Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill

Many thanks to Ralph Underhill for scores of cartoons through 2017.  Here is today’s and a few more of my favourites from early in the year.     From 7 January From 14 January From 28 January From 4 March From 18 March

Paul Leyland – Scorpion Fly

Paul writes: It’s always good to find a Scorpion Fly when out looking for insects, I generally see them from around mid-May to mid-July. They’re really strange looking creatures but their appearance and name are deceptive as they are completely harmless, to other insects and humans. The scorpion tale is not a sting but is…

Defra achievements in 2017

I asked a bunch of wildlife NGOs what they thought were Defra’s greatest achievements in 2017 (as I have done in 2016 and 2015). This year they had a much easier job and I agree with the thrust of their assessments, which were as follows (in the order in which they responded): WWF-UK: ‘Probably our…

Tim Melling – Little Ringed Plover

    Tim writes: Many British birders will be aware that Semi-palmated Plover is the American equivalent of the Ringed Plover, which turns up in Britain from time to time. But maybe not so many birders will be aware that Little Ringed Plover and some races of Ringed Plover also have semi-palmated toes. You can…

Lead – part of the tale of delayed regulation

An interesting question in an essay by Tim Harford – Why did we use leaded petrol for so long? Answer – the same reason that we are using lead ammunition for so long – the science is disputed by vested interests who benefit from the status quo and abject failure of regulators to act in…