After years of work by members of the Bedfordshire Natural History Society the new Flora of Bedfordshire has been published. County Floras have been and still are an important feature of Britain's botanical scene. The Flora of Bedfordshire provides an up to date account of the status and distribution of our county's flowering plants and mosses.

For more information or to purchase a copy of this incredible publication please visit the Bedfordshire Natural History Society website.

Greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa near Barton le Clay. Photo by Heather Webb

This little bird is a common but declining garden resident. It is known by several names, including hedge accentor, hedge sparrow and hedge warbler. It isn't a sparrow or warbler though, so hedge accentor is in fact the most accurate name. The accentors are a family of songbirds which - except for the dunnock and Japanese accentor - are all mountain dwellers.

The dunnock can at first glance be mistaken for a house sparrow, but its fine pointed bill gives it away. Dunnocks are also slightly smaller than sparrows, and are about the size of a robin. Males and females are similar in appearance.

The species is one of a very few 'polyandrous' birds. This means that females mate with many males. A single brood may include chicks from several fathers. Males assist with chick rearing so it is not uncommon to see two or more males helping the female with chick feeding and care.

The dunnock is one of the host species of the common cuckoo, which lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. Unlike many cuckoo hosts, dunnocks are not able to distinguish the cuckoo egg from its own. As a result these small birds exhaust themselves foraging for and feeding the much larger cuckoo chick.

Dunnocks have a varied diet of insects, worms, seeds and spiders. They are more commonly seen feeding on the ground, creeping cautiously in the garden or on the lawn. They tend to stay close to the cover of shrubs, bramble or scrub.

Photos: top, Christian Roberts; middle Jon Beresford; bottom a dunnock egg, Harry Rutherford

The Nude Ewe project is selling wool spun from Bedfordshire's own conservation grazing flocks. Proceeds are all returned to the flocks working to keep our countryside beautiful.

By munching the bramble, shrubs and other rough vegetation, grazing flocks maintain our meadow and heathland habitats. Without these natural lawnmowers our beautiful grassy hills and fields would turn to scrub.

So support our meadows: visit The Nude Ewe website and knit up your own piece of Bedfordshire!

'bio' = 'life'

'diversity' = 'variety'

So biodiversity = the variety of life on earth: all the different species, habitats, ecosystems and genes that make up the natural world. Every creature - including humans - depends on others for survival. That's why biodiversity is so important!

To find out more check out the DaVersity Code and watch Robert Penguin and Sophie Minnow try to solve a murder at the Natural History Museum!