Tag: Cornwall

  • Red Valerian

    Red Valerian

    The rich magenta and ruby hues of Red Valerian are a lovely sight in the summer, whispering of the Mediterranean. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Kidney Vetch

    Kidney Vetch

    The books say Kidney Vetch blooms from June, but this is The Lizard, so it flowers from May. Look out for it on cliff tops and sand dunes from late […]

  • Cuckooflower

    Cuckooflower

    The flushed pink flowers of Cuckooflower can be spotted in damp meadows and on stream banks in the spring. Photo: Steve Townsend

  • Barren Strawberry

    Barren Strawberry

    Similar at first glance to Wild Strawberry, the pretty Barren Strawberry can be found flowering earlier, from February through to May.  Photo: © Natural England/Peter Wakely

  • Leptothrix

    Leptothrix

    No, it’s not a miniature oil slick. That oily film on the surface of puddles on The Lizard is an iron-oxidizing bacterium. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Common Dog-violet

    Common Dog-violet

    Not the prettiest name for a very pretty flower…Common Dog-violets start to bloom in early Spring, with a second flush in late Summer. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Sandwich Tern

    Sandwich Tern

    Lizard Point is a great place for spotting migrant birds, such as Sandwich Terns, as they head to their breeding grounds. Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

  • Rock Samphire

    Rock Samphire

    The yellow-green flowers of Rock Samphire brighten the coastline through the summer months. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Blackbird

    Blackbird

    Blackbirds can be seen throughout the year on The Lizard. Photo: © Natural England/David Fanaroff

  • Redwing

    Redwing

    Windmill Farm is a good place to spot Redwing, often in mixed flocks with Fieldfare. Both species are winter visitors to The Lizard. Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

  • Hairy Curtain Crust

    Hairy Curtain Crust

    A fungus of dead wood from broadleaf trees, Hairy Curtain Crust can be found throughout the year. This colony was spotted on a fallen oak at Penrose. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Fieldfare

    Fieldfare

    Flocks of Fieldfares can be spotted out on The Lizard through the winter, often in mixed flocks with Redwing. Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

  • Black Nightshade

    Black Nightshade

    In late summer and into autumn, look out for the white flowers and bright yellow stamens of Black Nightshade on waste ground and nutrient-rich soils. Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC […]

  • Hart’s-tongue

    Hart’s-tongue

    The woods behind Kennack Sands are a great spot for ferns, including the distinctive and evergreen Hart’s-tongue. Photo: Amanda Scott

  • Common Sandpiper

    Common Sandpiper

    Common Sandpipers are often spotted on the Helford, on their migration. Read on to find a video showing its characteristic, and very endearing, bobbing motion as it forages for food. […]

  • The landscape history and archaeology of The Lizard’s downs and moors

    The landscape history and archaeology of The Lizard’s downs and moors

    In this article, Peter Dudley, of Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment Service (Projects), introduces us to the rich history and archaeology of The Lizard’s moors and downlands, from the Late Neolithic […]