UK Nature and Environment

Striking images have been captured of a huge field of poppies stretching almost as far as the eye can see.

The field has been rewilded by the landowner in Great Massingham, Norfolk.

The soil was ploughed and harrowed before being left for nature to run its course, with the result being a huge sea of red poppies.

Everyone loves bees and butterflies, but now moths are coming into the spotlight (as long as they don’t fly around it).

The moth expert Charles Waters has seen a surprisingly rapid increase in interest in moths from the younger generation as, he believes, people become more aware of their beauty and diversity, as well as their importance as pollinators.

“Moths are more significant pollinators because there’s so many of them. In the UK, there are 59 butterfly species, but there are 2,500 moth species,” he said.

A forest plantation planned for a national scenic area is set for a court battle over claims it could cause “landscape-scale destruction”.

A 700-hectare conifer forest is being planted around a countryside walkway named after one of Scotland’s most celebrated writers: John Buchan, author of The Thirty Nine Steps.

The plantation, which will predominantly be non-native Sitka spruce, is already being put in the ground at Stobo Hope, near Peebles.

A species of bird has been born at a nature reserve in Lincolnshire for the first time in its history.

The Mediterranean gull chick was spotted by volunteers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's Whisby Nature Park on 27 June.

The park said its the first time the species has hatched at the site, as nesting Mediterranean gulls have always failed at the incubation stage on prior occasions.

Beloved by Shakespeare and the Beatles, the blackbird and its sweet song have captured the imagination of Britons for centuries.

But now the songbird is facing decline, and the British public has been asked to contribute to a survey by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to find out why.

Their numbers have plummeted in Greater London and southern England at rates not seen in the rest of the UK.

An RSPB warden has admitted he is "startled" by how rapidly wildlife has started colonising a reserve's newest piece of wetland.

It is a year since the charity began work transforming arable fields into a watery habitat as part of an expansion of its Lakenheath Fen reserve on the Suffolk/Norfolk border.

Site manager Dave Rogers said: "We've seen some immediate reaction from some species - and marsh harriers in particular."

The birds, which are of conservation concern, are breeding elsewhere on the reserve and have found the new habitat a rich source of prey.

The Jersey tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria, is one of the more spectacular British moths. Rather than trying to blend in with its surroundings, its dramatic black and white wings, with additional orange flashes when flying, seem to be saying “eat me if you dare” and get a stomachache. Most potential predators appear to heed the warning.

Unlike some other moths, the caterpillars eat a variety of roadside weeds including nettles, and those hatched in September shelter through the winter on rough patches of ground with plenty of food plants.

The farthest north this species used to be seen was Jersey (as the name suggests) but global heating has transformed its fortunes.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited staff have teamed up with conservation programme Species on the Edge to create safe nesting habitat for the rare Little Tern at Islay Airport.

Little Terns fly to Scotland in spring to breed, looking for beaches on the coast and islands where they can nest in colonies. Unfortunately, this chosen habitat of Little Terns is often prone to disturbance by humans, dogs, and flooding. Little Terns are very sensitive to disturbance and can abandon nests, eggs and chicks if disturbed.

The latest breeding seabird census (Seabirds Count: 2015-2021) shows that Little Tern have declined by 29% in the last 20 years in Scotland, with the Argyll and Bute region seeing a much larger decline of 46% in the same time period. Creating disturbance-free areas with suitable nesting material is one of the most important actions that can be taken to help protect Little Terns.