Nature in the Dales

21/10/2026

Wildlife Officer Matt and Dales Volunteer Greg headed out to the River Wharfe last week attempting to carry out our monthly Riverfly survey... but as you can see, the river had other ideas!

High river levels can make surveying impossible, but monitoring riverflies is an important way of assessing the health of our rivers and streams. These fascinating insects are highly sensitive to pollution, making them excellent indicators of water quality.

Want to find out more about riverflies and the work being done to monitor them? Take a look at the Riverfly Partnership website: https://www.riverflies.org/

29/09/2026

We are working with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and RSPB to deliver an exciting project that will work with a number of local communities to help save four iconic bird species that are characteristic of our Dales’ villages – House Martin, House Sparrow, Starling and Swift. Watch our film 👇

https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/about/wildlife/projects/homes-for-dales-house-birds/

📸 Nick Upton |

16/09/2026

Managing public lawns, parks, or churchyards in the Yorkshire Dales? Turn your amenity grassland into a wildlife haven!

Iconic species like the house sparrow, starling, house martin, and swift are classified as 'category 1' species in the Yorkshire Dales Nature Recovery Plan, meaning they need bespoke conservation actions to help populations recover. They have seen drastic population declines and are now on the UK Red List. They rely heavily on the insects found in healthy, diverse grasslands to feed their young.

If you manage amenity land, corporate grounds, or community green spaces, minor adjustments to your management routine can make a massive difference to wildlife, including these four bird species.

This could include:
• Relaxing your mowing regime: leave designated zones unmown through the summer to let wildflowers set seed and attract insects. These tall marginal areas are extremely valuable to all kinds of wildlife, and can connect up other habitats.
• Remove arisings off site: this will prevent nutrients being added back into the soil, which can lead to a small number of competitive plant species dominating the habitat, rather than many species growing together.
• Leaving habitat piles: instead of being too tidy, pile up logs or leaves to create insect breeding grounds.
• Stop chemical treatments: avoid fertilisers, weedkillers and pesticides that negatively affect insect populations.

If your amenity land is in or near Settle, Clapham, Austwick, Askrigg, Malhamdale, Swaledale, Sedbergh or Lower Wharfedale, we can offer direct help!

As part of the Homes for House Birds Project, we can support you in developing a grassland management plan for your site. Get in touch for free support – [email protected]
Visit www.ydmt.org/what-we-do/landscape-and-wildlife/homes-for-house-birds to get involved!

Drastic declines in breeding populations of House Martins, House Sparrows, Starlings and Swifts, mean that these once common birds are now on the UK Red List. House nesting birds are still found across the Yorkshire Dales where gaps in traditional buildings provide nesting sites and the surrounding....

16/09/2026

Yorkshire Dales villages wouldn’t feel the same without the screaming of swifts overhead during the summer months, house martins nesting under the eaves, and the chatter of starlings and house sparrows.

But these much-loved birds are in trouble. Across the UK, numbers have fallen sharply, and one of the biggest challenges is a lack of safe places to nest.

That’s where local people can make a real difference. Through the Homes for Dales House Birds project, eligible homes, farms, community buildings and other suitable sites in parts of the Yorkshire Dales can apply for nest boxes designed for swifts, house martins, starlings and house sparrows.

The first phase has already seen more than 300 nest boxes installed. Now we’re looking for more local hosts to help give these iconic Dales birds a better chance when they return next spring.

It’s not just about boxes, either. Alongside creating new nest sites, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is working to improve nearby habitats - including species-rich meadows and wildlife-friendly hedgerows - so there are more insects and seeds for birds to feed on.

Could your property become a home for housebirds? Applications for new nest boxes are open now and close on 30 September. Check if your village is eligible and apply here: https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/about/wildlife/projects/homes-for-dales-house-birds/

📸 RSPB

28/08/2026

A Great Pied Hoverfly nectaring on Devil’s-bit Scabious recorded by Robyn this week in our wildlife garden at Colvend.

One of Britain's largest and most distinctive hoverflies, the Great Pied Hoverfly has fascinating larvae that develop in the nests of social wasps and bumblebees. At this time of year, the blue-purple flowers of Devil’s-bit Scabious brighten grasslands and wetlands across the Yorkshire Dales, providing a vital late-season nectar source for pollinators.

25/08/2026

🦉 Behind every conservation success story is good data.

We're seeking a Nature Recovery Data Management Officer to help us understand, monitor and improve the condition of habitats and species across the Yorkshire Dales National Park. If you can turn complex data into meaningful insights and want your work to have a lasting impact on nature, this could be the role for you. 🌿📊

More 👉 https://ow.ly/cYGh50ZAZbU

📸 Hewitt & Walker |

13/08/2026

Ian snapped this hummingbird hawk-moth feeding on nectar in the garden at our Grassington office this lunchtime!

With its rapid wingbeats and remarkable ability to hover in mid-air, it's easy to see how this fascinating moth earned its name, looking just like a tiny hummingbird as it feeds.

07/08/2026

📸 A Painted Lady Summer in the Yorkshire Dales! 🦋

Robyn spotted this beautiful Painted Lady butterfly near Ingleton over the weekend, where large numbers were enjoying the knapweed flowers. It’s shaping up to be a real "Painted Lady Summer", with significant numbers of these remarkable butterflies migrating from mainland Europe to the UK.

Have you seen any Painted Ladies where you are? Keep an eye out in gardens, meadows and wildflower-rich areas, and help Butterfly Conservation track this year's migration by taking part in their national count:

👉 https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/help-us-count-the-paintedladysummer

Butterfly Conservation is asking nature lovers around the country to help count an explosion of exotic Painted Lady butterflies across the UK.Warm weather across Europe this spring prompted millions of Painted Ladies to flock to our shores from Africa, and videos on social media show clouds of them....

05/08/2026

30/07/2026

🌱Make the Most of Your Grass This Autumn🌱
📅SUNDAY 2nd AUGUST
⌚6:00 pm
📍Cogden Hall, Courtesy of the Allison Family
📱To book call / text Carol on 07917666514

**A special event for Teesdale and Swaledale Farmers only**

Join The Farmer Network and the Tees Swale Naturally Connected Programme for an evening of practical advice with Ian Cairns.

Discover proven grazing strategies, effective creep feeding, and how to manage autumn grass to get the best from your livestock and improve your bottom line.
🌱Practical, farm-tested advice
🌱Improve grass utilisation
🌱Boost livestock performance
🌱Support healthier, more resilient grasslands/ pastures
🌱Increase returns from your grazing system

Come along, ask questions, and take home ideas you can put into practice straight away.

This event has been organised through the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to the National Lottery players. The Tees-Swale programme is led by the North Pennines National Landscape team, in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority