Over 500 million years plants have been evolving alongside other organisms and interacting with them. In recent years, a form of...

One of my favourite flowers, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Nestled and discuised in amongst some elegant Peonies. Quite fitting I think,...

Commonly lurking in many UK ponds is Lemna, better known as Duckweed. A common weed to most. However, this familiar pond dweller is quite...

Aphids feed through their mouth parts, the labium and proboscis. The labium is is a long tubular organ housing the stylets within a...

Rusts are one of the most complex plant pathogens, with a diverse range of species estimated in size somewhere between 5000-6000, as well...

Unlike other wasp species, the Wood Wasp or Giant Horntail has no clear abdominal segmentation and instead has a long circular body. This...

The definition of an xerophyte is a plant adapted to live in desiccated environments, needing very little water. Usually, they grow in...

A notable and defining characteristic of earwigs, aside from their massive pincers, is their unexpected wings. Their short front wings...

There are numerous growth responses within the physiology and morphology of plant leaves when exposed to different levels of light. These...

Martin Vahl, a Danish mycologist described Armillaria mellea as Agaricus mellea in 1790 , and it is now commonly known as Honey fungus....

Rose black spot is caused by the fungi Diplocarpon rosae, a pathogen that before the 1960's had very little attention because of high...

Black thorn or Prunus spinosa: The producer of Sloe berries. The long horizontal thorns on Blackthorn are actualy modified stems. These...

The tender yellow petals on the common Tomato plant: Solanum lycopersicum, before fruiting. Although thought of as a harmless fruit or...

Berberis darwinii. Darwins berberis has vibrant, rich, orangey red buds which make it an unmistakable member of Berberidaceae. However,...

The genus Rheum, commonly known as Rhubarb has a rich historical nomenclature, dating back to ancient times where its root was used as a...

The microscopic world on the underside of a Dicksonia antarctica frond. Pteridophytes or Ferns date back to the Carboniferous period –...

Prunus dulcis 'Robin' The Flowering Almond. It is beleived Almonds originated in Iran and central Asia. Merchants would have eaten them...

The microscopic world on the underside of a Polypodium vulgare frond. Looking directly at the sorus, one can see immature sporangium....

Drosera capensis. Commonly known as Sundew. These interesting plants are covered in mucilagonous glandulous trichomes which secrete...

The beautiful flowers on Magnolia stellata - a spring white explosion!! Brought in to the UK from Japan in the late 1800's...