A Natural Map of Canopy Gaps
Gaps in the canopy can be a real blessing, especially when navigating under dense coniferous woodland. You might also enjoy: The Beginner’s Guide to Natural…
Tag: woodland
Reading Trees Online Talk
My talk with Jon Stokes of the Tree Council for National Tree Week is available on YouTube until mid January: You might also enjoy: The…
The Search for Boar Wallows
A Guest Blog by Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers: The Wild Boar’s Return to Britain. It took me five months to find. The boar were…
Reading Trees for Navigation – A Tip
I recently returned from a natural navigation exercise in the New Forest, Hampshire. On leaving a patch of woodland I was reminded of a common…
Woodland Trust
I’m honoured and delighted to have accepted an invitation to become an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust. I look forward to continuing to support their…
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…
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…
Temperature Changes in Woodland
The trees we walk under have a dramatic effect on the temperature we feel. I passed from broadleaf trees to conifers and felt the temperature…
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…
Spring Starts Low in Trees
Leaves burst out earliest low down in the smallest trees and lowest branches. For more seasonal tree signs, please see How to Read a Tree.
The Art of Perception in Nature
Take a good look at this photo before reading on… Did you spot it? We notice anomalies, colours or shapes that don’t ‘fit’ – that…
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…
Why Do Animals Stop Moving and Freeze?
This morning I was walking into wind and surprised a deer. After a couple of quick hops away it then froze and stood motionless. This…
The Meaning of Wood Pigeons
It is hard to go for a country walk and not send a wood pigeon or two up into the air ahead of us. Their…
The Secret World of Weather – Paperback Out!
The paperback of The Secret World of Weather is out today – in the UK! I am very excited by that and this morning’s weather…
Which Way Are We Looking? Dead Pigeon Edition
Merry Christmas! Which direction are we looking in the picture above? It was taken in West Sussex, southern England. Answer in the New Year. PS.…
What is a Gap Wind?
Whenever a wind is forced through a narrow gap it accelerates. This is true of all fluids, gas and liquid, it is the reason we…
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.
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.…
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 Clouds Map the Ground
On first glance these clouds may appear random. But they are far from it. They are making a map of the ground for us. With…