The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) publishes the Red List.   It is a list of species that are under threat in different parts of the world; it goes back to 1964 when it published the ‘list of threatened plants’. By 2012, the IUCN assessed a total of 63,837 species and reported on their status in the following terms: Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining. Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalised population outside its historic range. Read more...

You may well have heard that bees are in trouble. Domestic honeybee hives seem to die more often than they used to, and some of our wild bees have disappeared altogether; for example, three of the UK’s twenty seven bumblebee species have gone extinct. The big, long-term driver of declines has been farming intensification; where once we had plentiful hay-meadows and chalk downland, rich with flowers, we now have flower-free monocultures of wheat or silage grass. Pesticide use is also contributing to the problem, particularly new generations of systemic, persistent insecticides called neonicotinoids that get into nectar and pollen of both flowering crops and wildflowers. Read more...

Following on from last week's post, the woodlands blog has often reported on the problems facing honey bees and bumblebees - from the vagaries of climate to the effects of insecticides, such as neonicotinoids.  Whilst it is easy to identify a honey bee and spot a bumblebee, it is somewhat more difficult to say what type of bumblebee might be foraging in your garden or woodland. There is a lot of information about bumblebees at the bumblebee conservation trust website.  A particularly useful link is "Top tips for bee ID"; tail colour is an important or helpful feature.  Read more...

DDT was used an insecticide at the onset of WW2, with great success in terms of controlling malaria and typhus among civilians and troops. After the war, it was available as an agricultural insecticide.  However, within a few years, there were warning signs that not all was well and in 1946, the Soil Association journal read as follows "By the wholesale use of powerful insecticides of which far too little is yet known, we may well be upsetting the whole balance of Nature. We are like schoolboys rat-hunting in a munition dump with a flame-thrower." Some years later (in 1962),  Rachel Carson published ‘Silent Spring’ – which seriously questioned the use of organochlorines, such as DDT and warned of the dangers of the indiscriminate use of insecticides.  The use of these chemicals continued Read more...

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, based at Stirling University, needs your help in recording sightings of bumblebees. They would like you to record what species you see, where and how many, and take pictures of any unusual specimens. Go to http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/surveys.htm to find out how to take part. Read more...

Bumblebees are regarded as nice, gentle creatures; even their buzzing has a placid, reassuring sound. They rarely sting and are important pollinators in orchards, on farms and in our gardens. Sadly, however, they are under threat. Many species of bumblebee are on the decline and have been, according to some authors, since the late 1950’s. Their decline is often attributed to the introduction of intensive agricultural techniques. For example, Read more...

Woodlands and hedgerows are important features of our countryside.  Just as woodlands vary across the country, so do hedgerows.  A hedgerow usually includes a number of tree and shrub species, but may also include walls, banks, fencing and gates.  They may have been planted recently or may be ancient, dating back to the time of the enclosures. It has been estimated that there are over half a million kilometres of hedgerow across England, and the majority are actively managed.  In a managed hedgerow, the trees and shrubs have their form and shape altered.   The trees and shrubs that form the basics of a hedgerow include hawthorn, hazel, oak, holly, blackthorn, ash and yew. These may form the main body of the hedge but there are many other plants that contribute to its structure, such as bramble, honeysuckle and ivy, many wild flowers plus mosses, bryophytes, fungi and lichens.  [In urban settings, species like  privet, yew, box and holly may form the basis of the hedge / hedgerow.] [caption id="attachment_42838" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Beech hedge in garden[/caption] Consequently, hedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can include many different species. Rural hedges are often a mix of shrub and tree species, such as hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, ash and oak. They were / are often planted to form boundaries around fields in managed agricultural landscapes.  Historically, many hedgerows were planted to keep livestock, such as sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens in specific areas. Other hedgerows were planted to define boundaries as in ‘who owned which bit of land’.  Hedgerows often surround fields.   The word ‘field’ comes from Old English ‘feld’, meaning 'an area of felled trees  or open country'.  Hedgerows are important as they offer habitats / niches for a variety of plants and animals. Not only do they provide ‘food and lodgings’ for many animals, they also act as biological corridors, supporting plant and animal connectivity across our landscape.  The flowers, fruits, berries and nuts are an important source of food for many invertebrates, birds and mammals. [caption id="attachment_24651" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sloes on Blackthorn[/caption] Animals such the harvest mouse, the hedgehog and the vole may be found nesting in a hedgerow, and it offers food and / or homes for blue tits, and yellowhammers. They also support important insect pollinators, butterflies, hover flies, moths, bumblebees and bees. These insects may help with the pollination of crops in adjacent fields planted with oilseed rape, legumes or fruit trees. Other insects, such as ladybirds can help with crop yields by predating upon crop pests, such as green fly and blackfly (these aphids may spread viral diseases on crops such as sugar beet).  Sadly, hedgerows declined significantly in the last century, due mainly to intensification of agriculture. Fortunately, the destruction / loss has slowed since the 1990’s, though neglect and damage are significant threats even today.  Good management may involve planting of trees or shrubs to fill gaps, coppicing, laying a hedge or ‘considered’ cutting back.  However, there is no standardisation of the management of hedgerows and they can be harmed by excessive cutting back or flailing.   The effects of heavy pruning and cutting back during the nesting season can be disastrous. Whilst mechanical flailing of a hedgerow is fast and effective,  the regrowth is generally slower and its effects can be particularly bad for birds. [They may abandon their nests and / or  their eggs or chicks may be destroyed.] The pruning / flailing may also affect insect populations of the hedgerow (and / or other other food sources) on which the birds and other animals depend.  Another threat can be the use of agricultural chemicals [pesticides and herbicides] next to the hedgerow. [caption id="attachment_42843" align="aligncenter" width="675"] A managed hedge[/caption] For further and detailed information on hedgerows, visit : https://hedgelink.org.uk/guidance/importance-of-hedgerows/  

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.