Phil’s Substack

Phil’s Substack

Home
Archive
About
Attracted by a cover, charmed by the contents
Edwardian publishers certainly knew how to produce exquisite book covers.
 • Phil Gates
To the woods! Velvet shanks, masked bandits, an inky alien and woodland mosses' window of opportunity
Last year was a local mast year for oak acorn production and the ground under the trees is still covered with them.
 • Phil Gates
Cowslips at Christmas - a tale of Primula floral promiscuity, and an annual New Year hunt for seasonally confused flowers
These cowslips have been flowering in our garden since mid-December.
 • Phil Gates
A happy accident
Chinese lanterns for Christmas
 • Phil Gates
The botanical carousel of the seasons slows in winter, but never quite grinds to a halt.
From this morning’s walk around Wolsingham in Weardale, just a couple of days before the winter solstice, the promise of spring, Pristine new lesser…
 • Phil Gates
A wandering wasp, a bird that can silence church bells, winter fragrance and a feline gate guardian
One December day, several years ago, I found a queen wasp hibernating in a finger of my gardening gloves, a memorably painful encounter.
 • Phil Gates
Travellers' joy on the last bus home
Feathery clouds of Clematis vitalba seeds, entangled in the briars and hazels in the corner of the field, shine in winter sunshine.
 • Phil Gates
Phil’s Substack
Phil’s Substack
My personal Substack
Recommendations
View all 12
Still in the Wild
Still in the Wild
Jane Wisbey
Heritage Trees of Scotland
Heritage Trees of Scotland
Charlotte
Our Natural Place with Felicity Martin
Our Natural Place with Felicity Martin
Felicity Martin
User's avatar
Pedro Lourenco
Pedro Lourenco
User's avatar
Deborah Gaudin
Deborah Gaudin

Phil’s Substack

AboutArchiveRecommendationsSitemap
© 2026 Phil Gates · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture