Snow Signs in Finland
My thanks to Chris, who writes with some very interesting observations from the Kangasala region of Finland: “In the first picture (above), if you look…
Tag: colours
The Golden Leyland Cypress
My thanks to regular correspondent, Alban Cambe, for these excellent images. Which direction are we looking in the top picture above? Regular readers will spot…
Nature’s Clues & Signs – The National Gallery
During a break from recording an audiobook, I visited the National Gallery, a major art museum in Trafalgar Square, London. It has been a long-running fascination…
Which Way Are We Looking? Golden Edition
Which direction are we looking in this photo taken in West Sussex, southeast UK? North, East, South or West? It’s a tough one. There are…
What are the Coloured Paint Marks on Trees?
If you walk in or near woods regularly, you will have come across splotches of bright coloured paint on the tree trunks. What are they?…
The Colour and Shape of Navigation Marks
Most navigators, even inexperienced ones, learn that colours are important when trying to identify navigation marks at sea. And most people also know that there…
5 Sea Colours That Are Easy to See
Every time we look out at the sea there are lots of colours. Our brain tends to mash them all up because it is busy…
Fast Recognition and Optical Illusions in Nature
Our brains are pattern-recognising machines. This is true everywhere, but not least in nature, where it honed these skills over millions of years. Bird calls,…
What is a ‘Drying Height’ on a Chart?
The definition of a drying height: “The drying height is the vertical distance of the seabed that is exposed by the tide, above the sea water level at the lowest astronomical tide.” But this…