Blog

The Habitat Aid blog is set in Somerset. The blog tries to introduce some of the issues surrounding our natural environment as understood by a non ecologist. You’ll also find some practical “how to” guides. It’s written by Nick Mann, who runs Habitat Aid. Nick is an increasingly curmudgeonly bald middle-aged bloke of familiar type.

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Coping With Lockdown I: Recording Wildlife in the Garden
March 29, 2020
The first in a series of wildlife gardening ideas to help stop you going bananas over the next few weeks...
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What's Happening To Our Butterflies And Bees?
March 10, 2019
Insectageddon! scream the headlines. Really? And why should this be? The more bizarre claims on social media I've seen recently range from Electro...
- bees
- butterflies and moths
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Farming With Wildlife in Mind
November 25, 2018
Farming With Wildlife in Mind This weekend the Times recommended Isabella Tree's excellent Wilding as one of its books of the year. It "forces us ...
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Foodplants for Butterflies and Moths
November 12, 2018
What would you think about if I asked you for good foodplants for butterflies and moths? Buddleja? Verbena bonariensis? Hebe? It's true - they're a...
- butterflies and moths
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Native And Exotic Plants In The Garden
April 3, 2017
Native against exotic plants in the garden; a complicated story. Which is best for wildlife and which is best for you?
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Plants for Bugs
August 18, 2015
Last week the RHS published the first paper from its "Plants for Bugs" four-year study in the Journal of Applied Ecology. It's an interesting read,...
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Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
July 7, 2015
Viper's Bugloss is one of my favourite British wildflowers. It looks like a kind of poor man's Delphinium, but flowers for ever and it's just great...
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The Invertebrate Conservation Conference
November 2, 2014
Last week I had a very jolly day in London at the Invertebrate Conservation Conference. The presentations were generally high quality and surprisin...
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Native and non-native plants
April 22, 2014
Today's papers reported on an RHS study which looks at "whether the geographical origin of garden plants makes a difference to the abundance and di...
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There's No Pleasing Some People...
October 8, 2013
What a fantastic summer we had. And it wasn't just us enjoying the sun - all sorts of other animals had a great time of it too. Invertebrates gener...
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Moths And Butterflies: A Life Lesson
September 10, 2013
Moths and butterflies offer a useful lesson in growing up. The most attractive children often grow up to be the dullest adults. My most glamorous...
- butterflies and moths
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Brimstone Butterflies
April 20, 2013
Photo: Peter EelesBrimstone butterflies are one of my favourites. I'm not a very clued up lepidopterist, but Brimstone butterflies I can ID a mil...
- butterflies and moths
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Coping With Lockdown I: Recording Wildlife in the Garden

What's Happening To Our Butterflies And Bees?

Farming With Wildlife in Mind

Foodplants for Butterflies and Moths

Native And Exotic Plants In The Garden

Plants for Bugs

Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)

The Invertebrate Conservation Conference

Native and non-native plants

There's No Pleasing Some People...

Moths And Butterflies: A Life Lesson

Brimstone Butterflies