At this year's Fort Victoria Foray - Thursday 19th August we'll need your help with the new Naturespot activity as we attempt to record all the species that we encounter on the day.

There's a new nature trail sheet for you to follow which will help you identify wildlife which you might see as you explore the woodland and the beach of the Country Park.

We will have experts on hand to help identify some of the more difficult or unusual creatures we come across, plus we hope to run a live feed online via www.ispot.org.uk and www.facebook.com/wildonwight throughout the day.

At a similar event called 'Go Wild in the Woods' held in Firestone Copse in June, a massive 447 species were recorded including a brand new species for the Island - so fingers crossed!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Come along and join in a day of fun, free wildlife activities as we celebrate the Island's coast and countryside at the annual Fort Victoria Foray.

Amongst the activities this year are fossil hunting, rock pooling, wildlife gardening and willow weaving. There will also be walks in the woods and on the beach where we need you to help record all wildlife that you encounter for the naturespot activity.

So please bringing your own digital camera or camera phone so you can show us what you've spotted on the day!

The event runs from 10.30am - 4.30pm and is free. There is an overflow car park available and a free shuttle bus will also be provided from Gas Works Lane near Yarmouth Road bridge.

Further information about the day can be obtained by contacting Richard Temple at IW Council Parks and Countryside by calling (01983) 823893 or by emailing richard.temple@iow.gov.uk.

The Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership now have a Facebook page so why not become our 'friend'?

www.facebook.com/wildonwight

We'll be posting updates, stories, news of events and images on the site plus on Thursday 19th August we'll be attempting a live feed at the Fort Victoria Foray where we are asking the public to help us record all the wildlife encountered on the day!

The winners of the 'Name a Species' competition which featured last month as a news item in our blog have now been announced.

Emerging from obscurity, ten previously unnamed British species are now enjoying some long-awaited limelight as the results of the competition to give them popular names have been announced. The winning entries include the Kaliedoscope jellyfish - a beautiful stalked jellyfish and Witches whiskers - a rare lichen which is found here on the Island.

Read the full story and view all 10 species here.

The Footprint Trust’s Adopt-A-Garden scheme, based on the Isle of Wight, is offering free training to would-be gardeners, thanks to funding received from the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme.

Now is the time of year that gardeners are starting to benefit from their worthwhile hobby. Cucumbers, potatoes, courgettes and lettuces are all being picked at the moment. The gardeners are saving their households money and allowing their families to eat really fresh produce, straight from the ground and free of chemicals. If you’re feeling envious and wished that you too could grow your own – then help might be on its way.

The ‘Can You Dig It’ training scheme will give new gardeners the ability to grow vegetables and compost waste. The charity will then try to match up the new gardeners with a nearby garden for them to ‘Adopt.’ Those taking part will be helping the environment too by reducing their ‘food miles’.

Places on the free training scheme are limited to the first 20 people. Preference will be given to those without gardens who are willing to ‘Adopt’ one in their neighbourhood.

For more details contact Don on 01983 822282, or email don@footprint-trust.co.uk