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A foreword (or Wise-word, I suppose – if you like that sort of thing). This blog, in quite a few ways is a departure from my regular go-lucky scheduling - don’t worry it’s not a completely heart-wrecking piece I promise, unless you’re emotional in which case maybe have a box of tissues handy. Anyone who knows me intimately will tell you that I rarely share my more negative emotions – not out of some weird stoicism and desire to appear strong and confident, but rather a weird

I don’t know how many people take the Biodiversity Literacy module in their final year at University of St Andrews—but I did. And strangely, it gave me an answer to a question I had been thinking about as a graduating student: What does St Andrews actually mean to me? I’ve been thinking about this for almost my entire final year. Soon I’ll be leaving Scotland for a very, very long time, and I keep reflecting on what these four years have really been. Is it love? Regret? Grati

“There are more wonders in this world than you can ever dream of– all you need to do is listen to its stories to see the magic.” There’s an idea I came across in a random post online that people don’t notice the same world. Walk with a typographer in a presumably boring town, and they’ll point out all the cool fonts no one else notices. The same applies to biodiversity. The trees in your garden and the birds you pass on your way to lectures might be extraordinary, but if a pe

No cookies (yet), but birds & stars. Quality of night sky across settlements. Credit: Sriram Murali The night sky is woven with stories of past, present and future. Centuries of weary navigators relying on the ever-bright Polaris to guide them home. Folklore, passing along generational wisdom. And little children connecting dots to see kings of the past. But a few too many streetlights conceal this beauty for so many of us now. Artificial light pollution is excess light fr

The Biodiversity Literacy VIP offered me a way to burst the St. Andrews bubble by grounding myself in the plants and animals that connect this town to Scotland and the world. To start at the beginning, as a Californian, the appeal of going to the University of St. Andrews was the “abroad” experience. I imagined myself stepping into a new life filled with unfamiliar landscapes, diverse cultures, and new experiences. I pictured myself being able to call Scotland home. And then,

From Biodiversity Literacy to Foraging I joined the Biodiversity Literacy VIP because I was looking for a way to connect more meaningfully with St. Andrews. Like many students, I arrived expecting to experience a new country, but quickly found myself living within a small, familiar routine. I wanted something that would help me understand St. Andrews and feel genuinely connected to it. The Biodiversity Literacy VIP offered exactly that. The project aims to increase people’s

Tom has done a lovely job formatting this blog! Go read it! My blog limitations do not do it justice - Alex W :)

If you had told me a year ago that I would spend hours, almost every day, wandering through fields, staring into hedgerows, debating with myself over whether a tiny dot was a blue tit or a great tit, photographing it all and then recording it, I’m not sure if I would have believed you. Yet here I am, soaking wet, freezing cold, my neck aching from the weight of binoculars and a camera, but with a lovely photo to show for my efforts. This blog is ‘for the record’. Blue Tit Gre

Bird walks taught me that understanding biodiversity begins on the ground, with careful observations and local knowledge. While Melville Pond has always been a peaceful place I could go to appreciate nature during my time at St Andrews, my perspective broadened once I saw it from above. My understanding of what was already pleasant from the ground deepened as I saw the whole area for what it was, a complex patchwork of water, reeds, worn footpaths, trees, and tall grass. The

ᛒᛁ ᚪᛚᛖᚳᛋ ᛒᚱᚩᚹᚾ (1) The Altuna runestone. Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, is at the bottom of the stone; Thor is depicted fishing for the massive beast with an ox’s head. Scotland is not exactly well known for clear skies, dry weather and lots of sun. But somewhat surprisingly, there are in fact cold-blooded beasts to be found roaming around the university campus. Herpetofauna (herps for short) is an unnecessarily fancy term for amphibians and reptiles. In the UK, we have 6 na

Picture the scene. It’s one very cold January 2024. You are a spry young 2 nd year student, not yet wizened by the trails of the Honours-years workload. Perhaps you are looking for something a little unique to do with your time at university, or heaven forbid, become employable. “Hey, what’s this “Biodiversity Literacy” VIP module thing, that sounds good-”. You had no idea what you were letting yourself in for, huh. Why, hello there and welcome! To be clear, I’m not bei

What do you think of when you think of wasps? Picnic crashers or eco saviours? If its picnic crashers then you’ve fallen trap to one of nature’s nastiest PR campaigns. Allow me to set the record straight. The media perpetuates wasps as public enemy number one, and if you’ve ever been outside at a picnic, it can feel that way too! Pesky little things swarming your food like a sibling owed their share. The media perpetuates this misinformation like flies to manure, and there’s