iNaturalist Population Maps

 It's not perfect data by any means, but you can make some pretty interesting insights by browsing iNaturalist's species maps.

As someone who was very enthusiastic about reptlies growing up, it was always perplexing to me how I could never find any reptiles near where I lived in Central Scotland. Whenever I went on holiday I would find plenty, but not at home. As you can see from the iNaturalist data, I am not alone in finding reptiles to be scarce in the Central Belt.

Adder - Vipera berus - iNaturalist observations.

Slow worm - Anguis fragilis - iNaturalist observations

Also, Slow worms *really dislike* Italy:

Maps For Local Knowledge

 There are lots of wonderful resources available on-line to help you know more about places in Scotland.
Use these to embellish your knowledge of familar places, prep for an exploratory walk, or even browse them to find new places that might be worth a visit.

- Canmore - a fantastic map with thousands of archaeological records.
https://canmore.org.uk/site/search/result?SITECOUNTRY=0&view=map

 

- Nature Scotland has a map that outlines nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest - with links describing what is special in each site.
https://sitelink.nature.scot/map

- National library of Scotland has a number of old maps that can be browsed here. You can also view them overlayed on modern maps or satellite imagery to compare the current state with how things used to be.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=55.91865&lon=-5.22467&layers=5&b=1

- OS Name Books In conjunction with the above, you can look up nearly any place name on the Ordnance Survey maps in the following website to see the original notes in the the OS Name Books on the meaning and history of the name, often contain useful titbits of information in the descriptions.

 

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/

 

 

- National Biodiversity Network lets you view maps of biological records for a particular species or higher taxon. They also allow you to browse all records near a specific location, which is a great way to find out what flora and fauna have been seen in a particular neck of the woods.
https://nbnatlas.org/

 

- British Geological Survey has a map viewer that indicates the various kinds of bedrock in your area.
https://geologyviewer.bgs.ac.uk/