Blog: Andy Karran

Blog

Photo of Pink Waxcaps

Grassland Fungi

5th October, 2024 is UK Fungus Day, a celebration of the UK's fungi in all their strangeness and beauty.

Barn owl

A Starter for 10!

Between now and 2030, Gwent Wildlife trust are focusing on 10 vulnerable species, with the aim of making a real measurable difference in their fortunes.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes

The love-lives of Gwent’s Bird Population

We don’t have any actual Love Birds in Gwent, they are native to Africa. We do however have many birds with very interesting love lives, from the faithful monogamous swan to the frankly…

Hawthorn with honey bee

Blossoming encounters of spring

There are many fantastic sights and sounds that herald spring: birds singing, insects buzzing about, wildlife migrants arriving. One of the finest of these are trees and shrubs coming in to…

Flying ant queen

Insects on the move

You may well have ants swarming all over your patio as you read this, but when I think of ant swarms I think of the flying ants that appear from seemingly nowhere on a summer’s day.

Bluebells - by Andy Karran

Woodland Springtime Flora

After the long dreary winter, the first blooms of spring are just what we need to brighten things up. There are no better places to head for flowers at this time of year than our woodlands, as the…

Plaice camouflaged with riverbed

Hiding in plain sight - the art of camouflage

Whether to deceive their prey or to avoid becoming lunch themselves, our Senior Conservation Ecologist, Andy Karran, shows us some of the amazing ways that animals have evolved to use camouflage…