Along the Water of Leith

As regular readers of this blog will know, I volunteer with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, picking litter and recording wildlife along a stretch of the river most weeks. 

At this part of its route, the river is brown not because of pollution but because of peat in the water, as it runs down from the peaty Pentland Hills, which isn't to say that Edinburgh's rivers don't have pollution problems (see this article in the Edinburgh Inquirer).

The Water of Leith Walkway is a lovely walk, well worth walking the whole 20 or so miles if you're ever in Edinburgh. But remember, start at the upstream end in the Pentlands, so that you're walking mostly downhill, to make the walk easier. The walkway mostly follows the river quite closely, though the river isn't always visible from the path.

This is the time of year when Red Soldier Beetles appear, and this year is no different, though they are fewer than in previous years. However, I did find this group

My latest post on my new Substack blog is all about butterfly surveying, you can read it here. All the posts in my Substack blog are open and can be read by anyone. If you subscribe for free, you'll get each post arriving in your inbox at 7.30am (UK time). Currently, I've not enabled paid subscriptions, but will do eventually, though I don't intend to put up a paywall on posts.