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The Frightened Face of Nature – Speaking up for Nature.

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  • First time here?
    • About FFON
    • Who was Maxwell Knight? The spymaster, ‘M’
    • Founders & Contributors
    • Jonathan Leakey Introduction to video link, FFON
    • Maxwell Knight’s Cabinet
    • Acknowledgements
    • Resources
    • Get in touch
  • The ‘Armchair Naturalists’ project
    • An invitation to children and young people
    • BEING AN ARMCHAIR NATURALIST DURING THIS PERIOD OF COVID-19 “LOCK DOWN”
    • Can our readers help?
    • Podcast: The ‘Armchair Naturalists’ on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher
    • Write for the FFON
  • Maxwell Knight Symposium 2018
    • Lectures and more from Birkbeck College:
      • Introductory lecture: Maxwell Knight the naturalist – Prof. John E Cooper
      • Introductory lecture: Maxwell Knight the Spymaster, ‘M’ – Mr Simon H King
      • Accounts by people including Mark Rose, CEO of Fauna and Flora International
      • Presentation: “Advances in the health and welfare of captive animals” – Mr Alan Graham
      • The Frightened Face of Nature: challenges facing the planet – Mr Paul Pearce-Kelly
      • Conservation and captive-breeding projects involving chelonians – Ms Anne Rowberry
      • Engaging the next generation: culture, care and conservation” – Ms Victoria Burton/Mr Dafydd Lewis
      • Newts, nadders and neophyte naturalists
      • Helpers
      • Symposium photos
      • Comments and Symposium feedback
  • Links

Category: Armchair Naturalists

Posted on April 5, 2021April 6, 2021

Where Have All Our Butterflies Gone?

By Dr. David Glynne Fox This article is based on almost seventy years of personal observations in the wild, primarily in and around my home county of Nottinghamshire, although these…

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Posted on March 29, 2021

THE NAR VALLEY IN NORFOLK – A FOOT SAFARI DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN Part 2.

Written by John and Margaret Cooper: Pentney to King’s Lynn walk 13 – 15 July 2020. A report on our walk – and the natural history that we saw –…

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Posted on March 24, 2021

Situations vacant: The World Needs More Nature Detectives

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Posted on March 2, 2021

The Water Spider: An Enigma Beneath the Surface

By Dr. David Glynne Fox The Water Spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is, as far as is known, the only truly aquatic spider in the world, living almost entirely submerged in ponds…

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Posted on February 13, 2021February 13, 2021

Redwings in the garden this morning

What a treat to see around thirty Redwing in the garden this morning all foraging for insects under leaves. Lucky me. Watch out for the winter thrushes in your garden.…

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Posted on January 1, 2021January 1, 2021

Happy New Year to friends and followers of the FFON

2020 was our biggest year for the FFON website – readership grew by more than 200% and came courtesy of 90 plus countries. We couldn’t have created so much wonderful…

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Posted on October 20, 2020October 21, 2020

Podcast Episode 8: Make Nature Your Playground and “Consider the Colours”.

Welcome to autumn: Simon, John and Margaret join forces this autumn/winter with the wonderful team at Haith’s wild bird food (https://www.haiths.com/) to launch their new project – “Make Nature Your…

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Posted on October 19, 2020October 19, 2020

We’re in ‘Peregrine’ – The magazine of the Hawk and Owl Trust

No. 113 Autumn/Winter 2020. Visit https://hawkandowltrust.org to find out more about The Hawk and Owl Trust.

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Posted on September 1, 2020September 2, 2020

The Nar Valley in Norfolk – A foot safari during the Covid lockdown.

John and Margaret Cooper’s Pentney to King’s Lynn ‘safari’ 13 – 15 July 2020. A report on our walk – and the natural history that we saw – for the…

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Posted on July 22, 2020July 22, 2020

The Smell of Green

By Susan Underkoffler – our Pennsylvania, USA correspondent. I met someone during my first experience away from home at university. His name was Marco and he was from Iceland. Stocky…

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Posted on July 13, 2020

“Wild place in a crowded county” by Graham Wellstead

I (Simon King) heard recently from naturalist Graham Wellstead who was keen to write about a special place for FFON readers – he wrote: “Here I am taking liberties. I…

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Posted on July 12, 2020July 12, 2020

Podcast episode 7 – An Anniversary (Maxwell Knight’s) and an Armchair Assessment.

Simon, John and Margaret’s theme for today’s podcast is “An Anniversary and An Armchair Assessment” and marked the fact that the 9th of July (when the podcast was recorded), is…

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Posted on June 29, 2020June 29, 2020

Bee orchids: a plant being able to outwit an insect is truly phenomenal.

A genius evolutionary mimic of developing a decoy female bee to attract males hoping to mate with the ‘inanimate female’, but instead the males end up pollinating the flower free…

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Posted on June 28, 2020July 1, 2020

An entertaining short video relating to a social distance dispute (hedgehogs!), but first – moths:

The photos below and the video clip of hedgehogs were sent to John and Margaret Cooper by their friend Tim Roberts who lives in a small village in Shropshire. Tim…

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Posted on June 22, 2020June 23, 2020

“The Ocelot” by Rowan Allen (age 8)

The illustrations below were sent to John and Margaret Cooper (in response to their ‘An invitation to children and young people’ project invitation) by their friend Michelle O’Brien, who is…

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Posted on June 21, 2020June 22, 2020

Podcast episode 6 – Bees, bugs, ponds and water-bowls.

Simon, John and Margaret’s theme for today’s podcast is “Bees, bugs, ponds and water-bowls.” The FFON (www.ffon.co.uk) team discuss Sean Wensley’s timely blog “Growing close to nature during lockdown” and…

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Posted on June 15, 2020June 15, 2020

A bee in slow motion on a practically perfect poppy

Filmed by Lucy King.

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Posted on June 9, 2020June 9, 2020

A note from “SE4 Sally”

“Bee-watching in garden – never noticed “bee preferences” before. In the case of Kniphofia (red hot poker plant) – always thought it was snails eating the flowering pokers – its…

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Posted on June 6, 2020June 7, 2020

Podcast episode 5 – “Where have all the flowers gone”

Simon, John and Margaret’s theme for today’s podcast is “Wildlife – Interactions and Relationships.” The FFON (www.ffon.co.uk) team discuss John and Margaret’s recent blog post about their delightful village lane…

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Posted on May 28, 2020June 6, 2020

“Where have all the flowers gone?”

By John and Margaret Cooper. On Monday 23rd March 2020, nine weeks ago, we started to “self-isolate” as over 70s in our tiny cottage in Norfolk. During our lockdown we…

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Posted on May 27, 2020May 27, 2020

Can anyone identify this beetle?

Our London correspondent, Helen Jeffries has a question for FFON readers. Helen has an inordinate fondness for beetles – ‘I like the specimens one can get in see-through blocks,’ she…

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Posted on May 27, 2020May 28, 2020

The joys of an early morning walk to work

A note to John and Margaret Cooper from Sarah Pellett, BSc (Hons) MA VetMB Cert AVP (ZooMed) DZooMed (Reptilian) MRCVS. RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. Sarah is…

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Posted on May 25, 2020May 27, 2020

Podcast episode 4 – ‘Don’t keep your natural history to yourself’

Simon, John and Margaret’s theme for today’s podcast is “Records and Rapport”. But first, they share messages from a variety of places including India, the Caribbean, Scotland and a safari…

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Posted on May 22, 2020May 22, 2020

Marvellous Moths

By David McHattie. Colourful visitors photographed during Essex garden lock-down from the Dengie Peninsula. I have been lucky this spring – lots of moths and butterflies to see in the…

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Posted on May 20, 2020May 20, 2020

Man-Made Nature

By Helen Jeffries – FFON’s London Correspondent. Since people have been allowed out for as much exercise as they want, and have been gradually returning to work, London feels more…

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Posted on May 19, 2020

Growing close to nature during the lockdown

Written by Sean Wensley.  Northern Ireland is in an extended period of lockdown as I write, 3 weeks beyond the rest of the UK. For a further three weeks, I…

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Posted on May 18, 2020May 18, 2020

The Back Garden Naturalist

Written by Graham Wellstead. As a lifelong enthusiasm for almost all things natural virtually controls my life – not quite every living thing, I admit to failure when it comes…

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Posted on May 12, 2020

A Lincolnshire sunset

Photo taken by Edward King.

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Posted on May 11, 2020May 12, 2020

An explosion of starlings

Written by Graham Wellstead. Not everyone is keen on these brash argumentative birds but I have a soft spot for them. For several years starlings have been missing from my…

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Posted on May 9, 2020

A Robin raiding the sunflower hearts

Filmed by Harry King. Watch how fast this cheeky Robin raids the sunflower hearts. Blink and you’ll miss it.

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Pages

  • First time here?
    • About FFON
    • Who was Maxwell Knight? The spymaster, ‘M’
    • Founders & Contributors
    • Jonathan Leakey Introduction to video link, FFON
    • Maxwell Knight’s Cabinet
    • Acknowledgements
    • Resources
    • Get in touch
  • The ‘Armchair Naturalists’ project
    • An invitation to children and young people
    • BEING AN ARMCHAIR NATURALIST DURING THIS PERIOD OF COVID-19 “LOCK DOWN”
    • Can our readers help?
    • Podcast: The ‘Armchair Naturalists’ on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher
    • Write for the FFON
  • Maxwell Knight Symposium 2018
    • Lectures and more from Birkbeck College:
      • Introductory lecture: Maxwell Knight the naturalist – Prof. John E Cooper
      • Introductory lecture: Maxwell Knight the Spymaster, ‘M’ – Mr Simon H King
      • Accounts by people including Mark Rose, CEO of Fauna and Flora International
      • Presentation: “Advances in the health and welfare of captive animals” – Mr Alan Graham
      • The Frightened Face of Nature: challenges facing the planet – Mr Paul Pearce-Kelly
      • Conservation and captive-breeding projects involving chelonians – Ms Anne Rowberry
      • Engaging the next generation: culture, care and conservation” – Ms Victoria Burton/Mr Dafydd Lewis
      • Newts, nadders and neophyte naturalists
      • Helpers
      • Symposium photos
      • Comments and Symposium feedback
  • Links

Top Posts & Pages

  • “Our first ever slow worm in the garden...”
  • Admission of Simon H King as a Fellow of The Linnean Society of London (FLS)
  • THE NAR VALLEY IN NORFOLK – A FOOT SAFARI DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN Part 2.
  • Why didn't Maxwell Knight publish The Frightened Face of Nature?
  • Latest news: An elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London
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The Armchair Naturalists

For easy-going Naturalists and people who care about nature.

Co-founders of the popular natural history blog FFON (The Frightened Face of Nature) Simon H King FLS, life-long naturalist and leading veterinary expert Professor John E Cooper plus wildlife lawyer Margaret E Cooper FLS and guests are encouraging the nation to take a closer look at the natural world and stay connected through nature. Sponsored by www.haiths.com who have been feeding the nation’s birds since 1937.

The Frightened Face of Nature (FFON)

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https://thefrightenedfaceofnature.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/episode-3-of-the-armchair-naturalists-podcasts.mp3

Recent Posts

  • “Our first ever slow worm in the garden…”
  • Where Have All Our Butterflies Gone?
  • Save Burlington House: Letter from supporters published in The Sunday Telegraph on 21st March 2021, #LinneanAtBH
  • THE NAR VALLEY IN NORFOLK – A FOOT SAFARI DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN Part 2.
  • Situations vacant: The World Needs More Nature Detectives

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Wildlife are, increasingly, killed on the roads. This is a rare striped hyaena
Wildlife are, increasingly, killed on the roads. This is a rare striped hyaena
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The Coopers survey the terrain from the top of their hosts’ four-wheel drive vehicle
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The Coopers arrive at their bungalow on the farm in Maasailand
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Copyright: Simon H King
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Top Posts & Pages

  • “Our first ever slow worm in the garden...”
  • Admission of Simon H King as a Fellow of The Linnean Society of London (FLS)
  • THE NAR VALLEY IN NORFOLK – A FOOT SAFARI DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN Part 2.
  • Why didn't Maxwell Knight publish The Frightened Face of Nature?
  • Latest news: An elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London
  • Charming Snakes by Dr Valerie Jeffries
  • The Nar Valley in Norfolk – A foot safari during the Covid lockdown.
  • Where Have All Our Butterflies Gone?
  • Founders & Contributors
  • Introductory lecture: Maxwell Knight the naturalist - Prof. John E Cooper
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