Category: Nature

Chiswick House

Just two miles upstream is an architectural gem: Chiswick House. It got a big thumbs up some three years ago in Upstream. Now it’s back on our radar because it is set in 65 acres of gardens.

The Druids’ Oak

The City of London is often dubbed The Square Mile and that’s more or less right – it is 1.2 square miles. But the writ of the City of London extends to a further 10,000 acres of public green spaces: Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, etc.

Lily the Pink

Het Loo, het who? Until yesterday I’d never heard of one of the finest palaces in Europe. It was built in the 1680s for William and Mary (rather a waste as they emigrated in 1688), looks like a very grand version of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea and has magnificent gardens.

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When Bali Met Bertie

I took Bali along the towpath to Richmond yesterday morning while Robert kept an eye on Bertie. It was high tide so not much avian activity on the foreshore.

Big Cheese

I’m sorry, I’ll write that again – big trees. This is a Maclura Pomifera named after William Maclure, an American geologist born in Scotland. The Pomifera means fruit-bearing. It should be named after William Dunbar, another Scotsman, who identified it in 1804 when he was travelling from the Mississippi River to the Ouachita River.

The Urban Birder

Remember the Urban Spaceman? I’m the urban spaceman, baby; I’ve got speed I’ve got everything I need I’m the urban spaceman, baby; I can fly I’m a supersonic guy.

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Trees Treat

The weather on Wednesday morning was inclement, nevertheless sixteen Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens gathered under the bandstand in Hyde Park. There was a high attrition level in my party.

Birds in the Parks

An ornithological highlight in Ukraine was seeing cranes nesting beside the road. My Polish and German election observer partners weren’t impressed as they see plenty at home. I said I’d only seen one pair nesting in England and they are made of stainless steel.