The Fly Trap by Fredrick Sjoberg

As many readers of this blog will know, I have a particular interest in hoverflies, many of which mimic bees or wasps. So I was particularly interested in this book when I saw it mentioned in this post in Whilst Out Walking, one of the Substacks I read. I buy many of my books second hand, but I doubted I would be able to find this one in a charity shop so I went to a local book shop and luckily there was a copy on the shelves. 

The author lives on an island in Sweden and devotes himself to collecting and identifying the hoverflies on that island. He amusingly describes collectors of hoverflies as: "quiet contemplative people [whose] behaviour in the field is relatively aristocratic".He himself first got specifically interested in hoverflies, when accidentally catching one that was an expert mimic of a large bee, which turned out to be very rare in Sweden. 

He discusses whether to use an insect trap or not, though doesn't address the ethics of whether collecting and killing insects is ethical in the current drastic decline in insect numbers. (He actually at a couple of points makes comments that seem oddly dismissive of wider issues of ecology). The discussion about traps leads into a focus on Rene Malaise, the Swedish inventor of the eponymous insect trap, his travels in Kamchatka and his interest in art collecting. 

This book is really a meandering exploration of being a collector, the hoverflies being just the starting point. Luckily (for those of us who already love hoverflies) there are interesting insights into these insects, such as the fact that the Narcissus Fly (Merodon equestris) can be identified by the distinctive sound of its buzzing, I'll definitely need to listen more carefully next time I find one of those! I was also fascinated by the fact that it is: "possible to map the movements of the most peripatetic hoverflies by examining the grains of pollen in their coats and determining where these originated".

Along the way, the book brings in observations on topics from the value of disturbed ground for hoverflies; forensic entomology ("more than 500 species (of insects) may be involved in the decomposition of a large cadaver"), a mention of hoverflies in the Bible and how to tell whether an entomologist loved their partner or whether it was a marriage of convenience ("Check and see if he named any hymenoptera after her. In that case it was true love").

The book also includes a challenge, one that as a poet and hoverfly fan I feel bound to attempt: "what poet writes verses in honour of the narcissus fly? Or of any hoverfly at all?"

Originally published in Swedish in around 2005, the book was translated into English by Thomas Teal and published in hardback in 2014 and in paperback in 2015.

The Fly Trap by Fredrick Sjoberg, translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal published (2015) by Penguin. 

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If you're in the British Isles and want to learn to identify hoverflies, I'd recommend Hoverflies of Britain and Ireland, a Field Guide by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris.

 

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My Substack post this week focusses on migratory birds and insects. Some hoverflies migrate! You can read the article here.  

 

 

Autumn in the Hermitage of Braid

 We had a lovely autumnal weekend walk round Blackford Pond and the Hermitage of Braid. The autumn colours were pretty

 

We were very happy to see lots of fungi in the woods, though we didn't try to name most of them, here's just a selection. The first photo shows a species of puffball, but we haven't identified the rest. 

 

 

I was fascinated by this Harlequin Ladybird, travelling around the fungus

 

Insects on Fences

 At this time of year, it's common to see ladybirds gathering together on fences (or gravestones) to hibernate. Yesterday, I was surprised to find a group of hoverfly larvae gathered on a fence post where I would have expected to see ladybirds. (I'm not entirely sure that the green insect in the photo below is a hoverfly larva, but the rest of them certainly are) 

I also wrote about this in yesterday's post on my Crafty Green Substack (with several photos). You can read that article here. 
 

The Healing Wisdom of the Forest by Anthony D. Fredericks

 

Subtitled Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility and Joy, this is the latest book from Anthony D. Fredericks, professor emeritus of education at York College, in York, Pennsylvania where he taught general science and creative writing courses for 30 years.

The book is prefaced with the author's account of a particularly memorable childhood encounter with a mother deer and her fawn, which sparked his lifelong interest in forests. The remaining chapters share what he has learned over the years from his times in forests, starting from his childhood camping and fishing trips to the John Muir Wilderness in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. (I myself enjoyed an unforgettable trip to this area too, when I was a child!)

Each brief chapter shares something that the author has learned from time spent in forests, and from the lives of notable individual trees, and then gives us a practical tip for life, a journalling prompt and a snippet to think about. For example, the starting point of observing 'burls' (age related imperfections) on an ancient bald cypress tree, leads to a passage about accepting our own imperfections. The practical exercise in this chapter is to pay close attention to the differences between trees and the imperfections of individual trees; the journalling prompt is to think about your own imperfections more as unique aspects of yourself and the topic to think about is to consider the imperfections of the box elder, whose "Brittle limbs, twisted trunks susceptible to rot, and dull yellow leaves often put this species in the “ugly tree” category."  

Interesting / inspiring quotes from various writers are scattered among the chapters, my favourite (given that I've done wildlife surveys of Edinburgh's cemeteries) being "Forests may be gorgeous, but there is nothing more alive than a tree that learns how to grow in a cemetery." from Andrea Gibson.

I really enjoyed the way that Fredericks used observations from nature as a starting point both for investigating nature itself in greater detail but also thinking about ourselves more deeply and seeing ourselves as being more integrated with the nature we see around us. This dual approach gives this book a particular texture and richness, that gives it an appeal that I don't find in standard self help texts, though having said that, it does become a little repetitive at times in terms of the life lessons offered. 

This book is designed to be read slowly, one brief chapter every week or something so that you can spend time thinking about the lessons the trees (and the author) are offering you. 

The Healing Wisdom of the Forest by Anthony D. Fredericks, published (2025) by  Health Communications, Inc.

Disclaimer: I was sent a free electronic copy of this book  in return for an honest review

A Weekend Walk Along the Water of Leith

 Yesterday we took a lovely walk along the Water of Leith from Roseburn to Stockbridge. Storm Amy was still in evidence in the high winds, but it stayed dry. We had a wonderful view of a Dipper (though didn't get a photo) and did capture this Grey Heron on camera.

 We saw several ladybirds (mostly Harlequins, as the two in the photo below) gathering together, ready for hibernation 

and these fungi, which we didn't manage to identify
 

It was UK Fungus Day yesterday, a chance to celebrate fungi, which are such a feature of our autumns! 

Infinite Paradise by Dianne Ebertt Beeaff

 

This memoir follows the seasons over a year, on sixteen acres of wild land along the Conestoga River in Southern Ontario, Canada. The land has been in the author's family for many years and she writes about it with a keen observational eye and a great affection for the wildlife that lives there. 

The author starts by taking the reader on a tour along the river, introducing us to the wildlife and humans that share this place and inviting us to slow down and appreciate the natural treasures that surround us. She obviously knows the land very well, she knows where the raccoons live, where the beavers build their dams, and where the blackbirds nest. She is attuned to seasonal change such that she can tell us things like: "A patch of toothy-leaved herb Robert, its tiny pinkish blooms already nearly done, spreads out in emerald-green beneath a rift in the canopy of young cedars. In a few short weeks, we’ll see the yellow-orange spurred slippers of spotted jewelweed in their place." 

We're then treated to Beeartt's nature diary, starting on 1 March, when snow still lies heavy on the ground through the seasons. She details the weather and the wildlife she sees around her, and includes interesting facts such as: "Red squirrels can even suss out the difference between maple species, singling out those with the highest sugar concentrations." This is followed by an exploration of the history of human use of maple syrup, which I found fascinating (even though I don't like the taste of maple syrup).

This use of nature observations as a way into exploring the ecology, geology, history and cultures of the area, is a real strength of the book, giving the reader a deep sense of the place. She also uses nature as a way into thinking about the divine and the nature of religious belief and for looking at issues such as climate change, pollution and nature deficit disorder. For every month she shares information about the flower (for example, the common Daisy is the flower for April) and possibly more information than we need about the birthstone. 

It's a beautifully detailed book that leaves the reader with the impression that Beeaff would be a great person to have as a walking companion. 

Infinite Paradise by Dianne Ebertt Beeaff published (2025) by She Writes Press  

Disclaimer: I was sent a free electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review.

 

Emus and Goats at Edinburgh's Hidden Cold War Bunker

The day before we went on holiday to Dumfries and Galloway we visited Barnton Bunker - Edinburgh's hidden Cold War Nuclear Bunker! It's currently being restored and transformed into an arts venue. You can read a little more about the bunker itself in today's post over on my Shapeshifting Green blog. 

The bunker is surrounded by open space on Corstorphine Hill, with some pretty dramatic cliffs, great views across to the Firth of Forth

 

and some unexpected residents. The goats are very friendly - here are two we made friends with. 

 

The bunker keeps emus to scare off potential thieves and vandals, but the emus are pretty friendly too, during our visit, we were given special emu food that we could feed directly to the emus. The emu standing in front of the emu shed in the photo below is called Joyce

The bunker held a launch event today for its community garden, which I had intended to go along to, with a friend, who since cancelled. I didn't feel like going along by myself though.