Protect our Pollinators: Identifying the UK’s Bee Populations

By chx0ut4DMin Comment Closed
The Humble Bee The UK is home to more than 250 species of bee, ranging from honeybees to bumblebees and the lesser-known solitary bees. Together they play an essential role in the maintenance of biodiversity and functioning of our ecosystems. Unfortunately, a combination of habitat loss, pesticides and climate change are contributing to the startling decline in our bee populations.  Understanding the humble bee’s role in our world is paramount to their protection. With such a diversity of species comes a wide range of specialities. However, many species appear remarkably similar, making it near impossible to differentiate between them. This is where species identification becomes crucial, allowing us to understand which species are present, and how to best protect them. Become the Bee's Knees in Species ID... Bumblebees, like Bombus terrestris are the classic fluffy fliers you know and love. With their thick fur coat they can fly in cooler, low light conditions. For this reason, they can kick-start pollination in early spring, when many species are not yet active. Bumblebees carry out pollination across wildflowers, and a few crops, but their special...
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Mini Architects: The Hidden Importance of Lichens and Mosses 

By chx0ut4DMin Comment Closed
Hidden Heroes Lichens and mosses make up some of the lesser noticed details of the forest. Growing quietly on stone walls, tree bark and exposed rock, they occupy a large range of ecological niches, supporting the ecosystem in some very unexpected ways. Acting as keystone species, entire ecosystem health can rely upon them, with removal having catastrophic effects.   Despite sharing morphological similarities and harmoniously growing side by side, these two organisms are very different, making species much trickier than it seems.  Both life forms play a pivotal role in primary succession, the earliest stage of ecosystem formation. Lichens break down rocks through chemical and physical means, this creates the first layers of soil in otherwise barren landscapes. This thin substrate is then colonised by mosses, stabilising and enriching conditions, encouraging new species to establish.   Lichens Despite appearing as a single organism, lichens are a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner. The latter is usually a cyanobacteria or green algae. The thallus is the main body of the lichen, made mostly of the fungus, whilst the sugar-producing partner provides food.   Many lichens belong to the Ascomycota phylum and can be classified according to their fungal partner. This...
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The Quadruple Whammy For Christmas

The Quadruple Whammy For Christmas

By chXout Team Comment Closed
The press are predicting a difficult winter period, the so called quadruple whammy of Covid-19, influenza, Brexit and climate change (flooding). We hope it will be much better than that. With good fortune and good behaviour the second spike of coronavirus can be avoided. Flu vaccines are already being shipped and in the Southern Hemisphere, now in winter, measures to prevent Covid-19 infection are reducing the number of flu infections.  The hit to the economy from Covid-19 is many fold greater than anything predicted for Brexit. In any event, the EU is in as much Covid-19 turmoil as we are. With international travel at its highest ever level pre-pandemic, this horrible virus spread around the world quickly and although we had some time to react, the ponderous response by Western Governments was fuelled by liberal economists and a series of experts (herd community?) relying on the precedents of other viruses. Always look outside the box my friends, always. The shutdown was late (but...
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Can Nature Improve Our Mood During Lockdown

Can Nature Improve Our Mood During Lockdown

By chXout Team Comment Closed
‘A walk-in nature, walks the soul back home’ - Mary Davis The environments that we are confined to can impact our body, mind and spirit profoundly. What we hear, touch, smell and see can not only affect our mood but our nervous, endocrine and immune systems as well. Say you are in a stressful environment, your heart rate goes up, elevating your blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension, suppressing your body’s systems. You would find that the opposite happens in a relaxed and more pleasant environment like a spa or a walk in the woods listening to bird song. Being in nature or even just viewing nature from a window can reduce feelings of anger, pain and stress. We are literally genetically programmed to find elements of nature engrossing as we humans were not made to sit inside all day. Nature can lower the production of stress hormones and researchers have even stated that it could reduce mortality. Even a single potted...
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Tree Killing Beetles

Tree Killing Beetles

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Did you know that elm trees were nearly wiped out by a fungal disease carried by beetles?Before elm was disseminated by beetles carrying a microfungi, it was the second most important broad leaf timber in Britain to oak. Like oak, it was of great landscape importance and formed an important component of our native woodland, supporting a wide range of fauna and flora.Elm hosts around 80 species of invertebrates such as the rare White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) and in spring, its early pollen is sought after by many insects including honey bees. Elms are also a very important food source for songbirds, game birds and squirrels as their seeds develop long before many other seeds are available.Over the past century there have been two pandemics of Dutch Elm Disease (DEM) caused by two separate but related species of Asian microfungi, Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi. The non-native microfungi are dispersed by bark beetles of the genera Scolytus and Hylurgopinus. These beetles are no larger...
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Britain’s Beavers

Britain’s Beavers

By chXout Team Comment Closed
The Eurasian beaver (Castor fibre) is native to the UK and used to be widespread across England, Scotland and Wales. Beavers became extinct here in the 16th century, because of hunting for their pelt, meat and a secretion called castoreum which they use to mark their territory. The latter was once highly prized for use in perfumes, food and medicine. Over the past decade major efforts have been underway to reintroduce beavers into the British countryside. As a result, the Eurasian beaver has shown good recovery across much of its range. The National Trust recently announced that two pairs of beaver will be released in the south of England next spring, after their plans were approved by Natural England. These releases are part of the National Trust's wider plan to restore 25,000 hectares of "wildlife-rich" habitats by 2025. One pair is to be released into a fenced woodland in Holnicote near Exmoor in Somerset. The other pair is to be...
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