The Wildlife Information Centre (TWIC)

02/06/2026

Take on this June 🌿

Looking for a simple way to connect with nature this summer? The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge is back, inviting everyone to do one “wild” thing each day throughout June 🌱

From noticing the details on a leaf, to watching wildlife in your local green space, every small action helps you connect with nature and make a positive difference 💚

It’s free, flexible, and open to everyone!

👉 Find out more and sign up:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild

30/05/2026

TWIC’s Manager, Natalie, led a broadleaved trees workshop at Selkirk Hill this morning. A terrific site to spend a pleasant few hours looking at the finer details of trees. Thanks to everyone who attended and Bright Green Nature for inviting us. 🌳 Workshops on Wildflowers and Fern ID are to follow.

29/05/2026

🌿🗺️ What we don’t record can matter just as much as what we do

This landscape may look quiet, but that doesn’t mean wildlife is absent.
When sightings aren’t recorded, places like this can appear empty in data, even when they support a wide range of species.

📍 Recording everyday wildlife helps fill these gaps and build a more accurate picture of nature around us.

27/05/2026

Native Bluebells in bloom 💙

These iconic spring flowers aren’t just beautiful! The UK is home to a significant proportion of the world’s Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) making our woodlands internationally important for this species 🌍

But our native Bluebells can be under threat, particularly from hybridisation with non-native garden varieties. Spotting and recording them helps us better understand where they’re thriving and where they may need protection.

📍 Seen Bluebells near you? Add your records to iRecord and help build the bigger picture for conservation.

📸 Rebekah Wilson

25/05/2026

🌿 Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) seeds in the making

These papery discs are developing elm samaras, each one carrying a single seed ready to spin away on the wind later in the season.

Right now, the seed sits in that reddish centre, surrounded by a thin wing that helps it travel. It’s a clever adaptation - rather than dropping straight down, elm seeds can spread further from the parent tree.

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks and you’ll see them mature, dry, and eventually drift away.

📸 Rebekah Wilson

22/05/2026

22/05/2026

A great weekend at Falkirk Science Festival! 🔬

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Wild Science stall to learn more about local wildlife and environmental data. 🌿

📸 Jackie Stewart

20/05/2026

🌍 World Bee Day – 20 May 🐝

From tree bumblebees nesting in bird boxes to common carder bees feeding on comfrey, even everyday sightings help build a better picture of our pollinators.
If you spot a bee, record it and submit your record - even common species and simple records are incredibly valuable 💛

Together, these records help support bee conservation and protect nature where we live.

🔗 Find out more and submit records:
👉 Bumblebee Conservation Trust
👉 BWARS - Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society

📸 Photo: David Palmer – common carder bee on comfrey

19/05/2026

🚨 Two opportunities to join our team, but time is running out!

🌿 Biological Records Ecologist – closes today
🗺️ GIS and IT Officer – closes tomorrow

If you’re passionate about data, nature and making a difference, don’t miss your chance -apply now! ⏳

18/05/2026

A great team day out at Vogrie Country Park checking on Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) 🌿

This striking woodland plant is locally rare in Midlothian - once thought extinct here, it was rediscovered in the Vogrie area and is now being carefully monitored. Found in damp broad‑leaved woodland on calcareous soils, it’s a brilliant example of why ongoing survey work matters.

Always a highlight to see it thriving!

📷️ Natalie Harmsworth & Rebekah Wilson