawking, hunting and heraldry – ranks hawks and falcons into their suitability for particular social ranks. At the top, it states that an Eagle is fit only for an Emperor. At the bottom of the list, we find that the Kestrel is fit for […]

Not the most exciting name for a bird is it: ‘Dunnock’?  Today, birds like this are called LBJs; ‘little brown jobs’. The Dunnock been considered as such for many centuries, for its name derives from the Od English for ‘little brown’. The Dunnock’s scientific name is Prunella modularis. Again, ‘Prunella’ refers to its brown plumage. Like […]

Walk around the grounds of St Andrew’s Church in Bredfield and what nature do you see: trees and grass; a bee buzzing past; a bird perched in a tree?  Anything else?  Look closer at the headstones, especially the old ones.  Examine the branches of some of the older trees?  Something else is there. Indeed, it’s […]

This feature article is about a common plant that can be found in shady areas of woodland, hedgerows and perhaps a corner of your garden.  It is a member of the Arum family (Arum maculatum), and goes by many names, with ‘Lords-and-Ladies’ or ‘Cuckoopint’ probably the two most familiar. When it emerges in early Spring, […]

In recent decades, Box (Buxus) has become a popular tree for garden hedges: widely available, relatively cheap, easy to trim and shape, and apparently carefree to grow. So popular did it become, it was imported by the ton from South Asia. However, accompanying the imported trees were the larvae of an admittedly attractive moth: the […]