Local Wildlife blog – UEA norwich

Narcissus pseudonarcissus (commonly known as wild daffodil or Lent lily) is a perennial flowering plant, long, narrow leaves are slightly greyish green with petals and a trumpet centre in various shades of yellow.  Daffodils are a common site along roadsides, in parks and in gardens, but to find a true wild daffodil you need to head to the north or south of…

Traps were placed in the fenced off conservation area. First checked traps set out the previous evening. They were placed alongside wooded areas, hedges  and brambles; they were placed slightly facing down hill so that if any mammals were caught any waste would travel out the end, basically keeping it clean and not soaking the…

Tachypodoiulus niger, more commonly known as the white-legged snake millipede or the black millipede, is a European species of millipede, found in chalky soil in the UK, Ireland and many European countries.  Found in compost heaps and under stones in gardens, the White-legged snake millipede is a common minibeast. The White-legged snake millipede has a shiny black, long, cylindrical body and contrasting…

Lithobius forficatus, is most commonly known as the brown centipede, from the family Lithobiidae, most people will have come across one of these in their gardens.  The centipede as its name suggests is brown in colour, 2-3 cm long and has approximately 15 pairs of legs, either side of its body, they can be found widely…

Winterton dunes are large system of dunes a which is a national nature reserve, AONB and a designated special area of conservation (SAC) spanning 109 hectares on the east coast of Norfolk.  The dunes are a great site for bird watching with 170 species having been recorded, being on the coast its very often used…

Coccinella septempunctata, or the seven-spot ladybird, is the most common ladybird in Europe. The familiar markings of the black-on-red markings of the 7-spot ladybird are common and popular with UK gardeners, the ladybird is a Beetle species that helpfully eat plant destroying insects.   The beetle is approximately 6-8mm in length and its conservation status is common and their distribution…

The Prunus spinosa, also called blackthorn or sloe, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. The species is native to Europe, western Asia, and regionally in northwest Africa.  A spiny shrub, blackthorn has small, oval leaves that are finely toothed, and five-petalled, white flowers that appear in dense clusters. Its fruits are blue-black and round. It can…

Urtica dioica,  known as common nettle, or stinging nettle is  a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae.  The plant is originally native to Europe, Asia and western North Africa but is now, it is now found worldwide. The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals…

The Taxus baccata or known as the Yew Tree is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe (including Britain and Ireland), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia.The Yew is a very recognisable tree: it has dense, glossy, dark green needles and bright red berries with a single dark seed.  The tree is…