Honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies are always cited as being important for flower pollination. Indeed, without them many of our food crops would ‘fail’.  But what about moths?  Well, recent research has found that they too are efficient pollinators.  A recent study compared the role of nocturnal and day time pollinators.  Much scientific research has focused on daytime pollinators, like honey bees and bumblebees, but little is known about the night time pollinators.  So a study was devised, which focused on the day and night visitors to bramble flowers. Bramble may be a bit prickly to us but for bees and other insects it is important source of nectar and pollen, from early spring through to autumn.  The study was carried out out in the summer moths (when night is only one third of the daily cycle).  Trail cameras were used to record visitors to the bramble flowers over three days, also special bags were used to cover the flowers for different times in order to determine the effectiveness of the different pollinators on pollination and fruit formation.  One group of the bramble flowers was covered up for the three days.  A second group was bagged up for the day time.   The final set was covered only at night.  The number of pollinator visits was recorded as was the resulting pollination and fruit formation.   At night, moths were the only insect visitors of the pale pink / white flowers of the bramble, and they also proved to be very effective pollinators. It is not clear why moths were more effective, perhaps the time they spend visiting a flower is a critical factor.  They do spend more time rummaging in a flower than day time insects [hoverflies, butterflies, bees etc].     There are only some sixty species of butterfly in the UK but over two thousand species of moth.  But like butterflies, moths are vulnerable with many of our larger moths in decline.  The challenges that they face as the same as those that threaten many insects namely: Pesticides Habitat loss Climate change But moths face an additional challenge - artificial light at night. This interferes with the feeding behaviour of their larvae / caterpillars, it also affects the feeding and breeding of the adults.   Thus, moths are not only important pollinators but a vital component to the biodiversity of an ecosystem.  They also are a food source bats and birds. Moths can be helped by: By allowing a patch of brambles and / or wild flowers in your garden Persuading the council to allow wild flowers to grow and flourish on roadside verges, ‘spare’ plots of land etc. Asking the local council to reduce night time lighting where it safe to do so.   At home, limiting the use of outdoor lights at night, draw curtains and blinds to limit light spill to the exterior. As insects are in decline generally, (see the  woodlands.co.uk splatometer blog) it is important to help our pollinators - ensuring that they still ‘have a home’ at the end of the day.  

 The red squirrel is a native species, it has been present in the British Isles since the retreat of the glaciers of the last ice age -so around for some 10,000 years.  The grey squirrel on the other hand has only been here since the mid nineteenth century, when it was introduced from America.  Though relatively small numbers were introduced at stately homes, it did incredibly well and they spread out from their original sites, colonising woodlands and spreading across the country.  As the grey squirrel spread so the red squirrel retreated and its numbers declined. Recent population estimates suggest that the grey squirrel population may now be as high as three million, whereas the red squirrel numbers are probably less than 300,000. The grey squirrel is to be regarded as a pest.  Why ? (a).   They strip bark from trees.   This is the main type of damage type of damage. The squirrels remove  bark to access the sap tissues underneath. [caption id="attachment_42793" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Squirrel damage[/caption] (b).   They cause the death of trees.  The damage to the bark and the underlying tissue can affect the flow of water and nutrients from soil to leaves.  It can also allow for the entry of pathogens (parasitic bacteria and fungi). (c).   Their activities have an impact on the quality of timber that can be harvested. (d).   They are associated with biodiversity loss, not only do they complete with and displace the native red squirrel, their presence can affect other woodland species such as songbirds (eat their eggs) and dormice. (e).   Grey squirrels pass on the squirrel pox virus to red squirrels.  Once infected the red squirrels tend to die of dehydration and starvation. [(f).   The grey squirrels that visit my garden dig up bulbs, like crocus, tulips and hyacinths.  They also make raids on soft fruits.] [caption id="attachment_42794" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Older damage by squirrels[/caption] There are measures to stop or limit grey squirrels from breeding.   One ‘extreme’ measure is shooting or trapping followed by euthanasia.  Another measure is the introduction of Pine Martens, they seem to control the numbers of grey squirrels whereas red squirrels have co-existed with Pine Martens in areas like north Scotland for many years.   However, the Governments Animal and Plant agency is developing a contraceptive.  This is a vaccine based product which causes the squirrel’s immune system to render both males and females infertile.   The vaccine induces the formation of antibodies against the animals own reproductive hormones. The idea is to fed it to the grey squirrels through feeding hoppers that grey squirrels can access but not red squirrels or other animals. The bait will need to be palatable and attractive to the squirrels. Should this prove successful, it will be a non-lethal way of reducing the numbers of the grey squirrel without shooting or trapping.   For detailed information on the squirrel contraceptive project, visit https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/2024/09/30/reducing-grey-squirrel-overpopulation/ Similarly, lots of information on squirrel damage here : https://www.observatree.org.uk/media/1425/identifying-squirrel-damage.pdf  

The Earth has experienced many glacial and interglacial periods over hundreds of thousands of years.  Since the last ice age, the Earth has warmed (the average global temperature has rising by some 4 to 5oC) but the temperature rise was about 0.1oC per century.  Today's warmer climate took 5,000–8,000 years to ‘evolve’, during which time the average global temperature rose at a rate of around 0.1oC every century.   This gradual change allowed trees to adapt to the changing climate.  In the last century, ‘we’ have driven a 1.3oC rise just in the last century - this is some ten times faster than the change post ice age.  [caption id="attachment_35526" align="alignleft" width="300"] drought[/caption] Not only has the climate warmed, it has become increasingly unpredictable with heat waves, drought and torrential rain.  These can have dramatic effects on our trees and heathlands.  For example, the heatwave in 2022 resulted in Kew Gardens losing some 460 of its trees.  This last summer saw 4 periods of heatwave conditions.   So, it is not surprising that some of our most familiar trees are struggling with these changed conditions.  They are stressed, and it would seem that the climate is not likely to moderate in the immediate future.  In recognition of the changing climate, Forestry England has produced a 'species for the future' list.  The trees in the list are those which might thrive in a warmer climate. Whilst it includes familiar species like oak, birch, and alder, other species such as the coast redwood and Corsican pine are included,  which hopefully will create more resilient woodlands.  The trees are listed below Aspen (Populus tremula) Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Common alder (Alnus glutinosa) Corsican pine (Pinus nigra subsp. laricio) Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Downy birch (Betula pubescens) European silver fir (Abies alba) Field maple (Acer campestre) Grand fir (Abies grandis) Grey alder (Alnus incana) Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) Japanese red cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce) Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) Norway spruce (Picea abies) Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) Red oak (Quercus rubra) Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) Silver birch (Betula pendula) Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) Wild cherry (Prunus avium) Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) The list contains both native and non-native species, the aim is to create through planting stronger and more biodiverse woodlands that can tolerate our changing climate over the coming decades.  The rate of climate change is the main issue. Whilst some of the trees already grow here, others come come from warmer / drier areas, such as the Mediterranean or  North America.  There are already many redwoods in the UK.  They were introduced in victorian times, when they were planted on the estates of the wealthy and landed gentry. There are now probably more redwoods in the UK than in their native Pacific Coast range,  there intense heat and dry weather has exposed them to intense forest fires. Another possibility to promote resilience is to use seed produced by trees such as Oak that has been ‘produced’ by trees growing in warmer regions. The inclusion of trees that might be suited to our changing climate is often referred to as assisted migration.  However, the introduction of non-native species is not without its problems, for example the introduced species could become of invasive or add to the burden of pathogens that our trees are exposed too.

A surge in ladybird populations took place this summer. The seven spot ladybird is native to the UK.  "Millions" of the beetles invaded beaches and even cricket matches during the various heat waves.  At seaside venues, ladybirds massed on the beaches, landed on sunbathers, and covered cars.  The last time that we experienced a similar increase in ladybirds was during the hot (and dry) summer of 1976, though there have been sporadic ‘booms’ in the intervening years.   The surge in ladybird (particularly the seven spot ladybird) numbers can be attributed to :- The warm weather in early Spring and Summer An abundance of food in the form of greenfly and blackfly (aphids).  Their numbers also increased with the warm weather, as their life cycle moves at a faster rate.   Aphids enter into a cycle where female aphids can give birth to live young, without fertilisation.  A process known as parthenogenesis. Ladybirds in gardens help control aphids on roses and other plants by feeding on them.  They are very effective predators.  Predators have key role in keeping the balance of nature. As the temperature falls, ladybirds look for places to overwinter. Native ladybirds tend to hibernate under logs, rocks, and in tree litter.  The harlequin ladybird which is an invasive asian species, may enter our homes. AS harlequin ladybirds have been introduced from warmer regions, so they seek out the warmth that houses offer.  People have found them on windows, doors and walls.  It is advisable to close windows and doors to limit their entry.  In their home range, harlequin ladybirds probably hibernate in big clusters in caves, hollow trees and other sheltered places.  Here their search for warmth tends to occur at the start of October.  Harlequin ladybirds are mainly to be found in the South-East though they have been spreading northwards. They have been implicated in the decline of native species.  Interestingly, they harbour a sexually transmitted disease but not the sort that can affect us. It is a fungus [the Laboulbeniales fungus] that forms scales on the wing cases (elytra), which cover and protect their wings, or it appears as a yellow, finger-like outgrowths of the body. The fungus feeds off vital internal fluids. It is passed on through contact during mating or when the harlequin ladybirds huddle together whilst hibernating. [caption id="attachment_42748" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Larva of ladybird[/caption]