Choose Lichens Over Mosses for Effective Navigation
Mosses get all the press, but lichens are the stars when it comes to effective natural navigation. In the video above I look at the…
Tag: plants
What are Trampling-Tolerant Plants?
There are no plants that like being trampled on by humans or animals, but there are some that specialise in surviving in these tough zones.…
Best Review Yet?
I’ve been writing books for 14 years and these books have received their share of reviews over that time. The award for the worst ever…
How Sketching Taught Me to Capture the Spirit of a Tree
A guest blog by Kerry Cooper Resolution day – 1st January 2019. I set myself the goal of sketching every single day for a whole…
Clues and Signs in Nature: Northern and Southern Hemisphere
I receive quite a few emails asking whether my books are relevant for readers in the Southern Hemisphere. The answer is ‘yes’, but only if…
Woodland Trust Podcast
I recently went for a woodland walk with the BBC journalist Adam Shaw. We talked about the clues and signs we can look in trees…
How To Tell Which Tree is Older?
Which is the older of these two large trees? Clue: there are a few ways we can age trees, including one related to natural navigation.…
Reading Trees on BBC Radio 4 Today
It was an honour and a great pleasure to get the chance to talk about reading tree signs with Justin Webb on BBC Radio 4’s…
Little and Large Natural Navigation Clues
Sometimes natural navigation is more challenging than others. I’m often asked, “What is the most difficult place to navigate using nature?” I think people expect…
The Meaning of Spines on Holly Leaves
Spines on holly leaves are a defensive tactic. The harder a plant is trying to defend itself, the more spines we find on its leaves.…
Grass Colour and Soil Depth
The colour of grass can indicate the depth of the soil. Towards the end of summer, especially hot dry ones, the colour of the grass…
Wayfinding with Weld – Reseda luteola
Weld (Reseda luteola) is a tall, hairless biennial plant found on dry ground. It grows up to 1.5m tall and has green-yellow flowers. It thrives…
Clover Clues
When looking at any grassy area, it is easy to see a uniform swathe of green. But if we stop and peer, we find that…
Dauntless Air – Aerial Firefighters
It has been a fascinating few days working in Mineral Wells, Texas, with the incredible team at Dauntless Air, an aerial firefighting company. I was…
Plants Change Near the Coast
The closer to the coast we get, the tougher it is for plants. Once you can smell the sea only maritime species thrive in the…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Pagham
Pagham is a coastal village in the south of Sussex. My walk took me out of the village into agricultural and then flooded areas, before…
Some Trees Were Born to be Compasses
See this page for more on how to navigate using plants.
Foxgloves Face Away From the Forest
Foxgloves – Digitalis purpurea – are a sign you are near the edge of the woods. The flowers point away from the trees.
Nature’s Clues and Signs 1 – East Marden
Welcome Welcome to the first in a new nature’s clues and signs series. Over the coming months I will be heading out on a series…
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…
It’s Publication Day!
It’s publication day for The Secret World of Weather! Happy weather sign hunting!