Nature – Page 12 – Enviro-Mentalist

In the news this week.

I subscribe to a lot of news feeds relating to wildlife and the environment, so here are links to some of the most interesting wildlife articles from this week.

The EU is apparently very miserly when it comes to protecting wildlife, spending a mere 0.1% of its budget on nature protection, leaving the threat of extinction hanging over a large number of species and habitats. Read more here…

Dormice in the UK are under threat, and in a bid to increase populations a number are being released in a secret location in Warwickshire. A few interesting facts about dormice and a very cute picture are included in the article.

Another and, arguably, less cute reintroduction story that has been widely reported on is the release of smooth snakes on the moors in Devon where they used to live until about 50 years ago. These non-venomous snakes are, at the moment, limited by suitable habitat to lowland heaths in Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey.

You may also have heard the sad news that a Golden Eagle that had been fitted with a tracking device enabling its journeys to be followed over the internet by swathes of bird lovers has been found poisoned. The poisoning of birds of prey is still a problem, although this eagle may have been killed by poison left by a gamekeeper for other birds of prey such as hen harriers, white tailed eagles or buzzards.

Have you seen one of these yet?

Earlier this year there was an invasion of Painted Lady (vanessa cardui) butterflies in the UK which had migrated up from the Mediterranean. The eggs laid by these migrants have hatched, the caterpillars have pupated and now, we are told to expect billions of these butterflies in the coming month prior to them migrating back to sunnier and warmer climes to start the life cycle over again. For more information about these visitors please visit the Butterfly Conservation website and record your sightings.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that for something the size of a butterfly, which looks incredibly delicate, to fly down to the south of Spain is pretty incredible. I don’t want to do that and I could get on a ‘plane. When you add in the fact that these often appear in quite large numbers, are attracted to gardens, particularly those with buddleia or verbena bonariensis (i.e. mine) then I think they are pretty special. They are also fantastic to look at and photograph, staying pretty still for quite a while (unlike those pesky large whites which rarely settle and lay their caterpillar-bearing eggs all over my brassicas).

Let’s just hope the sun comes out again.

Gardening for Wildlife (and photography)

We have a small front and back garden which have completely different conditions and uses. Whilst the back is an extension to the house, the front is in full public view. With this in mind the back was designed by James to be tranquil and shady, with quite a few trees, and, although there are some flowers, this is not the focus. The back also has a pond, and is designed with both wildlife and us in mind. The front is another story!

The front garden is south facing and is blasted by the sun for much of the day. It is also not at all sheltered and can have the wind whipping across it. It has been designated as a place for flowers, and, hopefully insects. I am therefore packing in as many flowers, colours and as much movement in as possible. The hope is that I will be able to take photos of both the flowers and the insects that they attract, but also have something vivid that will eventually work through all the seasons.

I started the garden a year ago, and have a few plants that have really worked well. One of these is verbena bonariensis. I have tried growing this for a few years from seed, but never got any to germinate. I was therefore over the moon when my mother-in-law gave me three small plants that had seeded in her garden. Last year they attracted the white butterflies, as well as the occasional tortoiseshell. This year? Well, it is a good year for Painted Ladies, and the good news is that they have found my garden. Saturday was the first sunny day in a while and we had three Painted Ladies in the garden, all on the Verbena.

As I was hoping it would attract insects I planted it next to the path, this makes photography easier. I took a few photos yesterday, but the wind made it a little difficult at times, but the Summer is hopefully young and I will get some good shots at some point. Here is one of my better shots – have you seen one of these this year?

Have you seen any strange, green lights recently?

I saw a tweet at the weekend stating that it was high season for glow worms. So, I hear you ask, what about them? Exactly, I realised that I knew absolutely nothing about glow worms, so I decided to do a bit of research.

There are two species of glow worms in the UK, but one is very rare and restricted to only a couple of sites. The common glow worm, Lampyris Noctiluca, (in common with other glow worms) is a member of the beetle family, and is dark coloured with three pairs of legs at the head end of the body. The green bioluminescent light is emitted by the flightless lady glow worm as a way of attracting any male glow worms flying by and wearing their light-sensitive goggles. (Male and larvae are only faintly luminescent.) As is so often the case in the insect world, the female is larger than the male coming in at between 15 and 25 mm.

(As they say on the TV, now for the science bit, for those of you interested, the glow is caused by the oxidation of luciferin.)

Once the green light has worked its magic the female glow worm turns off her light, lays her eggs and dies. The larvae look like the female, but have small light coloured spots. They feed on small slugs and snails, hanging about under rocks and bark for a couple of years before the adult emerges which then has a lifespan of only 14 days (this is cut tragically short by the adults’ inability to eat).

Glow worms are mainly found in the south of England, and favour chalky or limestone areas. (I am therefore not surprised that I haven’t seen any in Daventry because a) this is the land of claggy clay and b) I have never looked for one and, until researching this article, did not know what one looked like.) Disused railway lines are apparently cool places for them to hang out, although they are often seen in gardens, June and July being the optimum months.

There is quite a lot of information out there for those of you interested in learning more about glow worms, the most useful that I found being:

http://www.galaxypix.com/glowworms/#About%20glow%20worms

http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/lamp.htm

http://www.uksafari.com/glowworms.htm

So, have you ever seen a glow worm?

Bitterns – booming good news.

When I was younger I heard various references on the television to booming bitterns (I watched quite a few nature programmes as a child). I have never seen or heard a bittern, but, as I don’t live near a reed bed, I am not surprised or too disappointed (although I have seen reports of one at Brandon Marsh, so maybe one day…).

I have always thought of them as secretive and elusive, but never as incredibly rare in the UK, which is what I discovered when reading an article in the June 2009 issue of British Wildlife. The RSPB website estimates that there are 75 breeding (booming) males, but the magazine article puts the number of nest sites as closer to 40. So, why the interest? There are two reasons.

Along with many other species of animals and birds, bitterns used to be quite common, and, yes, you’ve guessed, they used to be regulars at the dinner table. However, bittern pies and the decline in suitable habitat (reedbeds) led to their extinction, although they resettled in the 1950s and have been making a slow and steady comeback.

The second reason is linked to climate change. By far the majority of the current breeding population is in Suffolk – that LOW lying part of the country. There is a fear that the increased possibility of storm surges in this part of the country poses a major threat to the reed beds that are frequented by bitterns. (Did you know that the Thames barrier, when first built in the 1980s was operated approximately once a year, more recently it is in use 6 times each year because of increased storm surges.) The worry is that saltwater incursion from high tides and storm surges will make the reedbeds uninhabitable for many species, including the bittern.

However, there is some good news. Bittern numbers have increased since a major initiative was launched to safeguard their habitats, and, at a faster rate than was initially hoped for. The RSPB, Natural England and the Wildlfe Trust are joining forces to make new habitats for the bitterns away from the coast. It is hoped that by siting these close to current nesting areas some pairs will move over. They are also trying to make sites which have booming males but no evidence of nesting activity a little more attractive in the hope that the forlorn male will have more chance of attracting Miss Right – more fish maybe.

In addition they are allowing nature to take its course – some sea defences (shingle banks) which were naturally formed have been buggered about with by well intentioned people resulting in a change of profile. This was in the misguided hope of boosting sea defences, but it hasn’t worked, the water has still breached the defences, vegetation hasn’t colonised and the water hasn’t been able to percolate away – bit of a mess really. At last common sense has prevailed and we are learning that nature made something for a reason.

So, fingers crossed for the bittern and its associated friends that live in the reed beds, hopefully we will soon know how many and where they are and give them a chance of survival, if not a sea view.

Bumblebees

I spent a short amount of time in the garden today trying to photograph bees. I have found that looking through a macro lens makes one study insects much more closely and reveals a fantastic level of detail. So much so that I can be distracted from pressing the shutter button.

I was particularly interested in a bee with an orange behind, which, I am assuming was a red tailed bumble bee (Bombus lapidarius) and wanted to get a shot of it on a cornflower due to the contrasting colours. I took some shots and then it flew off. I then noticed it on some yellow flowers, time for another shot.

It was whilst I was sitting watching the bee and waiting for it to emerge from the midst of the flowers that I noticed another bee on the cornflower. Whilst observing both of these bees, it became apparent that one preferred the orange and yellow flowers, whilst the other was only interested in the cornflowers. Is it the case that individual bees prefer certain colours or types of flowers, or had, for example, cornflower bee already visited all of the yellow flowers and so was avoiding them? Should I be growing as many different types and colours of flowers as I can?

Unexpected finds at Brandon Marsh.

I went for a trip to Brandon Marsh this weekend (I know it is a 40 mile round trip, but I did combine it with a trip to Ryton Organic Gardens which is about 2 miles up the road) with the main aim of seeing and, hopefully, photographing some damselflies. I usually visit the reserve with birdwatching in mind, but, at this time of year it can be pretty hit and miss.

There were a few damselflies and some pretty chunky lilac coloured dragonflies about (no idea what type at all, sorry, I am new to entymology). The dragonflies seemed to be mainly blue-tailed and common blue, but, incredibly hard to get a decent photo of as most were by the side of the lakes. However, there was one particularly co-operative blue-tailed dragonfly which allowed me time to get a few decent shots and some not so good ones. This is her eating lunch:

This is her after she moved to a better position so I could get a better shot:

It was whilst I was sitting in a hide staring at some common blue damselflies that were cavorting around the edge of the lake that I happened to look down and saw this:

OK, maybe not the most exciting thing to most people, but, if you have never seen one before and find yourself about 3 feet above it staring it in the eye – and it is staring back…then it there is reason to be excited. (As was hearing my first cuckoo in 16 years!)

Damselflies

At this time of year you may notice lots of damselflies zipping about. As far as I can tell these emerge from the pond earlier than dragonflies, and, who can blame them as they make a tasty meal for their voracious cousins.

The damselfly lays it eggs in or close to water and these hatch after about a month. The nymphs then remain in the pond for one to two years before crawling up a convenient piece of vegetation and emerging from their larval case (exuvia). I think we have had at least 10 emerge from our pond in the last month. Here’s a picture I caught of a damselfy as it was emerging.

The damselfly then has to sit there as it pumps fluid to its wings and dries out before it can fly off. The time taken for this depends on the weather and one I was watching took about 3 hours in early May, but about half that time a couple of weeks later.

Damselflies are much smaller than dragonflies, and sit with their wings held in to their long slim body (thorax) unlike dragonflies which are much larger and wider and who hold their wider wings out.

This is a large red damselfy (which I think is the species that emerged from the pond in early May). Unfortunately they only tend to live for a few weeks so enjoy them whilst you can. Can you think of a better reason to put a pond in your garden than to see these fantastic creatures close-up?

For a great introduction to dragonflies and damselflies see the Leicestershire and Rutland Dragonfly Group website.

Native Bees to the Rescue?

According to some recent reports (the Guardian and Radio 4) a new study is looking at the potential of the native black bee as a solution to the disappearance of about 30% of the UK’s honeybees. The current bee population is based on an Italian bee which is relatively docile and very prolific as a honey producer. The theory being tested is that the cold wet summers have left the Mediterranean bee less well equipped to deal with the Winter, whereas the native black bee is more used to the typically damp British weather and is therefore better equipped to last through the Winter on depleted food supplies.

I had heard about the black bee, but did not realise there are several colonies in the UK. The first step is being helped by the Co-Op which has launched a fund to help map where existing populations exist so they can be used to increase the numbers of native black bees.

For more background on the current problems in the bee population (although it is admittedly slightly USA – centric despite being written by a British couple) a good place to start is the book ‘A World Without Bees‘ or read the story as published in the Guardian this week.

‘Pests’ and pricing.

If deer, rabbit and pigeons are such a pest causing millions of pounds of damage each year, then why are they so expensive and difficult to source at the butchers and supermarket?

A couple of weeks ago BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today concentrated on the problem of pests in farming, including some that those of us who are non-farmers would probably not have thought about straight away. Each day they highlighted a different animal, the damage they caused and the cost of protecting against them. The animals covered included pigeons, deer and rabbits, wild boar and rats.

Deer populations have apparently increased in recent years, and are attracted to the crops that are planted by the farmers as well as causing problems for forestry. A lot of money is spent on deer proof fencing as they are large enough to barge their way through standard fences if they want to get to the other side.

The rabbit population currently stands at 45 million, they cause damage to crops but also to machinery due to the holes that they create. Pigeons are also on the increase, woodpigeons being one of the most successful birds of recent years despite those declines seen in other wild bird populations often finding their way into grain stores as well as causing problems in the fields.

Now, I don’t come from a farming background, or even a rural one, so I find it hard to think about fluffy bunnies being a nuisance or deer, of which I have only seen a few, to be sufficient in number to cause damage (although I can quite understand the pigeon problems – we have one that runs amok in our garden most days). However, there is a burning question in my mind, why are these so expensive to buy at the butchers or supermarket? If these animals are costing hundreds of millions of pounds each year then why do two venison steaks cost £5.99 at Waitrose, why are pigeons about the same price as chicken when they are about a tenth of the size and why, is it almost impossible to buy rabbit (I have even tried a local butcher for rabbit and venison). Even if I could buy rabbit, the chances are that it would be farmed. Yes, that’s right, approximately 95% of rabbit sold in this country is farmed (and often not in conditions that are much better than those of battery chickens). So, in response to the damage these are causing can we not employ people to humanely kill these pests and sell them locally for a reasonable price – are we missing a trick, can Jamie Oliver create a market for rabbit? Is it time to simplify the legislation, are we concerned that these ‘pests’ are going to become extinct. We can’t leave it all to the polecats (although maybe this is a case for the reintroduction of lynx and wolves?).