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…
Tag: south
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…
Dawn Chorus Going Global
There will be an international collaborative radio dawn chorus programme going out on BBC Radio 4 from about 1am UK time tonight. It runs until…
Snowdrops – Galanthus nivalis
Galanthophiles will have spotted that the snowdrops are out. The ones near me are showing a strong preference for pointing south. The direction flowers point…
Snow and Gorse
It is that time of year when we get to enjoy snow and ice natural navigation clues. In the south of England there hasn’t been…
Daisies Pointing South
A nice example of daisies pointing south. Seen from above this effect is often hard to spot, but when our eyes are level with the…
Credit where it’s due… in the Chianti vineyards
I end a lot of my courses, walks and talks with the joke, “You’ve now unwittingly signed up to be part of my extended research…