Page 8 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #10

WILDOCTOBER

2 | SEA TROUT
Homeward bound

Atlantic salmon aren’t the only fish
heading upstream to spawn in
gravelly riverbeds at this time of year
– there are sea trout, too. Technically
the same species as the brown trout
that remain in fresh water, these
are muscular, powerful fish. Like
salmon, they migrate mainly at
night, guided by a combination of
chemical and magnetic cues. As Paul
Evans writes in his new book How
to See Nature (Pavilion Books), their
“whole physical being is a sensory
organ”. Each fish is so sensitive to its
aquatic environment that it can even
“taste the rinsing of human hands
in the water”.

FIND OUT MORE Learn more
about wild trout at wildtrout.org

3 | GUELDER ROSE
Autumn colour

Though much less well known
than rowan, or mountain ash,
the guelder rose arguably
bears the brightest fruit. This
small tree or shrub grows in
hedgerows, scrub and woodland
edge, reaching a few metres tall,
and is widely planted too. It is
native to the British Isles, but,
curiously, is named after the
region of the Netherlands where
an ornamental variety was first
grown. The scarlet berries,
which hang in plump clusters, T rout: Jack Perks; guelder rose: John Bebbington; teal: James Lowen
are enjoyed by bullfinches,
making a popular subject for
wildlife photographers.

FIND OUT MORE Discover
more UK flora at plantlife.org.uk

8 BBC Wildlife October 2018