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 […]
A few Parish Councils still employ mole killers in an attempt to keep their village greens or other green swards free of ‘unsightly’ molehills. Is this acceptable? Is it even effective? Let’s examine the issue: in general, but also with a focus on Bredfield. There are six good reasons to stop trapping and killing moles. […]
Introduction On a summer’s day walk around Bredfield Jubilee Meadow and Orchard, or elsewhere, you will find wildflowers with interesting names: Selfheal, Fleabane and St John’s Wort to name only a few. Where do these names come from? What meaning do they have? In this feature article we will trace the origin of the names of some of […]
Those who move residence from a town to the village of Bredfield are immediately struck by one thing after their first day of settling-in: “Gosh, isn’t it dark at night here!” Some people like it immediately, others find the dark streets disconcerting; but most come around to appreciating Bredfield’s dark night skies. Though street lighting […]
A harbinger of Spring! Everyone knows the Snowdrop; everyone loves the Snowdrop. It’s not your Marmite kind of flower. What is perhaps less well-known is that bees and other insects love Snowdrops too. Lovely and wildlife-friendly – what’s not to like? Let’s have closer look at Snowdrops. Snowdrops usually appear in January or February; though, with global warming, they […]
It’s now official: the Robin is Britain’s number one favourite bird1. We love them the year round, but especially so at Christmas when envelopes of Robin-adorned Christmas cards arrive at our door. Let’s find out a bit more about Robins and why they’ve become so loved. In Britain, Robins are known as approachable and confiding […]
How were our ponds created? There are a good number of ponds to be found around Bredfield. How did they get there? Though ponds can result from geological or other ‘natural’ processes, it is most likely that the ponds around Bredfield are the result of human intervention: ‘man-made’. This feature article examines Bredfield’s ponds from both a […]
The plant we’re looking at here has various names: Bittersweet, Woody Nightshade, Bittersweet Nightshade and quite a few others. The scientific name is Solanum dulcamera. It is a native wild plant that evokes mixed reactions. On the one hand, it is an undeniably attractive plant. The flowers are deep purple with bright yellow stamens shooting […]
Dragonflies and damselflies are the essence of summer. They are a delight to look at and fascinating to watch in flight. They are also one of the most interesting insects and lend themselves to what are known nowadays as ‘fun facts’. We will look at some of these facts shortly, and then conclude by examining […]
