On a bleak winter’s day in the garden, it can be a pleasant surprise to turn a corner and experience a sweet scent wafting in the cold air. An inconspicuous shrub called Sarcococca confusa or Sweet box could be the provenance of the unusual fragrance hanging in the air. This evergreen shrub with glossy green ovate…
Animals that obtain nutrients by eating detritus which is dead animal and plant parts are called detritivores (1). They ingest the nutrients. Examples of detritivores are earthworms, slugs and snails, millipedes, dung beetles and the larvae of beetles and flies.On the other hand, organisms that break down dead plants and animals into substances that plants…
As August progresses into deep autumn berries tinted with pink and red begin appearing on the hedgerows. Technically, some of these berries are drupes which are fruits with seeds that are like small stones such as those in holly “berries”. These flushing colours will eventually change to strong reds, blacks and oranges to attract feeders…