Much maligned, ivy is, in fact, a wonderful source of food and shelter for many species, including the stunning ivy bee – a relative newcomer to these shores. We sing about ivy at Christmas (The holly the ivy/When they are…

At this time of year trees and shrubs can provide spectacular displays of autumn colour. This occurs as deciduous trees shut down their systems ahead of the dormant period through the cold and wet of winter. Conifers, however, have adapted…

Why use the term flock when there are so many wonderful historic terms to describe gatherings of bird species? During these quiet, sultry days of late summer there tends to be a lull in bird activity. The song and matchmaking…

Whilst the days may still be sunny and warm, the evenings are shortening noticeably, and fleeting summer is already drawing to a close, and along with it another grazing season, will be coming to an end next month. Grazing holds…

Cornard Country Park is stunning at this time of year. Rangers from the Sudbury Common Lands Charity manage it on behalf of the parish council and with nature in mind. The results of this hard work and planning comes to…

Perhaps high summer is a good time to think about ‘messing about on the river’. Hot days and long warm evenings make the river an attractive proposition whether for a walk, picnic or getting out in a boat. I have…

To weed or not to weed, that is the question? Stroll just beyond the Common Lands and into the nearby lanes and streets of Sudbury and you will find that nature has a foothold. Leaving Little Freeman’s Common via the…

Of all our summer migrants the swift is surely the most incredible. That is not to belittle the extraordinarily hazardous journeys undertaken by tiny warblers, flycatchers, swallows, martins, and a host of other summer visitors, to reach the relative safety…

The Japanese have a name for it… hanami. It refers to the custom of celebrating the beauty of blossom flowers every spring, typically of cherry and plum trees. It is a festival taken seriously in the Land of the Rising…

The history of the Sudbury Common Lands is a long and interesting one. Its early history is associated with members of the nobility who were among the most powerful in the land and often descended from or closely related to…