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This common fern has been around for a very long time – fossils over 55 million years old have been found. Unfortunately it tends to...

The name of this fungus is spot on. You can find it growing on both living and dead wood all around Otley, mostly on Elder. It is edible...

Walk the riverbank between Gallows Hill and Knotford Nook at the moment, and the distinctive spiky brown seed-heads of the Teasel are...

The UK has most of the world’s Heather moorland, and of course the Chevin benefits from its mauve flowers at this time of year. Before...

As a teacher, I like to tell my children that the common call of the Great Tit is “tea-cher, tea-cher”, but their communication skills...

The humble earthworm is actually both interesting and vital. Its skin performs a range of useful functions. It breathes through it,...

The clusters of bright red berries on the Guelder Rose bushes at Gallows Hill look fantastic in today’s sunshine. Guelder refers to a...

When the British Isles were covered with huge swathes of forest, Silver Birch was one of the dominant species. Although these woodlands...

The name derives from this seed-eater’s habit of searching through the chaff for grain after the farmer has threshed their crop. During...

This common plant with bright yellow flowers was rated in the UK top ten for nectar production and thus plays an important role for Otley...

As well as looking like a snuffed-out candle wick, this fungus can also resemble a deer’s antlers, hence its other name Stag’s Horn....

It’s easier to hear the high-pitched, repetitive call of Europe’s smallest bird than it is to see it. However, a successful search is...

MELLOW FRUITFULNESS: Free food. Healthy food. It’s out there, all around Otley, and sometimes in the most unlikely of places. Just make...

The third most common tree in Britain is of course ubiquitous around Otley, but this may well change dramatically as Ash Dieback spreads...

They're back! Next time you’re cursing another miserable journey back to Otley on the X84, think about the salmon’s journey to our town...

This rubbery bracket fungus can be seen growing on Birch trees on the Chevin. It spreads through the dispersal of spores, and at this...

To me these big birds don’t look at home in the air – a heavy-winged, dark presence, like a modern-day pterodactyl – but when you spot...

This sweet-smelling flower has a whole host of different names, several relating to its old military use in staunching the flow of blood...

Best seen near the Gallows Hill ponds, but if you’re lucky you might get one of these dragonflies dropping into your garden. They come in...

This iconic toadstool is not too difficult to find on the Chevin at this time of year. It is classified as poisonous, and crops up...