I love an orchid I do. Growing up, mum always had orchids growing in pots about the place, with their roots all spilling out over the sides. She bought me one last year and it really does make me smile every day! My Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.), the ones that we see lining our supermarket…
If you have visited the park, read our information signs, watched our wonderful keeper talks or even read some keeper blogs, you have probably realised that a lot of the animals we look after here at Wingham struggle in the wild, at least in part, due to urbanization and loss of habitat. But this issue…
I have spent a fair share of my life in zoos. Either working hard at the zoo I work at or playing hard at a zoo I’m visiting. During my time in these zoos, among all the captivating animals in their enclosures that get cared for by an amazing team of keepers, is an array…
Spring has never truly arrived until you catch sight of your first bee. On Saturday 20th May 2023 we will be celebrating World Bee Day, so get it jotted down in the diary. This day is to raise awareness about the threats they face and most importantly what we can do to help them out. In…
Summer is officially here and you’re not the only ones who have been enjoying the sunshine. I am sure many of you may have noticed that the scenery has gotten a lot more colourful lately. Butterflies are cold blooded invertebrates and thrive in the sunshine. Many species can be seen right here in Kent. Recently…
If you have been in our bug house, you may have noticed recently that we have some new much smaller white clawed crayfish. The originals that we held onsite from the 30th of June last year until a few weeks ago, have now gone back to their native home of Bristol. This has allowed us…
Happy Darwin Day in advance! Celebrated on Charles Darwin’s birthday, 12th February, Darwin day is a day to celebrate and learn more about his work as a naturalist. Known as the father of natural selection, I can relate to his fascination with nature, and his close observation of birds. It was aboard the HMS Beagle…
In this blog I will be talking about our little friends the European hedgehogs and how we can give them a helping hand. The European hedgehog is the only native species of hedgehog in the UK, they are nocturnal mammals and their diet consists mainly of slugs, snails, beetles, earthworms and small berries. They use…
On the 30th of June this year we welcomed 30 juvenile White Clawed Crayfish. An endangered species endemic to the freshwater streams of the UK. It is the only native crayfish species in the UK. I am very pleased to announce that all 30 crayfish that arrived with us have been flourishing in our new…
Something a bit different from me this week, and for once I’m not going to talk about birds! Whilst I do love my birds, at heart I adore all aspects of natural history. My happy place is in the middle of a wildflower meadow in spring listening to the bird song and the insects busy…
