The Heart of a Garden

Nearer to Nature

A stunning wildlife collection led by award-winning natural-history photographer Colin Varndell, capturing the moments that bring us nearer to the animals that share our world. Reverse with facts about the animals pictured, and our relationship with them.

Eco-friendly cards: recycled envelopes, paper from sustainable forestry, compostable outer slips.

Photography: Colin Varndell, Graham Pile (N113), Christine Nichols (N114), Jeff Harrison (N116) & Chris Sharratt (N117, N118), Peter cairns (N119, N122), Gary Woodburn (N123), Ross Hoddinott (N124)

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Text of Reverse of Cards
Code: N101	Roe deer are picky eaters, choosing only the most nutritious garden flowers, brambles, herbs, grasses and foliage from young broad-leaved trees. This makes them somewhat unpopular with gardeners and the forestry industry! The females give birth after a phenomenon known as ‘delayed implantation’. Fertilisation takes place after mating in July, the embryo then ‘floats’ for five months – allowing the doe to build up her reserves for the difficult winter period. The kids are born the following spring, a much better time climate-wise. Twilight is the best time to see roe deer, as they scamper gracefully through woodlands, and occasionally grasslands – but you’ll have to be quick, they move very fast! Roe deer sometimes bark like a dog when startled.

Code: N102	This chick is reminiscent of ‘Plop’, the protagonist of Jill Tomlinson’s wonderful children’s book, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Just like Plop, who, new to flying, was named for his messy landings, this fluffy baby has yet to achieve the graceful good looks of his parents. He is probably thinking about his next meal; baby barn owls are able to eat their own body weight in food every night, but are well catered for by their parents. Barn owls are monogamous and tend to mate for life. They appear to take parenthood seriously – working together to rear the chick for a relatively long period of three months (in the wild most barn owls have a lifespan of just two to three years).

Code: N103	It is unsurprising that the barn owl with its distinctive looks – its heart-shaped face and pure white underparts – is often a feature of myth and legend. Common names such as Demon Owl and Ghost Owl reflect past fears held in many parts of the world that the bird was an evil omen; consequently the barn owl has faced persecution. These days, farmers are more aware of how useful the bird can be – pound for pound it eats more rodents than any other bird, proving very valuable at keeping down pests. A highly effective hunter, the barn owl uses its acute hearing to find prey rather than using its vision. Dusk is when you are most likely to see one, in open countryside or on road verges.

Code: N104	The red fox gets around a bit – not only is it native to the British Isles but also to almost all of Europe, Canada and the United States, North Africa and Asia. Foxes have always been equally loved and reviled in our culture – featuring frequently in fables, folklore and literature. The fox is often portrayed as a sly trickster or an immoral villain, but sometimes as the underdog that uses its superior wisdom to overcome the odds. One popular perception about the fox is that it kills for sheer pleasure. Another theory, however, suggests that foxes only kill surplus to their requirements so that they can cache the extra food – a successful mechanism for surviving in the wild.

Code: N105	This is the largest of the subspecies of grass snake – and one that you can find in Britain. Like many snakes, grass snakes are much misunderstood, sufferers of ignorance and persecution. Harmless to humans, these fascinating creatures prey on fish and amphibians. But fear not if one enters your garden, they actually have a relatively small impact on garden wildlife – and are a part of the food chain themselves. Preyed on by foxes, crows, owls and even domestic cats, they have some pretty strange defence mechanisms. First there’s the tough-guy stuff: the puffing up of the body, accompanied by loud hissing. More disgustingly, if contact is made, they let loose a foul-smelling liquid from their anal glands. If that fails, the grass snake then plays dead, and is one of the few animals to do so, with its tongue sticking out its open mouth for up to 15 minutes! It is obviously keen to be left alone and, as a protected species, that’s just what we should do with it.

Code: N106	Resplendent in green and yellow, the green finch is a colourful character with an unusual wheezing song. They are outgoing, sociable birds, their exuberance occasionally spilling over into squabbles with other birds – especially over the bird table! A common garden visitor that can be seen all year round, greenfinches live communally in small colonies, making their nests in conifers, shrubs and hedgerows. If you want to encourage more birds into your garden, apart from providing water and food, resist the temptation to clear the garden completely of dead wood and leaves. Try to leave messy areas (however painful that may be to a gardener!) of long grass or uncut hedges. These are all ideal habitats for insects, an important part of the diet of birds, particularly when they are rearing their young.

Code: N107	Britain’s smallest rodent: an adult harvest mouse is usually about 6cm long (with a tail of the same length) and often weighs just 6g, less than a two-pence coin! They are busy little things; not only do the females often produce three litters of babies a year, but they have a menagerie of predators to avoid – including foxes, weasels, cats, owls, kestrels and even toads. Harvest mice don’t waste time hibernating; they are active day and night, and have high energy requirements. They need plenty of berries and other fruits, seeds and the occasional insect snack, including agricultural pests such as aphids. The harvest mouse makes good use of its tail, using it as a fifth limb to assist food-finding sprees – winding the tail around grass stalks so that it can quickly climb to the top to munch on the seeds.

Code: N108	The Eurasian otter can be seen in parts of Wales, Ireland, the Lake District, Devon, Cornwall and around many of the Scottish Isles, in rivers, streams and coastal areas. It is well equipped for the aquatic life, with webbed toes, a rudder-like tail and two types of fur providing waterproofing and insulation. Otters can close their ears and nostrils when underwater, and use their sensory whiskers to assist in seeking out prey such as fish and crustaceans. One word for a group of otters is a ‘romp’, alluding to the almost childlike, playful nature of the otter. Splish-sploshing in rivers and sliding on muddy banks, these animals know how to enjoy themselves. However, television-show presenter Terry Nutkins lost two fingers to an angry otter – a reminder of just how ‘wild’ wildlife can be!

Code: N109	Toads certainly like a varied diet, munching on insects, slugs and worms that they catch with their sticky tongues. Large toads will even feast on harvest mice and small grass snakes, swallowing them alive. Snakes will have their revenge, however, as do hedgehogs – two predators that are not put off one bit by the foul-tasting secretion produced from the gland behind the toad’s eyes. Unlike frogs, toads don’t hop – preferring to walk – and only the male toad croaks. The one pictured is a female, isn’t she pretty?

Code: N110	Our native squirrel is a shy, solitary creature. It has no direct quarrel with the grey squirrel and there is no aggression between the two species, but it is smaller, weaker and less able to compete for food and habitats. Scotland is the best place to see them; around 75 per cent of the UK’s remaining red squirrel population resides here. The red squirrel appears in Norse mythology as Ratatoskr, running up and down Yggdrasil (the world tree that connects the earth to the heavens) taking messages and spreading mischievous gossip.

Code: N111	Unlike the gruff, moody character in The Wind in the Willows, badgers are gregarious animals – cubs in particular are wonderfully playful. Dusk is the best time to catch a glimpse of their tomfoolery. As nocturnal animals that live underground, badgers can be elusive – this might explain why they feature so frequently in folklore. All sorts of strange things were once thought about the badger, for instance it was believed that they had shorter legs on one side than the other, caused by walking on sloping hillsides! They have been variously portrayed as lucky or unlucky, and some superstitions allude to badger hair as a protection against witchcraft. These days the badger, or to use its old Celtic name, the brock, is the largest land-dwelling carnivore in the British Isles. Its favourite food seems to be earthworms – of which it can eat up to 200 in a night!

Code: N112	Rabbits are not actually native to the UK, although they now live here in large numbers. Their tendency to, well, breed like rabbits, is truly remarkable. For example, in 1859 just 24 rabbits were introduced into Australia. Less than a century later, rabbit numbers had multiplied to over 600 million! It is this capacity for reproducing that is at the root of the Easter Bunny legend. The character has German origins, and was said to bring children brightly coloured eggs and toys the night before Easter. Since ancient times the rabbit has been a symbol of fertility, associated with the advent of spring, with new life and new beginnings.

Code: N113	The grey squirrel is disliked for having largely displaced the red squirrel following its introduction from North America in the late nineteenth century. However, it can win us over with endearing qualities, its playful nature and its acrobatic ability, as it bounces from tree to tree. Many admire them as quick-witted animals that are able to adapt and thrive in unexpected surroundings such as towns and cities. In fact, in urban landscapes the grey squirrel provides one of the few opportunities for people to see and enjoy wildlife.

Code: N114	Selected by a public ballot, the robin was officially declared Britain’s national bird in 1960. In the Victorian era, postmen wore red tunics and were nicknamed ‘robin redbreasts’. This led to the depiction of a robin delivering an envelope on a Christmas card, and robins have been associated with Christmas ever since. Both males and females are surprisingly aggressive; they will fight viciously over territory and even scrap with their own reflection, mistaking it for another robin! Many superstitions portray the robin as a kindly bird, however, and it was thought to be unlucky to kill one. If you did so, your hands would never stop shaking, while anyone who broke a robin’s eggs would have something valuable of their own broken.

Code: N115	Commenting on the sheer speed of a woodpecker’s drumming, a poem by Ted Hughes poses the question, ‘How do his eyes stay in?’ For a start, the woodpecker keeps its eyes shut while striking. It also has a number of other adaptations that are useful for its lifestyle – including a tongue that is especially sticky, for extracting insects and larvae from bark, and is so long that it has to be curled around inside its skull. A smaller brain, plus shock-absorbing tissue in the head, means that the bird’s jackhammer action, which has an impact velocity of 1,300mph, does not cause brain damage. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is the most numerous of three species of woodpecker that you can see in Britain. The male woodpecker beats against wood not only for the purposes of feeding but also to attract a mate and mark its territory.

Code: N116	This pair appears to be enjoying the snow, but courtship is an altogether trickier business. We might say it with flowers, but the male kingfisher announces his interest with a fish, holding it in his mouth as an offering. If the female declines to take it, the kingfisher simply eats it himself. He may have to go through this process on many occasions before finding a mate, so it’s lucky that fish, along with aquatic insects, are what he likes to eat anyway. Maybe this ‘comfort eating’ provides some respite from loneliness! The kingfisher is not much larger than a house sparrow, and its iridescent plumage is unmistakable, as it whizzes around its preferred habitats of slow-moving streams and rivers, shallow ponds and lakes.

Code: N117	The mountain hare is indigenous to the British Isles, unlike the rabbit and brown hare, which were both introductions. Most mountain hares prepare for winter by moulting, developing a white coat with just the tips of the ears and the area around the eyes and nose remaining brown. They prefer rocky hilltops and moorland, and can reach speeds of over 60km an hour if they feel threatened. The hare appears in the folklore and mythologies of many cultures; in Africa it is considered a trickster. In India and Japan the people often refer to the ‘hare in the moon’ – instead of the man in the moon – seeing a hare’s likeness in the patterns made from the dark patches on the moon’s surface.

Code: N118	Britain’s largest land mammal, the red deer, migrated from Europe in the Ice Age. Mesolithic man hunted the deer extensively as a source of food, skins and tools (produced from their bones and antlers), and their importance is reflected by the frequency with which they feature in cave art. Red deer live in single-sex herds for most of the year, meeting up in autumn for the breeding season known as the rut. Only the stags have antlers, which can weigh up to 6 kilograms each; the antlers start to grow in spring and are usually shed at the end of winter.

Code: N119	The pine marten is a member of the mustelid family, which includes badgers, weasels wolverines and otters. Yet, unlike its relations, it has semi-retractable claws, allowing it to live a mostly arboreal existence. A fantastic tree climber, if it does fall it is agile enough to land safely on all four legs from heights of up to 20 metres. The pine marten is a nocturnal, elusive character. Once widespread across Europe, it has faced persecution from gamekeepers, poisoning, trapping for its fine fur, and had its woodland habitats destroyed. The pine marten is now fully protected in the UK, and you may be lucky enough to spot one in remote areas of Scotland, the Lake District, Wales and Ireland.

Code: N120	This medium-sized raptor can be found in most parts of Europe and into Asia. It breeds in woodland, but hunts in open fields and moorland for its prey – commonly rabbits and other small mammals, but also lizards and snakes. Being a bit of an opportunist, the buzzard is also partial to roadkill! It has a high-pitched call reminiscent of a cat’s meow. The male buzzard performs a spectacular aerial display known as a ‘roller coaster’ in which he rises high in the sky, circles, and then quickly plummets, twisting and turning all the way. This ritual, performed before spring begins, is intended to attract a mate, or to impress an existing one. It must work well, as buzzard pairs mate for life!

Code: N121	The hedgehog has become such a wildlife favourite, with an oddly cuddly image in spite of its spiky exterior, that it’s easy to forget how truly remarkable it is. Adult hedgehogs have around 7,000 spines, each attached to a muscle and able to move independently. These muscles anchor the spines to a large sheet of muscle called a panniculus, which covers the hedgehog’s back; this contracts to allow the animal to roll up if threatened. A hedgehog’s diet mostly consists of insects, but folklore suggests otherwise – with accusations of apple pilfering and suckling from cows. There is no evidence that hedgehogs cache their food, but sightings of fruit accidentally caught on their spikes might be at the root of this myth. Hedgehogs are, however, keen on milk and there are reports of farmers finding them hanging from cows’ udders!

Code: N122	The Scottish wildcat is a larger subspecies of a European native. It might resemble an ordinary domestic moggy, but this is a genuinely wild predator. The ‘Highland tiger’ is reportedly the only wildcat in the UK and is critically endangered – a major threat being its willingness and ability to breed with domestic cats to produce fertile hybrids. One legend tells us that when the Picts first arrived in Scotland they were attacked by wildcats. Like many Highland clans later did, the Picts took the wildcat as their symbol, appreciating its fearless ferocity. Pound for pound wildcats are as powerful as any other cat species, including tigers – so it’s not surprising that folklore wrongly portrays them as attacking people. In fact the wildcat is shy and nocturnal, and sightings are rare.

Code: N123	This Canada goose baby is certainly going through a cute stage, but it won’t last for long. Within a week after hatching the gosling will be an awkward-looking grey fuzzball, and just ten weeks later its flight feathers will have grown and it will be a smaller version of its parents. They do grow up fast, but they work hard at it, eating almost continuously in preparation for their first migratory flight. Geese, like swans, tend to mate for life, and both parents will accompany their goslings as they swim, which they are able to do immediately after hatching. The yearlings will leave their parents the following spring and will find a partner themselves when they are around three years old.

Code: N124	Britain’s oldest native breed of pony is also said to be the purest. A rare survivor, it has inhabited the moor since ancient times and still roams freely in small herds with relatively little human interference. Extremely hardy, the Exmoor pony has a number of features that allow it to withstand harsh climates, and these suggest that it has changed very little since the Stone Age. Fleshy rims on its eyes divert water and give it an appearance often described as ‘toad eyed’. It grows a double coat in cold winters, with a woolly layer underneath and a longer, oily water-repellent outer coat. Hair patterns, such as a ‘snow chute’ on the tail, also help to channel water away. The Exmoor is easily distinguishable from other British native breeds of pony by its lighter, mealy muzzle. It is possible that this colouration, known as pangaré, is a kind of protective countershading. It is a characteristic often found in primitive breeds of horse as well as truly wild equids, such as Przewalski’s horse and onagers.

Code: N125	Celebrated for centuries as a falconry bird, the powerful goshawk is a skilled flier with great manoeuvrability. This formidable bird of prey is most often to be found hunting for small mammals and birds in mature woodlands and forests. It can be amazingly persistent; for example, one report describes a goshawk pursuing a hare along a hedgerow for an hour before finally seizing it. Attila the Hun was clearly an admirer of this bird – wearing the image of a goshawk on his helmet. With its distinctive white eyebrows and bright red eyes, this raptor has a fierce expression which matches its nature; it is known to be particularly aggressive in defence of its nest, attacking other animals, and even people, who get too close.

Code: N126	Britain’s smallest rodent: an adult harvest mouse is usually about 6cm long (with a tail of the same length) and often weighs just 6g, less than a two-pence coin! They are busy little things; not only do the females often produce three litters of babies a year, but they have a menagerie of predators to avoid – including foxes, weasels, cats, owls, kestrels and even toads. Harvest mice don’t waste time hibernating; they are active day and night, and have high energy requirements. They need plenty of berries and other fruits, seeds and the occasional insect snack, including agricultural pests such as aphids. The harvest mouse makes good use of its tail, using it as a fifth limb to assist food-finding sprees – winding the tail around grass stalks so that it can quickly climb to the top to munch on the seeds.

Code: N127	This subspecies of the brown bear can be found across Russia and Scandinavia, and in large numbers in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia. Smaller populations also exist in Greece and Albania, with tiny groups in the Pyrenees and in mountainous regions of Spain and Italy. This bear was photographed in Finland, where it is the national animal. The largest Eurasian brown bear on record weighed 481kg and was nearly 2.5m long! With a mouthful of 42 teeth as well, it is a relief to know that European bears seem to be less aggressive than their Asian and American counterparts – with just three fatal bear attacks recorded in Scandinavia over the last century. In fact, it is the bear that is endangered by us and our activities. Hunting led to their extermination in Britain around AD500 and the sport of bear-hunting is still permitted in some parts of the world today. Brown bears are also persecuted because they can damage crops or kill livestock, but perhaps the biggest threat to the long-term survival of all bear species is the destruction of their habitat.

Code: N128	This subspecies of grey wolf has a range that covers Western Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, China, Mongolia and the Himalayan Mountains. Few animals evoke such strong reactions as the wolf, and few have suffered from so many misconceptions. The subject of numerous folktales, the wolf – generally a shy and elusive creature – has garnered a reputation as a ruthless predator to be loathed and feared. Recorded attacks on humans are rare, yet European tales such as Little Red Riding Hood clearly show how easy it is for the imagination to exaggerate the threat of these animals. Perhaps this is not surprising with the rise of agriculture and the encroachment of habitat leading to conflict between wolves and people. Wolves are not always portrayed so negatively, however. In Roman mythology a female wolf known as Lupa was said to have raised Romulus and Remus, the traditional founders of Rome. There is an array of other stories with similar themes in recognition of the wolf’s strong maternal instinct and attributed qualities of loyalty.

Code: N129	The British climate doesn’t only cause occasional problems for people – this dark, long-tailed warbler has reason to complain as well! Unusually, these birds are resident and don’t migrate for the winter, so they can starve if frosts are severe and insects cannot be found to feed upon. In 1962, the population crashed to just a few pairs from around 450. Fortunately, numbers have gradually increased, but you will need to be sharp eyed to spot these tiny and secretive birds as they dart between gorse and heather on their heathland habitat. If you do surprise them, they might emit a characteristic harsh rattling call before vanishing into cover.

Code: N130	Although mainly a woodland bird, the blue tit is a frequent, and much loved, garden visitor. Noisy and inquisitive, and only weighing about the same as a pound coin, the blue tit actually provides a very useful service to gardeners by keeping down the numbers of plant-damaging pests. You can judge just how helpful the male blue tit has been by the colour of his breast – it indicates the level of carotene pigments in his diet. Thus, the more yellowy-green caterpillars he eats, the yellower his breast – and the more attractive he is to females looking for a mate who will be good at finding food for chicks.

Code: N131	Winter solitude – in a world of one colour the sound of wind. Matsuo Bash? (1644–94) The red fox is highly adaptable, thriving in a range of habitats, and is the most widespread canine species in the world. Often evoking ambivalent emotions, it has been both revered and reviled throughout history. In Japan, the fox, or kitsune, has an important role in mythology. As in many cultures, foxes are portrayed as troublemakers in Japanese folklore, yet they are also treated more sympathetically – depicted as intelligent beings with supernatural abilities. Tales abound of foxes assuming human form and acting as faithful and noble guardians. Whatever your opinion of the fox, it is hard to deny its beauty as it trips stealthily across the snow.

Code: N132	Once common throughout Europe, the Eurasian Lynx is most likely to be found in densely forested areas of Scandinavia, and also has populations in Switzerland, France and Germany. Carbon dating on lynx skulls show that these animals have not lived in Britain since AD450 – but reintroduction is being discussed and has been successful in other countries. Europe’s largest cat weighs between 12 and 35kg and is solitary in nature, needing large territories to range over. With a technique of stalking and pouncing, lynx have been reported to take prey up to four times their own size – but mainly their diet consists of deer, rabbits, hares, birds and even wild boar. Unfortunately, they will also prey on livestock, which can lead to persecution as well as plenty of folktales of the ‘Beast of Bodmin’ variety.

Code: N133	Art thou the bird whom Man loves best The pious bird with the scarlet breast Our little English Robin … Excerpt from ‘The Redbreast Chasing the Butterfly’, William Wordsworth (1770–1850) Britain’s national bird has been traditionally portrayed as an emblem of charity and kindliness. It is, however, feistier than the folklore suggests. Aggressively territorial, it has been known to fight with its own reflection! Although the robin can be seen and heard singing all year round, it has become a symbol of Christmas and the winter season.

Code: N134	Is it a bear? A wolf? A comic character? No, then what is it?! At 11–18kg, it’s actually the largest of the Mustelidae, a family that includes weasels, badgers and otters. Living primarily in remote alpine and arctic areas of Alaska, Canada and Northern European countries, such as Norway, Finland and Sweden, the wolverine has a reputation as a fearsome and resourceful predator. Extremely strong, it has been known to attack animals many times its size, such as caribou, and there have even been reports of a cheeky 12kg wolverine’s attempt to steal a kill from a black bear (which would have weighed in the region of 185kg). A keen climber, the wolverine sometimes pounces onto prey from trees, and its huge fluffy feet act as snowshoes, allowing it to bound across the surface of the snow when hunting.

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