The Meaning of Tree Branches
In nature, shapes are stories. There are always a hundred stories in every tree, because there are a hundred branches, each with its own tale…
Tag: north
Which Way Are We Walking? Ibiza Edition
Which direction are we walking in the video below? Hint…There are clues in the sun, plants and water. Answer… Spoiler alert… The sun is mid-height,…
Tree Trunks Lean Away From Buildings
Tree trunks lean away from the shade of buildings and towards the light. This habit tends to override the normal biases towards southern light, because…
Is this a Sunrise or a Sunset?
Is this a sunrise or sunset? And Why? Spoiler alert… answer below… Moss on the roof suggests that is more likely the north side of…
Which Way Are We Looking? Bramble Leaf Edition
I took the photo above in the south of England recently. What Direction Are We Looking? Answer below. ANSWER… We are looking… NORTH. Leaves orient…
Which Way Are We Looking?
I took this photo in the South Downs a few days ago. Which direction are we looking? North, East, South or West? And Why? Struggling?…
Why does the Gnomon on a Sundial Point South?
The pointy bit of a sundial is called a ‘gnomon’. It is the part that casts the shadow and in the northern hemisphere it points…
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…
The Meaning of Bluebells
The bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a perennial bluish-purple bell-shaped wildflower of the Lily family (Liliaceae). It is a European plant, common in the British Isles.…
How to Navigate Using Anthills
One of keys to reliable natural navigation is avoiding an obsession with tricks. It is nice when there is a fast, simple bullet-proof method for…
Trentepohlia, Moisture and Signs Pointing North
Here is a nice example of trentepohlia on the north side of a tree. This algae thrives in moist, shady places and can be one…
Lavender – lavandula
Lavender enjoys full bright sunlight, so it will not be found on the north side of walls, trees or anything else throwing lots of shade.…
Foxes Dive into Snow, Heading North!
Foxes in North America dive into snow to catch prey. Unbelievable though it may sound, they have been found to have a massively better success…
Deducing Direction from Dog Defecation
This is not an April Fool’s post. Instead this is about the most extraordinary piece of research that I have come across in many years…
Chichester
I took this photo in Chichester the other day, at midday. Chichester has four main streets, North, East, South and West. (A fairly appropriate home…
Prickly Lettuce, A Compass Plant
Prickly lettuce is known to some of its navigating friends as the ‘compass plant’ and to its Roman friends as ‘lactuca serriola’. In truth it…
Back from the Arctic
Yesterday I arrived back home after sailing north from Scotland via the Faroe Islands into the Arctic, finishing at Reykjavik. I used the trip to…
Tree Lichens and Royalty
————————- In these four pictures we are looking at the same beech tree. See if you can work out which way you are looking in…
Greek Island Embarrassment
OK, it’s confession time. Again. I’m just back from a week’s holiday with my wife on the Greek island of Kefalonia. It was our first…
Moon Shadows
Last night I divided my time between two very different arenas of the modern human experience. I watched dross on TV, including some Jonathan Dross…