Blogs by Chris & Jude Gibson published on this site, with links, since October 2016. Just click on any of the pictures to see a full-sized version.
Most of them are heavily photo-based, and maybe don’t contain much in the way of campaigning messages. Apart from the most important message of all, given the Extinction Crisis which is underway: nature in all its glories is still out there to inspire us. Hopefully our words and pictures will help to enthuse others to look after what we have and leave a better world for those who come after us.
November 2024
Cooling towers, canals, caves and a cathedral: the Trent Valley, east to west
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a time for renewal
#WildEssexWalks: autumn in the Wivenhoe Cemeteries
October 2024
A half-term short break in London
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Autumn glories
An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 3 – to the seaside at Hastings, St Leonards & Bexhill
An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 2 – Eridge Rocks
An autumn break in Kent and Sussex: part 1 – Tunbridge Wells
#WildEssex Walks in Progress: Station-to-station through the heart of Colchester
September 2024
#WildEssex on Tour: across the border – to Felixstowe
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a last blast of summer
Walks in Progress: Exploring the Colne Valley Path around Chappel
Walks in Progress: Around the peaks of the Essex Alps….
#WildEssexWalks: Harwich town and beach
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: an autumnal feel to the Naze
August 2024
Late summer in Cambridge Botanic Garden
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late summer by the Colne Estuary
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Summer peaks, Autumn approaches…
Cockaynes Reserve in high summer
July 2024
An evening walk on Layer Breton Heath
Wanderings in Wivenhoe’s Lower Lodge
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: focus shifts to the ponds
Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late July
#WildEssexWalks: Mistley Furze Hill and Old Knobbley
The Wild Side of Essex: Summer by the Stour Estuary
The Mid-Anglian chalk in summer
#WildEssexWalks: Wrabness and Stour Wood
Three days by train: Romsey & Southampton
June 2024
Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 3 – Glasgow & Cumbernauld
Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 2 – New Lanark
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: is summer finally here?
Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late June
#WildEssexWalks: Brightlingsea East End
Tales of the Bonny Clyde: 1 – Dunoon & Benmore
The Wild Side of Essex: #WildEssex and Naturetrek at Hockley Woods
May 2024
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: May goes out with a splash…
Cockaynes Reserve in early summer
A jaunt across the North Sea: part 2 – Antwerp
A jaunt across the North Sea: part 1 – Rotterdam
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the height of Spring
Chalklands in the far west of East Anglia
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: bountiful, and beautiful, insects…
#WildEssexWalks: The Bluebells of Wivenhoe Wood
A garden of medicinal plants and Regent’s Park
April 2024
#WildEssexWalks: Cockaynes Reserve at the height of Spring
Three days by train: Gloucester and Hereford
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: among the April showers…
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: rushing headlong into Summer!
March 2024
Travels around Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: a windy Naze
Fun on the Fylde, Sefton Coast and Wirral
#WildEssexWalks: Signs of Spring around Alresford
From pollinator paradise to thriving ecosystem: Gardening with Wildlife in Mind
February 2024
Reading – why would anyone want to go there?
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: winter by the Colne Estuary
#WildEssexWalks – Wivenhoe Woods in Winter
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Spring straining at the sinews…
January 2024
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: New Year, new life!
BOOK REVIEW Local: a search for nearby nature and wildness by Alastair Humphreys
#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2024
December 2023
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: 2024 here we come!
November 2023
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late autumn at the Naze
#WildEssexWalks – beside the seaside at the Naze
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a perfect autumn day…
October 2023
#WildEssexWalks – at the head of the Stour Estuary
#WildEssexWalks – an autumn stroll along the Colne Estuary
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction
September 2023
#WildEssex on Tour: Harlow and the Stort Valley
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: late September, but the show goes on…
Two days of wildlife, culture and commemoration in and around London
Eastern Scotland by train: Forth Rail Bridge, York and the journey home…
Eastern Scotland by train: Aberdeen, the Granite City
Eastern Scotland by train: the wilder side of Dundee
Eastern Scotland by train: Dundee – architecture and art
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: September sunlight
#WildEssexWalks – evening in the Wrabness Nature Reserve
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: after the rain……..
August 2023
BOOK REVIEW: The Biodiversity Gardener – Establishing a legacy for the natural world
Heading Westwards Part 2: … and the power showers of South Wales
Heading Westwards Part 1: relaxing in a hot Bath…
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the slide into Autumn…
#WildEssexWalks – an evening with trees and bats in Wivenhoe Park
Late Summer at Landguard Point
A couple of days in Cambridge…
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the steamy jungles of Essex!!
July 2023
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a butterfly bonanza!
Marvellous moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – late July
Wandering around the Wirral with a camera
#WildEssexWalks – Wrabness and Stour Wood
The Wild Side of Essex: Summer by the Stour Estuary
#WildEssexWalks – High Summer in Wivenhoe’s Lower Lodge
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: after a summer soaking….
Brandon Marsh: Life after gravel…
June 2023
Wealden Wanderings: exploring some delights of Sussex
Midsummer in the Suffolk Sandlings
The Wild Side of Essex: Hockley Woods – Heath Fritillaries and more…
Over the sea to … Landguard Point!
The Wild Side of Harlow and the Stort Valley
Marvellous Moths morning at Beth Chatto Gardens – early June
May 2023
Bavaria by train: the way home – Frankfurt & Brussels
Bavaria by train: Regensburg and area
Bavaria by train: the way there – Brussels & Cologne
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: late spring along the Colne Estuary
East Grove, Wrabness – small but perfectly formed!
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: a Great Awakening…
#WildEssex – Wivenhoe’s Barrier Marsh and its anthills
April 2023
#WildEssex: Dawn Chorus along the Wivenhoe Trail
Great Oakley Churchyard – for all creatures (and plants) great and small…
#WildEssexWalks – Wivenhoe Wood: Bluebells and much more…
Cockaynes Reserve : Spring nudges in…
Springmead Garden, Brightlingsea
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Euphorbia euphoria…
March 2023
#WildEssex – a walk along Mistley Walls
The Wild Side of Essex with Naturetrek: a blustery day at the Naze
Halifax: four seasons in three days….
February 2023
#WildEssex Walks – signs of Spring in Cockaynes Reserve
‘Birdwatching for Beginners’ at Burnham on Crouch
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: rest and recovery…
January 2023
#WildEssex Walks: Trees in winter – buds, bark and more…
The Wild Side of Essex: a frosty day by the Colne Estuary
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the first hints of Spring…
Cockaynes Reserve: Spring awakenings
BOOK REVIEW: West London Wildlife
#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2023
December 2022
#WildEssex 2022 – our year in books
#WildEssex Book Reviews 2022: Habitats of the World, Essex Rock & The Secret Life of an Arable Field
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: A Wintry Wonderland
Coventry: city of hope and reconciliation, architecture and art – and wildlife
November 2022
Great Bentley Village Green: a once and future Essex heathland?
#WildEssexWalks: The Naze and Walton Backwaters
October 2022
#WildEssexWalks: autumn in Wivenhoe Park
Chattowood: putting ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ into action (UPDATED Oct 2023)
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the colours of Autumn
September 2022
#WildEssex on Tour: Burnham and the River Crouch
#WildEssexWalks: Harwich Foreshore and Beach
July 2022
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: midsummer moths aplenty!
#WildEssex Walks: Brightlingsea East End
June 2022
#WildEssex bug-hunt in St Mary’s Churchyard, Wivenhoe
#WildEssex charity walk to Alresford and Cockaynes Reserve
Swanscombe Marshes: a place of hope!
The Wild Side of Essex: Heath Fritillaries in Hockley Woods
#WildEssex – Furze Hill, Mistley
May 2022
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the abundance of May…
The Bounty of May in Cockayne’s Reserve
#WildEssex Walks: Wrabness and the Stour Estuary
April 2022
Wivenhoe Wood – a Symphony in Blue
#WildEssex Walks: Cockaynes Reserve in spring
The Wild Side of Essex: a stormy day walk at the Naze in April
March 2022
#WildEssex Walks: Alresford Old Church to the creek
Alexanders: the interloper our countryside needs…
Our sunny spring break on the East Sussex coast: a photoblog
February 2022
#WildEssex walks: the rising tide at Mistley…
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex coast February 2022
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: Spring steals in…
January 2022
#WildEssex Walks: Trees in Winter – buds and bark
#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2022
December 2021
#BirdsByBarge on the Stour Estuary in midwinter…
November 2021
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany walks: a crisp winter’s day at the Naze
The grassland fungi of Wivenhoe’s New Cemetery
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex coast in November
The last fires of autumn in Kew Gardens
Exploring the innermost corners of the Essex coast – from Purfleet to the River Lee
October 2021
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks – autumn in Wivenhoe Park
September 2021
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: September – autumn approaches
#WildBrightlingsea Bug & Botany Walks – All Saints Churchyard and Moverons Lane
Autumn approaches on the River Crouch
August 2021
To the fringes of the tide in old Essex – Three Mills and the Olympic Park
The Beth Chatto Gardens as summer starts to fade…
The Wild Side of Essex: day waks on the Colne Estuary in August
Wrabness Nature Reserve on a summer’s evening
#BringingNatureToYou : branching out to Furze Hill, Mistley
July 2021
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex Coast in July
Landscapes and Lifescapes of South Essex
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: High Summer
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Lower Lodge
A Dream come True – the Wallasea Wild Coast
Midsummer in Cambridge Botanic Garden
June 2021
The Wild Side of Essex: Hockley Woods in June
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – midsummer madness, and a few damp squibs…
#WildBrightlingsea Bug & Botany Walks – Rope Walk and Brightlingsea Creek
Intensive farming doesn’t have to erase wildlife: Fairfields Farm
Layer Breton Heath: Nature Returns …
After the storm – Beth Chatto Gardens
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens : new blog
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Cockaynes Reserve
Return to my conservation roots: the delights of south Essex
A hot day on the Deben Peninsula
#WildBrightlingsea Botany & Bug Walks – the Lido to the Lozenge
May 2021
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – tumbling towards summer…
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Colne Estuary in May
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Naze in May
#WildBrightlingsea – branching out with our Bug & Botany walks
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: The Wivenhoe cemeteries
April 2021
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Naze in April
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Colne Estuary in April
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – the chills of April
The southern Suffolk Sandlings in April – Spring steals in…
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Back in Action! The KGV and wildlife garden
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens – late March heatwave
March 2021
The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens
The Beth Chatto Gardens: on the starting blocks of Spring…
February 2021
Signs of Spring: Nature Cure at Cockaynes
Beth Chatto’s Garden: the rebirth of Spring
January 2021
Book Review – Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic
December 2020
Giving a Voice to the Wildlife of the Essex Coast
The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Essex Coast – December
November 2020
Essex Field Club and the Essex Naturalist
Sustainable cotton clothing: Fraser Wear
October 2020
The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on The Naze and Walton Backwaters – October
Cockaynes in late Autumn #WildWivenhoe
Late October in the Beth Chatto Gardens: after the deluge…
The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Colne in October
September 2020
The Wild Side of Essex: Day walks on the Colne in September
Late Summer in the southern Suffolk Sandlings
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: Awayday to the southern Suffolk Sandlings
September in the Beth Chatto Gardens
#WildWivenhoe Bug & Botany Walks: September – Barrier Marsh, The Chase, ant-hills and more…
August 2020
The Wild Side of Essex: day walks on the Essex Coast in August
Late August in the Beth Chatto Gardens
Great News from Beth Chatto’s!
#WildWivenhoeBotany & Bug Walks: August – a tentative return to Lower Lodge
July 2020
The southern Suffolk Sandlings
Wildlife on the Farm: an organic perspective
High Summer in the Beth Chatto Gardens: a butterfly bonanza
Jude’s Nature Diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid July
High Summer in the Cockaynes Reserve
Lockdown Localism – finding rare and special invertebrates close to home
The Beth Chatto Gardens: standing in for the Spanish Pyrenees!
June 2020
Lockdown diary: Gallery updates
Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe and elsewhere – June
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late June
Return to the Beth Chatto Gardens….
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid June
All Saints’ Churchyard, Dovercourt: Bugs and more in #GodsAcre
May 2020
Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – late May
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late May
Lockdown diary: Heading towards summer in Cockaynes Reserve
Lockdown diary: the Beth Chatto gardens on this day in 2013
Lockdown: time to remember the Pyrenees…
Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – early May
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – mid May
Lockdown diary: Return to Barrier Marsh
Lockdown diary: Cockaynes – after the rain
Lockdown diary: Dawn Chorus today in #wildWivenhoe
April 2020
Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #WildWivenhoe – the second three weeks
Lockdown diary: the Beth Chatto Gardens on this day in 2007
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – late April
Lockdown diary: The Beth Chatto Gardens – rewind five years…
Lockdown diary: Return to Cockaynes
Lockdown diary: Cockaynes Reserve, our #NaturalHealthService
Lockdown diary: In praise of Alexanders…
Lockdown diary: #ReasonsToBeCheerful in #wildWivenhoe – the first three weeks
Lockdown diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep – early April
Lockdown diary: The Bolt-holes of Wivenhoe Shipyard Jetty
March 2020
Lockdown Diary: Botany & Bugs (and more!) on your Doorstep
Lockdown diary: The Ant-hills of Barrier Marsh
Lockdown diary: In praise of flowery lawns…
Beth Chatto Gardens – on this day in history…..
Beth Chatto Gardens – springtime antidote
Life on the Garden Fence – the Virgin Bagworm
Beth Chatto Gardens – is it Spring yet?
Gardening with Wildlife in Mind
Lichenscapes, Groundscapes, Beachscapes and Reflectascapes
February 2020
Murder at the Garden Pond: Thalia dealbata – the (not very) beautiful assassin
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: February awayday to the Naze
January 2020
Beth Chatto Gardens – sunlight and shadows
Beth Chatto Gardens: the reawakening of the year
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: January – trees in winter
December 2019
The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the Seasons: December – after the election, Nature Cure
November 2019
Cockaynes Reserve – landscapes, wildscapes and groundscapes dressed in the fires of autumn
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: November – autumn trees and fungi in Wivenhoe Park
October 2019
The Swiss Alps by train: joining the 6% club
Return to Gunnersbury Triangle: wasp galls on an oak tree
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: October – Cockaynes Wood
September 2019
The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the Seasons: September
Standing up for Phyllis Currie Reserve – September
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: September – Ferry Marsh, after The Flood
August 2019
Our new toy – a compact portable moth trap
Standing up for Phyllis Currie Reserve – August
The Beth Chatto Gardens throughout the seasons: August
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: August – The Shipyard and Barrier Marsh at dusk
July 2019
The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: July
High summer butterflies & moths (and much else!) of the Spanish Pyrenees
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug walks: July – the wild side of Wivenhoe town
#WildWivenhoe: Burnets, butterflies, beetles and bountiful blooming at Lower Lodge
June 2019
Plants hiding on our doorstep…
The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: June
Standing up for the Phyllis Currie Reserve: early June
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: June – the leaves are alive on Lower Lodge
May 2019
The Beth Chatto Garden through the seasons: May
A short break in Manchester and Chester
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: May – Cockaynes Reserve
Standing up for the Phyllis Currie Reserve
April 2019
Extinction Rebellion: #WeAreWinning
The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: April
Basking bugs and beasties – Wivenhoe Wildlife Garden
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: April – the woods in Spring
March 2019
Jude’s Rubbish Diary – Episode 2
The Beth Chatto Garden throughout the seasons: March
In the foothills of the Atlas: Southern Morocco
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: March – searching for signs of Spring along the Wivenhoe Trail
February 2019
Guest Blog: Jude’s Rubbish Diary – Episode 1
The Beth Chatto Garden through the seasons: February
Botanical Awakenings: Turkish Hazel
January 2019
A New Year springs in the Beth Chatto Garden
December 2018
Three days of World Heritage in the North…(Saltaire and Durham)
November 2018
Autumn at its best in The Beth Chatto Garden
October 2018
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: October – King George V Field, Wivenhoe Wood & Ferry Marsh
Book Review: The Orphaned Spaces
September 2018
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: September – Grange Wood & Whitehouse Beach
Late Summer in the French Pyrénées
August 2018
Mothman returns…. (moth trapping in North Norfolk)
WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: August – Whitehouse Beach
July 2018
Midsummer in the Western Rhodopes: All Kinds of Everything…
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: July – Lower Lodge
Butterflies and Moths of the Spanish Pyrenees
June 2018
Faeries at the bottom of the (pub) garden (the River Colne at Aldham)
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: June – 41 Acres
King George V Playing Field : the new wildflower meadows #wildwivenhoe
May 2018
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: May, to Barrier Marsh and Grange Wood
Unravelling the mysteries of our Bluebells
Wildlife Galore in Cockaynes Reserve
Spring in the Spanish Pyrenees: a cornucopia of biodiversity
The Gunnersbury Triangle: antidote to the modern world?
April 2018
#WildWivenhoe Botany & Bug Walks: April in Cockaynes Reserve
Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 2 – Return of the Bee-fly
Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 3 – the ‘little white jobs’
Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 4 – an ever-changing tapestry of colour
March 2018
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 7
Furze Hill, Mistley: home to the Ancients
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 8
The Beth Chatto Gardens: beyond the flowers…
Canvey Wick: the accidental nature reserve
Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 1: The saga of Ferry Marsh
February 2018
Signs of Spring in Wild Wivenhoe
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 2
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 3
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 4
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 5
Signs of Spring in WildWivenhoe, Part 6: Arrival of ‘The Beast’
October 2017
Late autumn in West Cork: the calm after the storms
September 2017
The Devil has all the best tunes…
July 2017
October 2016
The Curate’s Egg: my reflections on leaving Natural England, part 1
The Curate’s Egg: my reflections on leaving Natural England, part 2
A Magical Menorcan Autumn – ‘step by step’ to a greener future
Wonderful Wildlife Art at the Mall Galleries: ‘a glimpse of the wild in the heart of London’
