Author: raysurridge
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Christmas and New Year Birding
When you are out and about, walking off the Turkey and mince pies (and wine), you may wish to keep your eye out for a few winter visitors to The Lizard. As with any season late autumn and early winter brings some different and often wonderful species onto The Lizard. Many species come south, migrating…
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Purple Hairstreak
This pretty butterfly is not uncommon, but hard to spot as it spends most of its time flying at the tops of oak trees. You might see one in July to August, when they occasionally come down to feed on bramble nectar; they have been seen at Erisey Barton on The Lizard. Photo: Sharp Photography (via…
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Silver-washed Fritillary
The Silver-washed Fritillary is the largest of the UK Fritillaries. Look out for it at the height of summer, in July and August. Photo: Ray Surridge
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Life between the tides
In celebration of World Oceans Day (8th June), marine ecologist Caz Waddell delves into the exciting world of rocky shores and uncovers the extraordinary lives of rockpool creatures. Kennack Sands. Photo Simon Lewis www.westcountryviews.co.uk Spend some time rockpooling on any shore around the Lizard and you will almost immediately discover a wealth of fascinating plants…
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Lizard Point – Beach
Polpeor Beach On the western side of the most southerly point a slipway makes it way down to the old lifeboat station and then on to Polpeor Beach. The beach itself is a small shingle beach that is completely covered at high tide. A small fleet of fishing boats launch from the beach. The…
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Lizard Point – Heritage
Lizard Point: lifeboats and lighthouses Lizard Point, from the Cornish Lys Ardh meaning High Court, has a rich history including an abundance of maritime heritage. Famed as being the first location that the Spanish Armada was observed from mainland Britain in 1588, more recent history tells tales of shipwrecks and feats of bravery by…
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Lizard Point – Wildlife
Lizard Point: rich in wildlife The most southerly point is home to an abundance of wildflowers and birdlife, whilst offering a haven for the Atlantic grey seals which live amongst the rocks just off the coast. The National Trust’s Wildlife Watchpoint, opened by volunteers April through September, offers a unique insight into the wildlife at…
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Lizard Point – Geology
Lizard Point: continental collisions Lizard Point is a great place to discover how continents are created and for investigating the geology of The Lizard of The Lizard. The Lizard The southern part of the peninsula is a complex mix of serpentinite, schist, gabbro and granite. These rocks are over 600 million years old. The serpentine…
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Lizard Point – Landing Page
Lizard Point is famed as being the most southerly point on the British mainland, but this is only one of the many reasons tens of thousands of visitors take in the fresh sea air here every year. Extraordinary cliffs and rock formations mixed with an abundance of wildflowers, birds and sealife mean there is never…
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The Lizard – inspires literature
One of the great things about being a geographer is that it is an inherently interdisciplinary subject. Being a geographer is like having a passport and living in an intellectual world where there are no visa restrictions: you can roam wherever you please. My particular geographical interests have been shaped by a lifelong…
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Emperor Moth
The spectacular Emperor moth is on the wing in April and May. Photo: Emily Hobson
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Awesome wildlife experiences on our doorstep!
Late autumn on the Lizard coastline can be a wild time and, for grey seal mums, major life events are unfolding beneath steep cliffs edged by crashing waves. Hardy volunteers from Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) brave the elements daily to protect our seals at this important time. Such intense research studies reveal fascinating…
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The Loyal Meneage Volunteer Cavalry
Archaeology, like modern art, may have boundaries. Largely undefined, they shift as necessary. The Second World War, ruinously present on the Lizard, falls within the remit of both. Anti tank walls and blockhouses slowly become lumps in an erosive sea. A chambered tomb1 and anchor blocks of long gone radar antennae seem determined to contest…
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The Helford River
….. a dynamic ever changing habitat, shaped by wind and tide. The wild weather we are having now has prompted me to write something about the dynamic nature of an estuary and the effect of the wind. Estuaries can vary widely in character depending upon their aspect and exposure to prevailing winds. The Helford Stretches…
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A Lizard Bird Diary
Dear Friends of the Lizard, Steve Townsend at Natural England has asked me to write and tell you about my new book, A Lizard Bird Diary: A Study of the Birds of the South Lizard Peninsula 1970-2015. Much has been written about the flora of the Lizard but apart from two breeding surveys, the birds…
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In praise of humble weeds
The mild end to 2016 has allowed many plants to keep flowering deep into winter, despite the short hours of daylight. This photo, taken in December near Coverack on the Lizard, is of Corn Marigold, still going strong on the Winter Solstice! Corn Marigold is an arable weed; a rather unexciting name for a group…