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Index
Page numbers in italic refer to the illustrations
Aborigines 37, 178
acidity: soils 52, 101
tree bark 68
adders 255
Adonis Blue butterfly 247
aerials 289, 297
aerosols 125–6
Africa 249, 363
air see atmosphere; sky
aircraft 259, 260, 284, 354
contrails 145–7, 220
runways 277
airlight 201, 213
alarm calls 233–5, 238–41, 249–50
Aldebaran 218
alder trees 50, 51, 68, 78, 111
Alexander of Aphrodisias 131
Alexander the Great 386
Alexander’s dark band 131, 132
algae 108, 109–10, 298
algal blooms 110
lichens 112, 117
in snow 363
on trees 68, 109
Algol 355
alkaline soils 52, 101
Altair 175–6, 178
altitude: butterflies and 247
cinnamon and 274
hedges and 42
plants and 85, 123, 394
trees and 47–8, 53, 120, 330
altocumulus clouds 135
Amberley Brooks 24–5
anemones 106
angles, gauging 383, 384
animals 226–56, 375
barbed-wire fences 41
body language 250
butterflies 244–7
communication 228–30
corner gates 14, 40
faeces 35–6, 251, 278
fungi and 111, 112
and holly 51–2
insects 248–9
and latitude 362–3
livestock markets 284
mammals 249–55
need for salt 270, 335, 341
night vision 287–8
predicting earthquakes 364–5
sounds 226, 254–5
stone wall enclosures 41
in storms 364
tracks and trails 27, 28–9, 31–3, 32, 325
under trees 78
weather lore 159
see also birds, dogs, sheep etc
Antarctic 114
Antares 173, 173
antisolar point 128, 132, 200, 361
ants 248–9, 256, 341, 386
Apau Ping 329–30, 348
apple trees 78
Aquarius 181
Aquila 170, 172, 175, 178
arable crops 90–1
Arcturus 178
ash trees 63, 76, 220, 369
age 74–5
bark 68
coppicing 60
on flood plains 50, 51
leaves 71, 72
lichens 117
and lightning 151
roots 64
shade 300
and soil fertility 52–3
aspen trees 68
astronomy see moon; sun; planets; stars
asymmetry: curved streets 299
flowers 92–3, 92
trees 54, 59–60
Atlantic Ocean 137, 310, 313–14
Atlas Mountains 327–8
atmosphere: air pressure 159, 311
air quality 113–14, 125–6
sunlight 201
temperatures 136–7, 148
see also sky
Auriga 167–8, 167, 219–20
Australia 37, 178, 217, 339
auxins 55
avalanches 326–7
Avon Gorge 304
Backensto, Stacia 243
badgers 70
Ballycroy National Park 86–7
bananas (detours), on paths 224
barbed-wire fences 41
bark, trees 67–70
barking, dogs 223, 226, 251, 252
barley 90
barnacles 308
barrel cacti 358
Bartlett, Captain John 391
bats 159, 264–5, 266
beaches 283, 305–7, 310, 318–19, 321
bedstraw, heath 118
beech trees 78, 102, 224, 369
age 74–5
bark 68, 69
and lightning 151
roots 64
and soil 50, 52
bees 88, 158, 249, 335, 341, 349
bellflowers 106
Ben Nevis 390–1
Bergmannn’s rule 362–3
Best, Dr Anne 360
Betelgeuse 171, 175, 187
bicycle tracks 34
binocular vision 379–82
bioluminescence 356–7
birch trees: bark 68
as coloniser 63–4, 76, 111
and fungi 110–11
shape 54
and soil 52, 53
birds 230–44
bird plow 231–2, 237, 240
birds of prey 232, 235, 236, 239
birdsong and calls 232–41, 340–1
communication 227–9, 231, 231
danger signals 229–30, 233–5, 238–41, 249
flight patterns 273
folklore 272–3
and latitude 362
migration 147, 244
nests 244
roosting places 115
and tides 313
tracks 28, 32–3
weather lore 158, 159
see also owls, swallows etc
Blackadder Goes Forth 19
blackbirds 235, 236, 238
Blue Adonis butterfly 230
blue moon 216
blue tits 235, 238
bluebells 88, 106
Bodmin Moor 101
body language 250, 282–3
bog asphodel 102, 121
bogs 102–3, 224
bombs 277–8
boots 334–5
Borneo 10, 257–74, 258, 329–52
Bosham 311
bracken 77, 85–6, 101, 120
Brecon Beacons 14–15
brick houses 289
brick walls 41
Brikoff, Paul 149–50
bristlecone pines 75
Bristol 277, 313–14
Bristol Channel 314
Brittany 196
brittlegill, blackening 111
Brooke, James 273
buffer strips, fields 42
buildings 276, 288–92
bulls 253
bulrushes 105
Buncefield fuel depot 160
burrs, on tree bark 70
Bush, Jeremy and Jeff 20–1
buttercups 89
butterflies 230, 244–7, 256, 362
butterworts 121
buttress roots, trees 67, 333
buzzards 236
cacti, barrel 358
cafés 279, 299
calcium carbonate 102, 121, 255
calendar: flowering times 106
natural calendars 355–6
star calendars 176–81, 179–81
sun as 193–5, 194
calopaca lichen 307
campion, moss 122
Canada 39
Canary Islands 41, 92–3, 117
Canis Major 178
Capella 167–8, 167, 219–20, 348
Capricornus 180
Caribbean 356
carp 317
Carranza, Victor 353
cars, colour 37
Cassiopeia 163, 164–5, 165, 220
castles 299
Castor 219
cats: eyes 288
as predator 226–7, 229, 238–9
tracks 31, 32
caves 263–5
cedar, Western red 358
Cetus 181
chaffinches 241
chalk soils 50, 101, 230, 245, 255
Chankillo 194
Chequered Skipper butterfly 246
Chertan 174, 174
chestnut trees 69
chewing gum 114
chickens 241
chimneys 289
China 365
churches 292–6, 302
cinnamon 274
circumpolar stars 164–5, 177
cirrocumulus clouds 135
cirrostratus clouds 134, 143, 156
cirrus clouds 134, 143–4, 300
cities see towns and cities
clay soils 23
clematis 93, 101, 102
climbing plants 93–8
clocks: flower clocks 355
star clock 182–4, 183
sun as 196
cloudberries 90
Clouded Yellow butterfly 247
clouds 142–5
cirrostratus 134, 143, 156
cirrus 134, 143–4, 300
contrails 145–7
coronas 135
crepuscular rays 200
cumulonimbus 143, 144, 150
cumulus 143, 144–5, 146, 220, 222, 260, 262
rain showers 145
clover 82, 84
coal tits 238
coastal areas 304–14, 376–7
beaches 305–7
plants 83, 91
seaweeds 307–9, 309, 360–1
tides 311–14, 319
trees 58, 59
coconut palms 359
Colombia 353
colours: animal eyes 288
blue moon 216
cars 37
dogwoods 100
green flash 6, 198
leaves 70–1
lichens 115–16, 307, 308
light and 12
planets 191
Purkinje effect 188–9
rainbows 129–30, 131
rocky shores 307, 308
sand 305–6
shadows 201–2
sky 124–7, 201
smoke 126
soil 22–3, 341
stars 187
stone walls 40
sun 216
tree bark 68
Columbus, Christopher 169
Comma butterfly 246
communication 228–30
alarm calls 233–5, 238–41, 249–50
birdsong and calls 232–41
TV satellite dishes 259–60, 289
commuters 278, 279
compasses: churches as 292–3, 294–5
mosques as 295–6
plants as 88, 89–91, 92–3, 98–9, 357, 358
rocks as 17, 120
snow as 323, 324, 328
stars as 161–9
sun as 194–5
in towns and cities 289, 290, 297
trees as 49, 49, 68
conifers 60, 61
age 75, 76
and altitude 47–8
fires 77
fungal diseases 73
golden conifers 358
plantations 46
constellations 192
as a compass 163–8, 164–7, 170–6, 171–4
eye tests 185–6, 186
star calendar 178, 179–81
contour lines 15
contrails 145–7, 220
copper mines 354, 355
coppicing 60
copses 46
Coriolis effect 316
coronas 134–5
corvids 242–4
cow parsley 83
cowpats 111
cows 154–5, 159, 250, 253, 364
cranesbills 106
Crater 179
crepuscular rays 200
crescent (new) moon 206–8, 210–11, 216, 261
cress 90
crickets 248
crocuses 86
Cromer Ridge 362
cross-winds rule 141–2, 144, 147
crowberries 122
crows 233, 242–4, 266, 313
cumulonimbus clouds 143, 144, 150
cumulus clouds 143, 144–5, 146, 220, 222, 260, 262
curlews 313
Current Biology 366–7
currents: in rivers 316
tidal 313, 317
curved streets 299
Cwm Idwal 121
Cygnus 166, 166, 175
dace 317
daisies 84, 88, 89, 106, 156, 300
dandelions 156
Dartmoor 17–18, 45, 103
Davis, Wade 37
Dayak tribesmen 10, 257–74, 329–52
deciduous trees 47, 59, 61, 72
deer 51, 224–5, 251, 254, 335–6, 340
animal alerts and 231, 249
body language 250
hunting 273, 342–3
sounds 273
tracks 32, 39, 345–6
deergrass 103, 119–20
degrees, gauging 382, 384
Delos Island 306
Deneb 175–6
Denman’s Gardens, Sussex 88
deserts 67
flies 248
landmarks 18
light pollution 190
sand dunes 321–2, 322
taste of sand 360
tracks 25–6, 38–9
details, Get Sorted method 42–4
dew 155, 361
dewberries 90
diamond dust 148
diamonds 355
direction indicators see compasses
distances, gauging 379–91
disturbed ground 82, 111
ditches 76–7, 83, 87, 87
Dodge, Colonel Richard Irving 19–20
Dog Days 178
dog roses 93
dogs 238
aggression 251–2
barking 223, 226, 251, 252
and cows 253
eyes 288
faeces 35–6, 278
right- or left-pawed 252
in storms 364
tail-wagging 252–3
tracking scents 159
tracks 31, 32, 306
in US parks 253–4
dog’s mercury 91
dogwoods 100
doors, churches 293
dragonflies 248
duckweed 105
Duisberg-Essen, University of 250
dunes 306–7, 321–4, 322
dust particles, in sky 126–7
Earth, curvature 201, 389
Eartham Wood 219
earthquakes 116, 364–5
earthshine 216
east, finding 169–72
Easter Island 116
eclipses 187–8, 366
Eden Project 357
edges: Get Sorted method 40–2
woodland 45–7
Edinburgh 297–303, 301, 302
eelgrass 309
Egypt 178
El Cajon Border Patrol 38
elder 68, 81, 255
electricity lines 43–4, 276
elm trees 52–3, 60, 67, 68
emeralds 353
equator 168, 195, 259–60
equinoxes 194, 194
erosion 16–17, 16, 17, 21–2, 324
estuary seaweed 360–1
Ethiopia 178
evergreen trees 53, 75
explosions 160, 277–8
eyes: binocular vision 379–82
birds 242
eye contact 282
looking at moon 214–16, 215, 261
night vision 188–9, 224, 287–8
reindeer 356
stars as eye tests 186–8
fabrics, knap 204
facial recognition, by birds 243
faeces 35–6, 251, 278
farms, corner gates and 40
Faroe Islands 391
Fata Morgana (optical illusion) 6
fences 41, 76
ferns 91, 118
fertilisers 81, 104, 110
fertility, soils 52–3, 84–5, 104
field maple 51
fields: buffer strips 42
corner gates 14, 40
weeds in 91
fingers: gauging distances with 379–83, 384
sun and moon size illusion 198-200, 199
fir trees 359
fires: blue moons 217
firebreaks 46
fungi and 111
trees and 77–8
fireworms 356
fish 310, 317
fishing 271, 317
flagged trees 58, 59
flags 297
Flammarion, Camille 205, 226
flash floods 22
flax flowers 106
flies 248, 345
flints 41
flood plains 50
floods 22, 25
flowers: beside roads 287
flower clocks 355
light and 88–91
orientation 88–9, 92–3
soil types and 40
temperature and 86
weather lore 156
see also plants
fly agaric 110–11
fog 7, 147–8
fogbows 130–1
foghorns 234
footprints 25–6, 29–31, 33–5, 37, 119, 306, 325
footwear 334–5
forget-me-nots 88
fossils 306
fox-hunting country 42
foxes 231, 288
foxgloves 82, 89
France 391
Fritillary butterflies 246, 247
frogs 226, 258, 263, 342, 365
fronts, weather 134, 141, 143–4, 157
frost 85, 155
fruit: distribution on trees 73–4
light and 90
Fucus ceranoides 361
fungal diseases 73
fungi 78, 108, 110–12, 334, 360
gas leaks 242
gates, corner 14, 40
gauging distances 379–91
geese 244
Gemini 219, 223
geobotanical prospecting 354–5
geology 20–2, 40, 118
Germany 280, 283
Get Sorted method 14–44
Gibbs, Peter 160
glaciers 16–17, 16, 17, 21, 120, 302, 362
glass, in windows 290
glow-worms 158
gold 318–19, 355
golden conifers 358
gorse 101
gradient illusion 12–13
granite 21, 101, 305
Grant, Bob 149
grapevines 90
grass and grasses: fires 77
grazing animals 336
heiligenschein 361
stripes on lawns 202–4, 203
tracks on 30
and water 102–3
wind and 103–4, 104
graveyards 293–4, 302
Greece 306
green flash 6, 198
ground ivy 81
guillemots 362
Guugu Yimithirr people 339
Haicheng earthquake 365
hair, and humidity 155–6
Hairstreak butterflies 246
hairstreaks, cirrus clouds 143, 144
halos 134, 143, 156–7
‘handrailing’ 343
hands: gauging distances with 379–83, 384
sun and moon size illusion 198-200, 199
hares 35
Hastings 391
hawk call 235, 241
hawthorns 56, 68, 73–4, 76, 151
hazel trees 51, 60, 117
headhunters, Borneo 273
hearing, night walks 218–19, 221, 223, 225
heather 77, 87, 87, 120
hedges: changes with altitude 42
fox-hunting country 42
sun and 41
heights, gauging 382, 384
heiligenschein 361
helicopters 222
hen of the woods 111
Herb Robert 40
herbicides 84
Hercules 186–7, 186, 188
Hevelius, Johannes 133–4, 134
hickories 64
hills: differences between sides 13
gradient illusion 12–13
lighter colour in distance 11, 12, 125
night walks 214
shape 15–16
in towns 276
treeline 47–8
views from 9–11
Himalayan balsam 102
Hindu temples 196
holly 51–2, 68, 154
Holly Blue butterfly 247
honesty (plant) 100
honey fungus 360
honeysuckle 93, 94, 245
horizon: colour of sky 11, 125, 126
crepuscular rays 200
distance to 389–91
finding latitude 168, 169
size of sun and moon 198–200, 199
sunrise 193–4
sunset 197–8, 201
hormones, tree growth 55
hornbeam 52
horses 41, 111, 288
horseshoe vetch 230
Houghton Bridge 81
houses 288–91
human sextant 382, 384
humidity 155–6
Hyde Park 55
Hydra 179
hydrangeas 101
ice: roches moutonnées 16, 17, 120
and trees 58
Iceland 244, 391
illusions, optical 6, 198–200, 199, 316
India 217, 280
Indonesia 26–8, 35, 306
industry 288
inkcap, shaggy 111
insects 88, 158, 248–9, 264–5
see also butterflies
intelligence, birds 242–4
Inuit 36, 106, 123, 178
inversion refraction 6
inversions, temperature 5–7, 148, 159–60, 198
‘invisible snakes’ 298
IRA 277
Ireland 59, 86–7, 244
iron 22–3, 303, 360
Iroquois people 67–8
islands 310
Isle of Wight 254, 363–4
Italy 283
ivy 83, 93–8, 95, 97, 220, 247
jays 233, 242
Jerusalem 196
Jews 196
jungles 18, 333–52
Jupiter 162, 191, 218, 224
Kalahari 37
Kalimantan 259, 260–74
katabatic winds 139
Kelvin waves 313
kestrels 232
Kew Gardens 113–14
Kilimanjaro 85
La Palma 92–3, 117
Lafitau, Father Joseph-François 67–8
Lake District 22, 43, 119
lakes 314, 316
laminar flow, winds 139–40
landmarks 10–11
Langley, Jim 118, 120–3
Lanzarote 41
larch trees 46, 50, 53, 68
Large Blue butterfly 256
latitude: animals and 362–3
finding 168–9, 195, 382
lavender 90
lawns: clover in 82
stripes 202–4, 203
lead mining 354–5
leaves 379
colours 70–1
holly 51–2
ivy 94–5, 95, 97
sun and 71, 72
temperature and 86
timing 72–3
traveller’s palm 357, 357
tree asymmetry 54, 59–60
trees 70–4, 71
variegated leaves 358
leeches 336, 348
Leo 174, 174, 192, 398
lettuce, prickly 98–9, 99
Libra 176–7, 180
Libya 25–6, 248
lichens 91, 108, 112–17, 113, 264, 289
and air quality 113–14
on churches 294, 295
colours 115–16, 307, 308
and light 112, 114, 115–16
on rocks 121–2, 307, 308, 319
sensitivity to minerals 355
in towns and cities 298, 302
on trees 68–9
light: airlight 201, 213
and colours 12
crepuscular rays 200
earthshine 216
green flash 6, 198
heiligenschein 361
and leaf colour 70–1
lichens and 112, 114, 115–16
light pollution 184, 189–90, 222
moonlight 210–11, 213–14, 319–20
optical illusions 6
and perspective 11, 12
phototropism 55, 93–8, 97
plants and 87–100
predicting earthquakes 365
prickly lettuce and 98–9, 99
rainbows 127–32, 128, 132
reflections in puddles 275–6
refraction in water 316–17
scintillation 135–6
starlight 213
stripes on lawns 202–4, 203
sunlight 201–4
and tracks 29–31, 30
and trees 46
see also sun
lightning 111, 149–51
lightning conductors 295
lime trees 52, 67, 68, 77, 78
limestone 21, 263–5
limpets 356
Linnaeus, Carl 112, 355
Linum cartharticum 361
listening for silence exercise 237–8
Llyn Ogwen 118
local winds 138–40
logging 70
Lombardy poplars 67
London 114, 278–9, 284, 286, 290, 291
Long Alango 271–2
Long Layu 329–30, 338, 347–8, 350–1
loosestrife, purple 102
lords-and-ladies 83
Lowestoft 313–14
Lulworth Skipper butterfly 245
lunar eclipses 366
Lyme disease 336
Lymington 309
Lyra 175
McGrath, Thomas 39
magnesium deficiency 101
magpies 234, 242, 243, 299, 303
Majorca 54–5
Mali 360
mallows 86
mammals 249–55
map lichen 116, 121–2
maps 15, 19, 42–4, 261–2
marble 306
mares’ tails 143–4
marigolds 106
marjoram 90
market towns 284
marram grass 306
Mars 191
mass dials 294
matgrass 103, 119
Mecca 295–6
Mediterranean 53, 139, 313
Mercury 191
metal detectors 318–19
meteor showers 184–5, 223, 395–6
midday 193, 195, 196
midges 85, 248
midsummer 193, 194
midwinter 193, 194
migration: birds 147, 244
butterflies 247
milkcap, lilac 111
mining 354, 355
mint 90
Mintaka 170, 171, 222, 223
mirages 6
mistletoe 78
mists 155
Mitchell, Christopher 85–6
mobile phones 280–1, 330–1
monkey puzzle trees 75
monkeys 254, 265, 341, 344–5
moon 124, 205–17, 373
blue moon 216
casting shadows 212, 214, 223
coronas 134–5
eclipses 366
eye tests with 214–16, 215
finding south 397–8
full moon 206, 210–11, 217
halo around 134, 143, 156–7
influence on weather 217
moonlight 210–11, 213–14, 319–20
mountains on 365–6
new moon 206, 210, 211, 216, 261
night walks 221–2
phases of 206–12, 207, 261, 268
rising and setting 210, 212–13
shadows on 211
size 198–200, 199
and sleep patterns 366–7
and tides 311–13
weather lore 156–7
moonbows 131
moonshiners 236–7
moorland 101
moraine, terminal 362
morning glory 106
mosques 295–6
mosquitoes 265, 266, 269
mosses 91, 108–9, 118, 289
moths 288
motorways 284, 286
Mount Everest 390
Mount Stuart 149–50
Mount Toubkal 327–8
mountain avens 106
Mountain Ringlet butterfly 247
mountains: distance to horizon 390–1
fog 147
on the moon 365–6
shadows 200–1
snow 325–6
wave forests 358–9
winds 139
mud: colour 22–3, 341
texture 23
tracks in 28–31, 33–5
Munsell, Albert 22
muntjac deer 273
murder 38
Muslims 295–6
mustard 90
nail fungus 111
Naismith’s rule 389
names: fungi 112
houses and roads 291
places 43, 291–2
plants 91, 102
Native Americans 19–20, 67–8, 360
neap tides 312, 319
nests, birds 244
nettles 80–1, 104, 121, 246
New England 62
New Forest 77
Newton, Isaac 135
Niall, Ian 217
nieves penitentes 363
night vision 188–9, 224, 287–8
night walks 210–12, 214, 218–25, 319–20, 377
nightshade 91, 93
nitrogen deficiency 101
noise shadows 298, 300
Norfolk 362
north, finding 212, 250, 347–8
North Pole 162, 163, 197
North Star (Polaris) 162–9, 164, 182, 220, 223, 347–8, 382
Northern Cross 166, 166
Northern Ireland 391
Norway 355
nuclear weapon tests 6
numbering: houses 291
roads 284–7, 285
Nus (Dayak guide) 331–50
oak trees: age 74–5
bark 68
burrs 70
fungi 111
leaves 72
lichens 114
and lightning 151, 152
roots 64, 67
and soil 50, 52
sun and wind effects 53, 59–60
oceans see sea
oil-producing crops 90
oil spills 307
‘old man’s beard’ 101
Oman 38–9
opposition effect, moonlight 211
optical illusions 6, 198–200, 199, 316
Orion 170, 171, 175, 176–7, 179, 187, 222, 262–3
otters 288
overall character, Get Sorted method 20–3
owls 159, 218, 220, 221, 233
oxlips 107
oystercatchers 313, 319, 356
pace counting 385–8
Pacific Ocean 36, 104, 194, 310
Painted Lady butterfly 247
palm trees 357, 357, 359
parallax 380–2
parasites 336
parks 288
parsley 90
pasqueflowers 107
paths 33–4, 35, 119–20, 224
pavements 287, 300
Peacock butterfly 246, 247
pedestrians 280, 287
Pen y Fan 15
Penan Dayak 331
penumbra 202
people predictions 278–83, 298
periwinkles 255, 268
Perseus 355
personal space 282–3
perspective, light and 11, 12
Peru 194
pH values, soils 52, 101
pheasants 230
phosphate 80–1, 104
phototropism 55, 93–8, 97
Pickering, WH 214
pickpockets 281–2
pigeon plow 231–2, 237, 240
pigeons 227–9, 231–2, 240
pigs 254–5
pimpernel, scarlet 156
pine martens 288
pine trees: age 75
bark 68, 114
fungal diseases 73
and lightning 151
roots 64, 65
shape 60
and soil 52, 53
pineappleweed 81–2, 81
pink snow 363
Pisces 176–7
place names 43, 291–2
plane trees 300
planets 135, 136, 162, 175, 190–2
plantains 82
plantations 46, 63
plants 79–107, 374–5
and altitude 394
butterflies and 245
colonisers 83–4
as compasses 88, 89–91, 92–3, 98–9, 357, 358
garden escapees 100
geobotanical prospecting 354–5
light and 87–100
mineral deficiencies 100–1, 102
mosses 108–9
names 91, 102
on paths 119–20
phototropism 55, 93–8, 97
in rivers 316
and salt 304–5
seasonal changes 105–7
shade-tolerant 91, 394
signs of people 80–5
and soils 101
sun-loving 393–4
and temperature 85, 86
timekeeping 106–7
and tracks 36–7
and water 102–3, 105
weather lore 156
and winds 85–6
see also flowers; trees
Pleiades 220, 263
The Plough 163–4, 164, 182, 185–6, 186, 223, 224
poaching 217, 229–30
poinsettias 106
poisonous plants 84
Polaris (North Star) 162–9, 164, 182, 197, 220, 223, 347–8, 382
pollarding 60
pollination 88
Pollux 219
ponds 314, 316–17
pondweed 79, 105
poplars 67, 73, 78
poppies 82
Portsmouth 312–13
potassium deficiency 101
predators 232, 233–5, 239, 241, 250, 310
primroses 106
proprioception 380
prospecting, geobotanical 354–5
proteas 92–3, 92
pubs 42, 246
puddles 41, 275–6
purging flax 361
Purkinje effect 188–9
Purple Emperor butterfly 245
pylons 43–4
rabbits 251, 252
animal alert system 231
body language 250
droppings 35
and elder bushes 255
tracks 31, 32, 39
radio waves 6–7
ragwort, Oxford 83–4
railway lines 23–4, 83–4
railway stations 277, 278, 279, 281
rain: in rainforests 345
showers 145
weather lore 155–6
rainbows 127–32, 128, 132, 152–3
rainforests 333–52
rapeseed 90
Ravenala madagascariensis 357, 357
ravens 242
Rayleigh scattering 11
Red Admiral butterfly 246
reflections 290, 311, 314, 315
refraction, at sunset 197–8
reindeer 106, 123, 356
reptiles 255
restaurants 278–80, 298, 299
Rhodes, Dusty 149
rhododendrons 52, 86
Rinjani, Gunung 26–8, 35
ripples, on lakes and rivers 314, 317
rivers 314–16
in Borneo 261–2, 267–71
Dayak navigation and 338–40, 343
direction of flow 17–18
flood plains 50
gauging width 379, 387–8, 388
in place names 291
plants beside 102
rapids 258, 269, 332
roads 23–4, 24, 283–8
and age of towns 301, 302
curved streets 299
dangerous places 287
driver location signs 286–7, 286
finding towns 25
names 291
numbering 284–7, 285
road signs 284
Roman roads 43
salting 83
robins 234, 235, 238
roches moutonnées 16, 17, 120
rocks 118
erosion 21–2, 324
lichens on 116, 121–2
overall character 20–2
roches moutonnées 16, 17, 120
sinkholes 20–1
striations 17, 17, 120
rocky shores 307, 308
rodents 325
Roman roads 43
roofs 289, 290
rooks 242
roots: ivy 96, 97
trees 64–7, 66, 333
rosemary 90
routes, Get Sorted method 23–5
rowan trees 68, 72
rushes 103, 119, 121, 316, 354
Sagittarius 180
Sahara 18, 25–6, 67, 248, 324, 360
St Elmo’s fire 151
St Ives 115
St John’s wort 105
Saiph 171, 175
salmon 317
salt: animals’ need for 270, 335, 341
and plants 83, 91, 304–5
salt shadow effect 305
in soil 23
taste of sand 360
and trees 50, 58
in winds 304–5
San bushmen 37
sand: beaches 305–7
dunes 306–7, 321–4, 322
particles in sky 126–7
taste of 360
tracks in 28–31, 35
sandy soils 23, 53, 67
satellite dishes 259–60, 289, 297
Saturn 191
saxifrages 106, 122–3
scat (animal faeces) 35–6, 251, 278
scents: air pressure and 159
birds’ sense of smell 242
night walks 223–4
schools 279–80
scintillation 135–6
Scorpius 173, 173, 176–7, 180
Scotch Argus butterfly 247
Scotland 284, 306, 308, 314
Scots pines 52, 60, 65
script lichens 116–17
scurvy 100
scurvygrass, Danish 83
sea: bioluminescence 356–7
fish 310, 317
reflections of sun 311
surface 309–10
temperatures 137
tidal currents 313, 317
tides 311–14, 319
see also beaches; coastal areas
sea bindweed 304
sea breezes 138–9, 142
sea plantain 83
sea rocket 308–9
sea-spurrey 83
seagulls 158, 303, 313
seals 39
seasons: plants 105–7
star calendars 176–81, 179–81
seaweeds 307–9, 309, 360–1
Second World War 26, 247, 277
sedges 103
‘seet’ call 235, 241
sentinel method, communication 228–9, 231
Seven Sisters 220
sewage pipes 276–7, 306
sextants 195
shade, plants in 361, 394
shade leaves, sun and 71, 72
shadows: as a calendar and compass 195
cast by moon 212, 214, 223
as a clock 196
colours 201–2
crepuscular rays 200
eclipses 366
and height of sun 129
heiligenschein 361
on moon 211
mountain shadows 200–1
in towns and cities 298, 300
shape: Get Sorted method 14–20
trees 53–60, 56–8
sharks 310
sheep 84, 102, 120, 121, 223, 240, 251
shells 305–6
shock waves 6
shooting stars 184–5, 223, 395–6
shops 278–81, 299
showers 145
silence, listening for 237–8
silver 355
silver fir trees 65
Silver-Spotted Skipper butterfly 247
Singapore 357
sinkholes 20–1
Sirius 162, 178, 179
sky 373
airlight 201, 213
colour 124–7, 201
distance to horizon 391
rainbows 127–32, 128, 132, 152–3
red skies 154
scintillation 135–6
size of sun and moon 198–200, 199
sun dogs 133, 134, 134
sunsets 197–8, 216
see also atmosphere; clouds
slate 306
sleep, and the moon 366–7
slopes: avalanches 326
butterflies and 230, 247
crops on 90
gradient illusion 12–13
in moonlight 214, 221
trees on 13, 46, 67, 72
winds 139
smells see scents
Smith, Adam 298
smog 7
smoke: colour 126
temperature inversions 5, 6–7
snails 255
snakes 255, 265, 348, 365
snow 219, 221, 237, 324–8
algae in 363
avalanches 326–7
‘banners’ 325
colour of shadows 201–2
as a compass 323, 324, 328
melting 324
nieves penitentes 363
revealing sewage pipes 276–7
size of flakes 325
snow wheels 327, 327
sublimation 325
sunballs 326–7
and temperatures 148
tracks in 28, 325
waymarking in 359–60
wind and 321, 323, 324, 325–6
snowdrops 100
soils 20
colour 22–3, 341
disturbed ground 82, 111
fertility 52–3, 84–5, 104
pH values 52, 101
plants and 101
stability 23
texture 23
trees and 50–1, 52–3
solar eclipses 366
solar panels 289
solar system 190–1
solstices 194, 194, 195
songbirds 235–41
soot 288
sorrel, wood 121
SORTED method 14–44
sounds: animals 226, 254–5
birdsong and calls 232–41
night walks 218–19, 221, 223, 225
noise shadows 298, 300
temperature inversions 5–7, 159–60
south: butterflies and 247
finding 172–6, 193, 212, 213, 250, 262, 397–8, 398
South Carolina 310
south celestial pole 397–8, 398
South Downs 148
soya beans 106
Speckled Wood butterfly 246, 362
spiders 288
spring tides 303, 312–13
spruce trees 53, 63, 65, 75, 151, 359
squirrels 249, 250, 340–1
star-of-Bethlehem 79
stars 161–92, 340
as calendars 176–81, 179–81
as a clock 182–4, 183
colours 187
dimming 355
distinguishing planets from 191
as eye tests 186–8
finding east and west 169–72
finding latitude 168–9
finding north 161–8, 347–8
finding south 172–6, 397–8, 398
heliacal rising 177–8
light from 213
and moon 208
night walks 219–20, 222–3, 224
twinkling 135–6, 191
stinging nettles 80–1, 104, 121, 246
stone: churches 292
walls 40–1, 76
see also rocks
stonechats 234
stonecrop, English 118
storms 363–4
thunderstorms 143, 149–51
and trees 61–4, 62
and waves 310
weather lore 158, 159
strangers, body language and 282–3
strawberries 90, 106
streets see roads
striations 17, 17, 120
stripes, on lawns 202–4, 203
sulphur deficiency 101
sulphur dioxide 50, 111
Summer Triangle 175–6
sun 193–204, 372
antisolar point 128, 132, 200, 361
aureoles 126
as a calendar and compass 193–5, 194
as a clock 196
colour 216
and colour of sky 124–6
coronas 134–5
crepuscular rays 200
eclipses 366
green flash 6, 198
halo around 134, 143, 156
and hedges 41
and moon 206–8, 210–11
and puddles 41
seasonal changes in plants 105–7
shadows 201–2
size and shape 197–200, 199
solar system 190–1
star calendars 176–81
sun-loving plants 393–4
sunbeams 200
sunlight 201–4
sunrise 193–4, 194, 310–11
sunset 6, 154, 193, 194, 196–8, 201, 216, 311, 366
and tides 311, 313
and tree leaves 71, 72
and tree shapes 53, 54–5, 56, 59
in the tropics 262
and woods 41–2
see also light
sun dogs 133, 134, 134
sunballs 326–7
sundials 196, 294
sunscreen 68
supernumerary bows 131, 132
swallows 158, 265
Swallowtail butterfly 246
Sweden 354
Syahdian, Muhammad (Shady) 260–70, 274, 329–39, 346–51
sycamores 50, 52–3, 68, 73, 111
synagogues 196
syzygy 187–8
tank tracks 26
tar spot fungus 111
target enlargement 36
Taurus 181, 218, 222, 224
temperature inversions 5–7, 148, 159–60, 198
temperatures 148–9
and animal size 363
butterflies and 246–7
influence of moon 217
insects and 248
night walks 221, 223
plants and 85, 86
rainbows and 130
seasonal differences 136–7
snakes and 255
and snow 325
sunset 197–8
and tides 311
and timing of leaves 72–3
tents, guy ropes 66
terminal moraine 362
terrorism 277–8
thermometers 86
thieves 281–2
thistles 82, 83, 84
thunderstorms 143, 149–51
thyme 90, 118, 249, 256
tick effect, tree shape 55, 56
ticks 85
tidal currents 313, 317
tidal rivers 18
tides 303, 311–14, 319
time: flower clocks 355
lichens and 116
measuring distances 388–9
natural calendars 355–6
plants and 106–7
star calendars 176–81, 179–81
star clocks 182–4, 183
sun as a calendar 193–5, 194
sun as a clock 196
trees and 74–7
Titus (Dayak guide) 331–50
toadflax, ivy-leafed 99–100
toads, natterjack 307
toadstools 110–11
Tortoiseshell butterflies 246, 247
towers, churches 293
towns and cities 275–96, 376
buildings 276, 288–92
butterflies in 247
curved streets 299
dog turds 35–6, 278
Edinburgh 297–303, 301
infrastructure 276–8
lichens in 114
light pollution 189–90
names 291–2
pedestrians 280
people predictions 278–83, 298
roads 25, 283–8
winds 276, 297
tracking 25–38, 306, 325
traveller’s palm 357, 357
treasure hunters 318–19
trees 45–78, 374
age 74–5, 76
algae on 109–10
and altitude 47–8, 53, 120, 330
asymmetry 54, 59–60
bark 67–70
climbing plants on 93–8
as compasses 49, 49, 68, 330
coppicing 60
distribution of fruit 73–4
and fire 77–8
fungi on 334, 360
golden conifers 358
height 48–9, 49, 53
as indicators 50–3
leaves 70–4, 71
lichens on 114
and light 46
and lightning 151
logging 70
night walks 220, 224
plantations 46, 63
pollarding 60
rings 69, 74
roots 64–7, 66, 333
shape 53–60, 56–8
snow on 323, 324
sociability 52
and soils 50–1, 52–3
storms and 61–4, 62
stumps 61–2, 62, 70
suckers 60
and time 74–7
treeline 47–8
variegated leaves 358
waymarking 270, 359–60
wind effects 48–9, 49, 53, 55–9, 57, 58, 69–70
woodland 45–9
trentepohlia algae 109–10, 117
Tributsch, Helmut 365
trig points 10
tropics, sun in 262
tropospheric ducting, radio waves 6–7
trout 317
Tuareg 18, 25–6, 248, 360
tulips 86
turkey vultures 242
TV satellite dishes and aerials 259–60, 289, 297
tyre tracks 34
underground railways 277, 282–3
Union Oil Company of California 242
United States of America: Border Patrol 38
dogs in parks 253–4
highway numbering 284
location of shops 279
moonshiners 236–7
sharks 310
storms 61
trees 54
waymarking 359–60
valleys: erosion 16–17, 16
flood plains 50
Vega 175–6, 186, 186, 219, 223
vegetation see flowers; plants, trees
Venus 162, 191–2
verrucaria lichen 307
views 9–11, 47
Vikings 391
vineyards 90
violets 106
Virgo 179
Viscaria alpina 354
Viscaria Copper Mine 354
vitamin C 100
volcanoes 26–8, 35, 217, 302, 306
voles 251
vultures 242
waiting rooms 283
Wales 14–15, 21, 40, 116, 118–23, 292
walking speed, in towns and cities 280
walls 40–1, 76
Walmart 281
walnut trees 64, 68
wasps 249
water: and algae 109
erosion 16, 21–2
floods 22, 25
mosses and 108–9
plants and 102–3, 105
plants as depth gauge 105
puddles 41, 275–6
rainbows 130, 131, 132
reflections in 311, 314, 315
rivers, lakes and ponds 314–16
in soil 22
and tree height and shape 53, 54
see also sea
water-crowfoot 105
water lilies 105, 316
watermelon snow 363
wave forests 358–9
waves 310
waymarking 270, 359–60
Weald and Downland Museum 89
weather 136–7, 373
birds and 237
clouds 142–5
and colour of sky 125
fog 147–8
fronts 134, 141, 143–4, 157
influence of moon 217
rainbows and 129
scintillation and 136
storms 149–51, 158, 159, 310, 363–4
temperature inversions 5–7, 148, 159–60, 198
temperatures 148–9
weather lore 152–60
see also winds
weather vanes 294
weather winds 140–2
wedge effect, trees 48–9, 49
weeds, in fields 91
west, finding 169–72
wheat 90
wheatears 255
White Admiral butterfly 245
wildebeest 249
wildfires 46
willow trees 50, 51, 68, 102, 369
windows 289–91, 293, 295
winds 137–42
aircraft and 147, 277
animals and 250–1
in cities 276
cows and 154–5
cross-winds rule 141–2, 144, 147
effects on trees 69–70
and grasses 103–4, 104, 119
kestrels as wind vanes 232
and leaf debris 42
and leaf fall 73
local winds 138–40
on mountains 139
and plants 85–6
prevailing winds 13
salt in 304–5
and sand dunes 306–7, 321–4, 322
and sea’s surface 310
and snow 321, 323, 324, 325–6
sounds and 219
stone wall enclosures 41
storms 61, 62–3
in towns 297
and tree roots 65–7, 66
and trees 48–9, 49, 53, 55–9, 57, 58
wave forests 358–9
weather winds 140–2
Wistman’s Wood, Dartmoor 45
woodlands 45–9
age of 46–7, 62
ancient woodland 46, 62, 83
bluebells 88
boundaries within 76–7
edges 45–7
fires 77–8
flowering times 106
foxgloves 82, 89
fungi 110–11
ivy 96–8
lichens in 114
night walks 223–5
shade-loving plants 91
storm effects 61–3
sun and 41–2
tree canopies 75
wave forests 358–9
waymarking 270
wind effects 48–9, 49
see also trees
woodruff 82–3, 91
Woolfson, Esther 243–4
worts 91
wrens 235, 239–40, 249, 369
xanthoria lichens 115–16, 295, 302, 307
yew trees 52, 54, 56–7, 224
Young, Jon 240
zebras 249
zenith 162
Zosma 174, 174