Public news and updates from the Purbeck Natural History Forum.
[ccfic]
Article by Jacob Aimable-Lina Images by Mike Wenham Glow-worms or ‘Glowbeetles’? As darkness falls over the heathland and grasslands of Purbeck, tiny green lights can sometimes be seen glowing amongst the vegetation. These remarkable displays belong to glow-worms, one of…
By Peter Robertson, Mark Singleton and Jake Hancock Wood pasture is a “mosaic habitat” which encompasses a mixture of trees, open habitats and livestock grazing. The open habitat can be species-rich grassland or heathland, while the tree component can range…
Text and pictures by Sophie Lake Scrambling around tussocks of Purple Moor-grass that reached well over my knees, I slid into hidden squelchy runnels and floundered out among thick rushes – I was in the Fen Arm on Hartland Moor,…
In each newsletter, Meet the Forum will introduce you to one of the people behind the scenes or out in the field—those who bring energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to our shared work. this time we spoke to one of our newest members,…
By Paul Morton In early 2024 a new craze started taking over those who liked to be out in the countryside. For many, the joy of watching nature or hiking amongst beautiful scenery started decades ago, and whilst bird sound…
Dragonfly Recording in South East Dorset A two-century chronicle of amateurs, scientists & citizens By Kevin Edge Bins, clipboard, camera, action! AS I WRITE THIS ARTICLE, my mobile phone lights up with a short message: Lge red damsel fem.lytchett bay…
In each newsletter, Meet the Forum will introduce you to one of the people behind the scenes or out in the field—those who bring energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to our shared work. To launch this new feature, we are delighted…
Image above: National Trust Images – James Beck 2026 See below the latest update from Gen Crisford, Beaver Project officer for the National Trust: Wetland wonders In December we updated that we had discovered a new wetland near Little Sea,…
The Ladybird Spider (Eresus sandaliatus) is one of the UK’s rarest and most striking spiders, instantly recognisable by the male’s bright red colouring that resembles a ladybird. Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in Dorset in 1980. Today, it is…
On a cold but sunny morning in mid-January 2025 I was photographing habitats as requested for the National Trust as part of the Invertebrate monitoring in the Swanbrooke valley west of Swanage. I had taken a tray to ‘knock’ a…
The Purbeck Natural History Forum works with a group of partners
