Month: December 2020

This season has been an odd one for us humans at Aigas, but for our wildlife it has been business as usual. We have been running weekly moth traps for the Garden Moth Scheme since March, and we have seen a whole host of species come and go through the months. First, we had the late winter/spring moths – the clouded drabs, hebrew characters, and the impressive brindled beautys. Then these died off and along came the early summer moths – brimstones, white ermines, and various pug species. As we moved into the height of summer the hawkmoths became regulars, alongside the stunning garden tigers and large emeralds. Autumn brought gorgeous colours to the trees in the landscape, and the moths followed suit – sallows, black rustics,
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The word decomposition may have rather unattractive connotations - perhaps those of dying and death -  but this is a vital process that is never more evident than in Autumn, when a walk in a deciduous woodland is framed perfectly by the falling of leaves overhead and the crunch of those, already shed, beneath our feet. But this is not the end of their story. We welcome the fresh flush of green leaves in Spring as trees waken to the lengthening days and warming air. But Autumn is the time when the soil greets these falling tokens with open arms; leaves bring life into our soils. In an effort to save energy, trees draw much of the green pigment chlorophyll back into their living tissues (chlorophyll means
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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of accompanying professional photographer Laurie Campbell on Aigas’ Nature Photography Masterclass. Not owning a camera any bigger than my pocket I felt somewhat inadequate amongst their foot-long lenses, but sometimes it’s the experience itself that overrides any image than can be taken, and I had one very special encounter which I will never forget… Autumn in the waterways of the northern hemisphere, and a very exceptional creature is embarking on its first migration as an adult – it is going home. After a year or more feeding in rich Atlantic waters, and now weighing 3-4 kg, it feels a change come about. Driven by hormones and environmental cues it begins to head toward land and a river mouth, whence
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