British Wildlife Artist Writer Illustrator

Honey Bees, Buzzing and Flowers. The honey bees have returned to the garden with the arrival of a few sunny and bright Spring days. The garden is turning over a range of (mainly) yellow and white flowers and blossoms which, over the next few weeks, will be joined by apple pink blossoms and sedum flowers. There is never a shortage of bees in the garden; they seem to be attracted by the sedum and catkins mostly; the sedum stays in bloom for quite a long time and, although perhaps not the most fashionable plant generally, it has become a firm favourite in this garden on account of its obvious attraction to wildlife - butterflies, bees, other insects, snails and spiders! Small wrens and bluetits often duck into the safety of this hardy plant. The Kent cobnut and pussy willow catkins are equally attractive to the wild garden bees and, overall, the garden is starting to get that familiar buzzing sound again. Honey Bee and Primroses, Coloured Pencils. This coloured pencil drawi...

30 Days Wild Nature Challenge :  Botanical and Wildlife Sketchbook. From Nature Table to Nature Journal. A leaf or two from the garden, a shell from the beach, the prized feather found amongst the meadow grasses.. A few collected nature items soon become clutter on the windowsill. There's so much to capture the interest and imagination out in the wild, it can sometimes difficult to know how to make use of it rather than simply let it accumulate. Nature Table. Creating an informal nature table provides the opportunity to pause and discover more. It is a first step on a path of discovery that can be as simple or as involved as required. A nature table is a good start to developing ideas, which can be used to: look at the world in detail record findings use that information to build knowledge about a subject or environment. From looking to learning : Starting a Nature Journal or Sketchbook. Botanical Sketches and Wildlife Nature Journal. More can be gained...

British Wildlife Art and Blog.  Almost there - the penultimate day of The Wildlife Trusts' 30 Day Challenge... The nature challenge has shown that even the smallest actions can significantly increase observation and engagement with nature and wildlife ... stimulating imagination and increasing understanding of the world about us. Just enough time to fit in another quick sketch! Wildlife Art Sketch : Mouse Wildlife drawing of a mouse. 30 Days Wild. Kent. Surrey. Sussex. London. This little mouse sprang up from near where I was standing outside yesterday, when I started gathering a few items to do some work down at the end of the garden. For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu B logs 30 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018.

Tuning into nature by switching off the gadgets! Wildlife Challenge : 30 Days Wild . The Wildlife Trusts' Nature Challenge June 2016 For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu Blogs 30 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018 .

Wildlife Blog : 30 Days Wild : June 2016 A 'leg-up' can be a dangerous thing! And on that note - all I will say is how wonderful it is to sit up in a tree and smell the air which seems fresher at a height...and look down over the little people and little puppy and smile with the satisfaction that all is well in the world of Nature .. Coming down was another matter... Scale to Great Heights   For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu Blogs 3 0 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018 .

Wildlife Pond At the wildlife pond, yesterday, there were so many dragonflies and damselflies - it was nearly impossible to count them, let alone identify which ones had been spotted. They buzzed around so quickly, making it difficult to discover much abo ut them without further research Just take their wings, for example - the way they are designed is crucial to enabling them to effortlessly glide in the air, changing direction mid-flow. The wings are also key to spotting a mate or rival. Survey like a scientist! Dragonflies at the Wildlife Pond   A way to finding out more about a species is to study it - in all aspects: sketching, detailed drawings and paintings, life-cycles and habitats.   For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu Blogs 3 0 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018 .  

Nature Notes. A nature sketchbook can help record interesting detail about wildlife discovered in and around the garden. Daddy-Long-Legs After yesterday's discoveries from the box found at the end of the garden, I made a start this morning with a quick sketch of a damaged cranefly. This was quite an interesting exercise - usually we glance such creatures and don't really know how they look, how they are 'put together' - in detail.    Having a specimen to learn from was very useful - I could see the fine hairs under a magnifying glass, the reflected shades in the wings and the knobbly joints in the leg...   For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu Blogs 3 0 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018 .

30 Days Wild : Note your sightings. Bug watching! I am still with habit of undertaking a quick sketch each day - here's what I did today, along with a note. Take a Note of Nature Sing for the bugs And you can't go wrong - For each bug is a note in Nature's sweet song!    For more Random Acts of Wildness use the sidebar menu Blogs 3 0 Days Wild 2016 and 30 Days Wild 2018 .