Henry's Wildlife and Nature

 Here are some more photos I took on our lovely staycation in Scotland! Rosebay Willowherb The tall, pink flower spikes of Rosebay willowherb can often be seen crowding together in groups in open spaces, such as woodland clearings, roadside verges, grassland and waste ground. This is sometimes called 'Bombweed' as the conditions caused by the bombing and burning of the ground during the World Wars in the towns and countryside were perfect for the plant to grow. Mute Swan The mute swan is one of the most well known birds in the UK with a body length of 125 to 170 cm and a bright orange beak. there are around 500,000 mute swans worldwide including young. They can reach speeds of 80 KM/H and a life span of 19-40 years. This swan was on the river in Balloch with its partner and 8 cygnets. Falls of Dochart The wonderful Falls of Dochart run through the small town of Killin, in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Found at the end of Loch Tay, the waters of the Falls of Doc

 When we arrived in Scotland we went on a few outings during our visit. Here are a few things we saw! European robin This robin is a juvenile one. The robin weight is 5-8 ounces and a wingspan of 8-9 inches. The robin is also called European robin, English Robin, Robinet or Ruddock. Its scientific name is Erithacus rubecula. This robin was very friendly and let my brother talk and feed him! House fly There are more than 120,000 species of flies worldwide and this one is the house fly. A female house fly can lay 600 eggs in her life. Their lifespan is 15 to 30 days. Lesser black-backed Gull The lesser black-backed gull measures 51–64 cm, 124–150 cm across the wings and weighs 452–1,100g. Treecreeper The treecreeper is small, very active, bird that lives in trees.I saw this one near loch Lomond, hoping around on an oak tree. It has a long, slender, downcurved bill. It is speckly brown above and mainly white below. Balloch castle Balloch Castle is an early 19th-century country house and i

This year for our holiday we had a staycation in Scotland. It is a long drive to Scotland from our house so we stopped in Yorkshire Dales National Park to go to White Scar Caves .  White Scar Caves is the longest show cave in England measuring 1 mile long and the tour takes about 80 minutes. My favourite bit of the visit was the carrots. There not actually carrots, they're stalactites in the shape of carrots made when water drips through the cave roof and mixed with the minerals in the rocks.  I also liked the judges head, which was a stalagmite, there were many others that were interesting as well.  Ever since its discovery in 1923 White Scar has attracted cave explorers. Christopher Long who was on holiday in the dales in 1923 found himself struggling over jagged rocks and through pools, until eventually he found himself at the foot of a waterfall   which lead him to the cave. The first person ever to squeeze into a chamber called Battlefield Cavern was teenager Hilda Guthrie. Th

This week I haven't been out and about as much, but have seen lots of wildlife. Here is some of the things I have seen! A beautiful sunset I could see from our balcony Speckled wood butterfly and water spider in Brookhouse Mill A diadem spider outside our playroom window Baby ducks following their mother Ruthin Park Today we went to Ruthin park and saw some swans and ducks. We were lucky enough to see 6 cygnets, a moorhen and some ducklings. When we saw the dad swan my mum said to me she had read an article and it said that the dad has arthritis. A close-up of a ducks face. I am very proud of this photo. A duck swimming 3 ducklings swimming happily 1 of the 6 cygnets by the pond 1 happy moorhen The mum swan sunbathing

N ational Marine Week   National Marine Week is The Wildlife Trusts nationwide celebration of all things marine. Despite the name, it lasts 15 fun-filled days to allow for the variation in tide times around the country. This year is slightly different, due to the Covid-19 crisis, but there's still lots to get stuck into! To find out more head over to the Wildlife Trust website. As it is National marine week, I am going to talk a bit about shells.  Shells The razor shell, Ensis magnus, also called razor clam, razor fish or spoot (colloquially), is a bivalve (aquatic mollusc) of the family Pharidae. It is found on sandy beaches in northern Europe.  Top shells have a top-shaped or conical shell. The inside of the shell has a pearl-like coating, which was used for buttons in Victorian times. Top shells vary in size from 5 to 130 m, the largest are found in tropical waters.  People have eaten mussels for over 2,000 years. Prehistoric settlements can often be identified by large mounds