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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#ClimateScam
August 7, 2023
Weirdness in the world of Elon.
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Spring Blossom
May 15, 2023
Why don't we talk more about blossom as a resource for wildlife? Every one of our fruit trees has thousands and thousands of flowers for pollinatin...
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Sabre Wasp
June 25, 2022
Last week I was minding my own business watering the tomatoes in the greenhouse when an extraordinary beast buzzed past me. It must have been nearl...
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The Top Ten Flowers For Bees
January 9, 2022
I used to be guilty of blithely writing top ten lists like this. For many, bees tend to be shorthand for pollinators generally, so you might think ...
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Green Roof Update
July 22, 2021
There's a good reason we don't have stairs up to our green roof. It's one of my happy places - if I didn't have to drag my ladder out of the garage...
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Blossom, Blossom, And More Blossom!
April 18, 2020
You can have blossom in your garden from January to May. Here's why you want it and how you can have it!
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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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