List of Blogs

Blogs by Chris & Jude Gibson published on this site, with links, since October 2016. Just click on any of the pictures to see a full-sized version.

Most of them are heavily photo-based, and maybe don’t contain much in the way of campaigning messages. Apart from the most important message of all, given the Extinction Crisis which is underway: nature in all its glories is still out there to inspire us. Hopefully our words and pictures will help to enthuse others to look after what we have and leave a better world for those who come after us.

November 2024

London in winter

Winter arrives at the Harcourt Arboretum

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the advent of winter

Cooling towers, canals, caves and a cathedral: the Trent Valley, east to west

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a time for renewal

#WildEssexWalks: autumn in the Wivenhoe Cemeteries

October 2024

A half-term short break in London

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Autumn glories

An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 3 – to the seaside at Hastings, St Leonards & Bexhill

An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 2 – Eridge Rocks

An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 1 – Tunbridge Wells

#WildEssex Walks in Progress: Station-to-station through the heart of Colchester

September 2024

#WildEssex on Tour: across the border – to Felixstowe

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a last blast of summer

A walk round Silver End…

Walks in Progress: Exploring the Colne Valley Path around Chappel

Walks in Progress: Around the peaks of the Essex Alps….

#WildEssexWalks: Harwich town and beach

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: an autumnal feel to the Naze

Southend and seaward …

August 2024

Late summer in Cambridge Botanic Garden

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late summer by the Colne Estuary

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Summer peaks, Autumn approaches…

Cockaynes Reserve in high summer

Selborne and Thursley Common

Two days in Norwich

July 2024

An evening walk on Layer Breton Heath

Wanderings in Wivenhoe’s Lower Lodge

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: focus shifts to the ponds

Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late July

#WildEssexWalks: Mistley Furze Hill and Old Knobbley

The Wild Side of Essex: Summer by the Stour Estuary

The Mid-Anglian chalk in summer

#WildEssexWalks: Wrabness and Stour Wood

Three days by train: Romsey & Southampton

June 2024

Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 3 – Glasgow & Cumbernauld

Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 2 – New Lanark

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: is summer finally here?

Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late June

#WildEssexWalks: Brightlingsea East End

Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 1 – Dunoon & Benmore

Plant hunting in south Essex

The Wild Side of Essex: #WildEssex and Naturetrek at Hockley Woods

The future of field guides?

May 2024

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: May goes out with a splash…

Cockaynes Reserve in early summer

A jaunt across the North Sea: part 2 – Antwerp

A jaunt across the North Sea: part 1 – Rotterdam

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the height of Spring

The Wild Side of Felixstowe

Chalklands in the far west of East Anglia

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: bountiful, and beautiful, insects…

Tales from the Riverbank

#WildEssexWalks: The Bluebells of Wivenhoe Wood 

A garden of medicinal plants and Regent’s Park

April 2024

#WildEssexWalks: Cockaynes Reserve at the height of Spring

Three days by train: Gloucester and Hereford

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: among the April showers…

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: rushing headlong into Summer!

A wander round Kew Gardens

March 2024

Travels around Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: a windy Naze

Fun on the Fylde, Sefton Coast and Wirral

#WildEssexWalks: Signs of Spring around Alresford

From pollinator paradise to thriving ecosystem: Gardening with Wildlife in Mind

February 2024

Reading – why would anyone want to go there?

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: winter by the Colne Estuary

#WildEssexWalks – Wivenhoe Woods in Winter

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Spring straining at the sinews…

January 2024

BOOK REVIEW Modern medicines from plants: Botanical histories of some of modern medicine’s most important drugs

London: Reused and Recycled!

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: New Year, new life!

BOOK REVIEW Local: a search for nearby nature and wildness by Alastair Humphreys

#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2024

December 2023

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: 2024 here we come!

November 2023

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late autumn at the Naze

#WildEssexWalks – beside the seaside at the Naze

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a perfect autumn day… 

October 2023

#WildEssexWalks – at the head of the Stour Estuary

#WildEssexWalks – an autumn stroll along the Colne Estuary

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

September 2023

#WildEssex on Tour: Harlow and the Stort Valley

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: late September, but the show goes on…

Two days of wildlife, culture and commemoration in and around London

Eastern Scotland by train: Forth Rail Bridge, York and the journey home…

Eastern Scotland by train: Aberdeen, the Granite City

Eastern Scotland by train: the wilder side of Dundee

Eastern Scotland by train: Dundee – architecture and art

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: September sunlight

#WildEssexWalks – evening in the Wrabness Nature Reserve

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: after the rain……..

August 2023

BOOK REVIEW: The Biodiversity Gardener – Establishing a legacy for the natural world

Heading Westwards Part 2: … and the power showers of South Wales

Heading Westwards Part 1: relaxing in a hot Bath…

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the slide into Autumn…

#WildEssexWalks – an evening with trees and bats in Wivenhoe Park

Late Summer at Landguard Point

A couple of days in Cambridge…

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the steamy jungles of Essex!!

July 2023

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a butterfly bonanza!

Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late July

Wandering around the Wirral with a camera

#WildEssexWalks – Wrabness and Stour Wood

The Wild Side of Essex: Summer by the Stour Estuary

#WildEssexWalks – High Summer in Wivenhoe’s Lower Lodge

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: after a summer soaking….

Brandon Marsh: Life after gravel…

June 2023

Wealden Wanderings: exploring some delights of Sussex

Midsummer in the Suffolk Sandlings

The Wild Side of Essex: Hockley Woods – Heath Fritillaries and more…

Over the sea to … Landguard Point!

The Wild Side of Harlow and the Stort Valley

Marvellous Moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – early June

May 2023

Bavaria by train: the way home – Frankfurt & Brussels

Bavaria by train: Regensburg and area

Bavaria by train: the way there – Brussels & Cologne

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late spring along the Colne Estuary

East Grove, Wrabness – small but perfectly formed!

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a Great Awakening…

#WildEssex – Wivenhoe’s Barrier Marsh and its anthills

April 2023

#WildEssex: Dawn Chorus along the Wivenhoe Trail

Great Oakley Churchyard – for all creatures (and plants) great and small…

#WildEssexWalks – Wivenhoe Wood: Bluebells and much more…

Cockaynes Reserve : Spring nudges in…

Springmead Garden, Brightlingsea

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Euphorbia euphoria…

The Wild Side of West London

March 2023

#WildEssex – a walk along Mistley Walls

The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: a blustery day at the Naze

Halifax: four seasons in three days….

The Forces of Upper Teesdale

February 2023

#WildEssex Walks – signs of Spring in Cockaynes Reserve

The Mundon Oaks

‘Birdwatching for Beginners’ at Burnham on Crouch

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: rest and recovery…

January 2023

#WildEssex Walks: Trees in winter – buds, bark and more…

The Wild Side of Essex: a frosty day by the Colne Estuary

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the first hints of Spring…

Cockaynes Reserve: Spring awakenings

BOOK REVIEW: West London Wildlife

#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2023

December 2022

#WildEssex 2022 – our year in books

#WildEssex Book Reviews 2022: Habitats of the World, Essex Rock & The Secret Life of an Arable Field

#WildEssex: review of 2022

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: A Wintry Wonderland

Coventry: city of hope and reconciliation, architecture and art – and wildlife

November 2022

Great Bentley Village Green: a once and future Essex heathland?

#WildEssexWalks: The Naze and Walton Backwaters

October 2022

#WildEssexWalks: autumn in Wivenhoe Park

Chattowood: putting ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ into action (UPDATED Oct 2023)

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the colours of Autumn

September 2022

#WildEssex on Tour: Burnham and the River Crouch

#WildEssexWalks: Harwich Foreshore and Beach

July 2022

Summer by the Stour Estuary

Somerset’s Summer Wildlife

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: midsummer moths aplenty!

#WildEssex Walks: Brightlingsea East End

June 2022

#WildEssex bug-hunt in St Mary’s Churchyard, Wivenhoe

#WildEssex charity walk to Alresford and Cockaynes Reserve

Swanscombe Marshes: a place of hope!

The Wild Side of Essex: Heath Fritillaries in Hockley Woods

#WildEssex – Furze Hill, Mistley

May 2022

One Tree Hill Country Park

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the abundance of May…

The Bounty of May in Cockayne’s Reserve

Hawthorn and Cow Parsley Time

#WildEssex Walks: Wrabness and the Stour Estuary

April 2022

Wivenhoe Wood – a Symphony in Blue

#WildEssex Walks: Cockaynes Reserve in spring

The Wild Side of Essex: a stormy day walk at the Naze in April

March 2022

#WildEssex Walks: Alresford Old Church to the creek

Alexanders: the interloper our countryside needs…

Our sunny spring break on the East Sussex coast: a photoblog

February 2022

#WildEssex walks: the rising tide at Mistley…

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex coast February 2022

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Spring steals in…

January 2022

#WildEssex Walks: Trees in Winter – buds and bark

#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2022

December 2021

#BirdsByBarge on the Stour Estuary in midwinter…

November 2021

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany walks: a crisp winter’s day at the Naze

The grassland fungi of Wivenhoe’s New Cemetery

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex coast in November

The last fires of autumn in Kew Gardens

Exploring the innermost corners of the Essex coast – from Purfleet to the River Lee

October 2021

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks – autumn in Wivenhoe Park

To Scotland by train …

An October week in #WildEssex 

September 2021

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: September – autumn approaches

#WildBrightlingsea Bug & Botany Walks – All Saints Churchyard and Moverons Lane

Autumn approaches on the River Crouch

August 2021

To the fringes of the tide in old Essex – Three Mills and the Olympic Park

The Beth Chatto Gardens as summer starts to fade…

The Wild Side of Essex: day waks on the Colne Estuary in August

Blogs on other sites

Wrabness Nature Reserve on a summer’s evening

#BringingNatureToYou : branching out to Furze Hill, Mistley

July 2021

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex Coast in July

Landscapes and Lifescapes of South Essex

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: High Summer

Going Wilder in Wivenhoe

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Lower Lodge

A Dream come True – the Wallasea Wild Coast

Midsummer in Cambridge Botanic Garden

June 2021

The Wild Side of Essex: Hockley Woods in June 

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – midsummer madness, and a few damp squibs…

#WildBrightlingsea Bug & Botany Walks – Rope Walk and Brightlingsea Creek

Intensive farming doesn’t have to erase wildlife: Fairfields Farm

Layer Breton Heath: Nature Returns …

After the storm – Beth Chatto Gardens

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens : new blog

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Cockaynes Reserve

Return to my conservation roots: the delights of south Essex

A hot day on the Deben Peninsula

#WildBrightlingsea Botany & Bug Walks – the Lido to the Lozenge

May 2021

A spring week in #WildEssex 

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – tumbling towards summer…

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Colne Estuary in May

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Naze in May

#WildBrightlingsea – branching out with our Bug & Botany walks

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: The Wivenhoe cemeteries

April 2021

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Naze  in April

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Colne Estuary in April

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – the chills of April

The southern Suffolk Sandlings in April – Spring steals in…

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Back in Action! The KGV and wildlife garden

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – late March heatwave

March 2021

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens

The Beth Chatto Gardens: on the starting blocks of Spring…

February 2021

Signs of Spring: Nature Cure at Cockaynes

Beth Chatto’s Garden: the rebirth of Spring

January 2021

Book Review – Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

December 2020

Giving a Voice to the Wildlife of the Essex Coast

The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Essex Coast – December

November 2020

Essex Field Club and the Essex Naturalist

The first frost of Winter…

Sustainable cotton clothing: Fraser Wear

October 2020

The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on The Naze and Walton Backwaters – October

Cockaynes in late Autumn #WildWivenhoe

Late October in the Beth Chatto Gardens: after the deluge…

The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Colne in October

September 2020

The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Colne in September

Late Summer in the southern Suffolk Sandlings

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Awayday to the southern Suffolk Sandlings

September in the Beth Chatto Gardens

#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: September – Barrier Marsh, The Chase, ant-hills and more…

August 2020

The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex Coast in August

Late August in the Beth Chatto Gardens

Back to the Sandlings…

Great News from Beth Chatto’s!

#WildWivenhoeBotany & Bug Walks: August – a tentative return to Lower Lodge

July 2020

The southern Suffolk Sandlings

London Rediscovered

Wildlife on the Farm: an organic perspective

High Summer in the Beth Chatto Gardens: a butterfly bonanza

Jude’s Nature Diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid July

High Summer in the Cockaynes Reserve

Lockdown Localism – finding rare and special invertebrates close to home

The Beth Chatto Gardens: standing in for the Spanish Pyrenees!

June 2020

Lockdown diary: Gallery updates

Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe and elsewhere – June

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late June

Return to the Beth Chatto Gardens….

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid June

Red and Black

All Saints’ Churchyard, Dovercourt: Bugs and more in #GodsAcre

May 2020

Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – late May

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late May

Lockdown diary: Heading towards summer in Cockaynes Reserve

Lockdown diary: the Beth Chatto gardens on this day in 2013

Lockdown: time to remember the Pyrenees…

Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – early May

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid May

Lockdown diary: Return to Barrier Marsh

Lockdown diary: Cockaynes – after the rain

Lockdown diary: Dawn Chorus today in #wildWivenhoe

April 2020

Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – the second three weeks

Lockdown diary: the Beth Chatto Gardens on this day in 2007

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late April

Lockdown diary: The Beth Chatto Gardens – rewind five years…

Lockdown diary: Return to Cockaynes

Lockdown diary: Cockaynes Reserve, our #NaturalHealthService

Lockdown diary: In praise of Alexanders…

Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #wildWivenhoe – the first three weeks

Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – early April

Lockdown diary: The Bolt-holes of Wivenhoe Shipyard Jetty

March 2020

Lockdown Diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep

Lockdown diary: The Ant-hills of Barrier Marsh

Lockdown diary: In praise of flowery lawns…

Beth Chatto Gardens – on this day in history…..

Beth Chatto Gardens – springtime antidote

Life on the Garden Fence – the Virgin Bagworm

Beth Chatto Gardens – is it Spring yet?

Gardening with Wildlife in Mind

Lichenscapes, Groundscapes, Beachscapes and Reflectascapes

February 2020

Murder at the Garden Pond: Thalia dealbata – the (not very) beautiful assassin

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: February awayday to the Naze

January 2020

Beth Chatto Gardens – sunlight and shadows

Beth Chatto Gardens: the reawakening of the year

Identification by Internet…

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: January – trees in winter

December 2019

The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the Seasons: December – after the election, Nature Cure

November 2019

Cockaynes Reserve – landscapes, wildscapes and groundscapes dressed in the fires of autumn

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: November – autumn trees and fungi in Wivenhoe Park

October 2019

The Swiss Alps by train: joining the 6% club

Return to Gunnersbury Triangle: wasp galls on an oak tree

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: October – Cockaynes Wood

September 2019

The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the Seasons: September

Standing up for Phyllis Currie Reserve – September

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: September – Ferry Marsh, after The Flood

August 2019

Our new toy – a compact portable moth trap

Standing up for Phyllis Currie Reserve – August

The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the seasons: August

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: August – The Shipyard and Barrier Marsh at dusk

July 2019

The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: July

High summer butterflies & moths (and much else!) of the Spanish Pyrenees

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: July – the wild side of Wivenhoe town

#WildWivenhoe: Burnets, butterflies, beetles and bountiful blooming at Lower Lodge

June 2019

Plants hiding on our doorstep…

Bristol – in the rain!

The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: June

Standing up for the Phyllis Currie Reserve: early June

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: June – the leaves are alive on Lower Lodge

May 2019

The Beth Chatto Garden through the seasons: May

Spring in the Camargue

Why Eyes?

A short break in Manchester and Chester

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: May – Cockaynes Reserve

Pipers at the Gates of Dawn

Standing up for the Phyllis Currie Reserve

April 2019

Extinction Rebellion: #WeAreWinning

The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: April

Fifty shades of green…

Basking bugs and beasties – Wivenhoe Wildlife Garden

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: April – the woods in Spring

March 2019

What a pa-larva…!

Jude’s Rubbish Diary – Episode 2

The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: March

In the foothills of the Atlas: Southern Morocco

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: March – searching for signs of Spring along the Wivenhoe Trail

February 2019

Apricity in #wildwivenhoe

Guest Blog: Jude’s Rubbish Diary – Episode 1

The Beth Chatto Garden through the seasons: February

Botanical Awakenings: Turkish Hazel

January 2019

A New Year springs in the Beth Chatto Garden

December 2018

Three days of World Heritage in the North…(Saltaire and Durham)

November 2018

Autumn at its best in The Beth Chatto Garden

Epping Forest: Autumn Glory

October 2018

A Cornish Cornucopia…

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: October – King George V Field, Wivenhoe Wood & Ferry Marsh

A few days in London… 

Book Review: The Orphaned Spaces

September 2018

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: September – Grange Wood & Whitehouse Beach

Late Summer in the French Pyrénées

August 2018

Mothman returns…. (moth trapping in North Norfolk)

WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: August – Whitehouse Beach

The Shingles of Orfordness

July 2018

Midsummer in the Western Rhodopes: All Kinds of Everything…

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: July – Lower Lodge

Butterflies and Moths of the Spanish Pyrenees

June 2018

Faeries at the bottom of the (pub) garden (the River Colne at Aldham)

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: June – 41 Acres

King George V Playing Field : the new wildflower meadows #wildwivenhoe

Nature and Culture in Cologne

May 2018

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: May, to Barrier Marsh and Grange Wood

Unravelling the mysteries of our Bluebells

Wildlife Galore in Cockaynes Reserve

Spring in the Spanish Pyrenees: a cornucopia of biodiversity

The Gunnersbury Triangle: antidote to the modern world?

April 2018

#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: April in Cockaynes Reserve

Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 2 – Return of the Bee-fly

Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 3 – the ‘little white jobs’

Menorca: Island in Bloom

Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 4 – an ever-changing tapestry of colour

March 2018

Retreat of the Beast…

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 7

Furze Hill, Mistley: home to the Ancients

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 8

The Beth Chatto Gardens: beyond the flowers…

Canvey Wick: the accidental nature reserve

Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 1: The saga of Ferry Marsh

February 2018

Signs of Spring in Wild Wivenhoe

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 2

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 3

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 4

One Misty, Moisty Morning…

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 5

Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 6: Arrival of ‘The Beast’

October 2017

Late autumn in West Cork: the calm after the storms

September 2017

The Devil has all the best tunes…

July 2017

An Olympic Exploration

October 2016

The Curate’s Egg: my reflections on leaving Natural England, part 1

The Curate’s Egg: my reflections on leaving Natural England, part 2

A Magical Menorcan Autumn – ‘step by step’ to a greener future

Wonderful Wildlife Art at the Mall Galleries: ‘a glimpse of the wild in the heart of London’