Spring and Summer Bugs, Flowers and All Things Natural

I have not had much time at all to blog recently, as I have been out and about so much! I have just found this post which I started in Spring and it is now August - where has all that time gone?

I have however found some interesting things that I would like to share. In a hedgerow near to home I found some White Campion, which I have never found in this area before. Red Campion is abundant so I was really surprised to see the white variety. However I also found a really interesting hybrid red and white flower! Quite cool I thought!

White Campion with Red Campion

The red and white campion cross variety!

A May Bug, also known as the Cockchafer, found by my sister on her doorstep and I have also found a few of these where I work. The may bug is a lovely big bug but some people mistake them for cockroaches and kill them. Please don't - they are harmless!

Cockchafer, Melolontha Melolontha

Another interesting find was this insect skin/casing. I found it on a riverbank and it looks as if this was a nymph or a larval stage of something and it has shed its skin and possibly flown or scuttled away!

Unknown insect casing

Maybe not that rare, but something I have not seen before close to my home was a woodland brown butterfly. Since this sighting I have seen them in abundance!

Woodland Brown Butterfly

An interesting moth find by a friend in her garden - An Elephant Hawk Moth - how envious am I?!

Elephant Hawk Moth, Deilephila elpenor

A few moths found at work - yet to be identified and I will update this post when I do. The coolest thing about these guys is how they are so well camouflaged against their background - very clever!

Cleverly camouflaged moth

And then today when I was out walking at lunchtime I came across one of my favourite insects - this awesome toad and a dragonfly....

I have found all sorts of interesting things this summer so watch this space and hopefully I will get more time to blog and play catch up. In the meantime get out there and see what you can find before the summer is gone! Enjoy.....

Marsh Fritillary Butterfly Conservation

Way back in May, when I seemed to have more time!.... I went along to the Solway Coast to learn more about conserving the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, Euphydryas aurinia. The day was organised by Rhia McBain from the Solway Wetlands Partnership and there were experts on hand: Keith Walter from Natural England and Steve Doyle from Butterfly Conservation. 

The day began in the classroom learning about the Marsh Fritillary conservation project that has been running since 2005. Before we got started we had a look at some of the caterpillars ready for release: The caterpillars have been bred in captivity by licensed breeders working on the project and they have been thriving. The wiggly and lively little guys were very keen to get out of their box!

Marsh Fritillary Caterpillars bred in captivity

Marsh Fritillary caterpillars ready for release and trying to escape!

Wiggly energetic caterpillars!

The brief story is that in 2004 there were approximately only 155 Marsh Fritillary caterpillars left in Cumbria. The main reasons for the decline of the Marsh Fritillary is due to loss of habitat, namely wet meadows. A project was set up to try and rectify the situation and the aim of the project was to restore viable and genetically diverse populations of the Marsh Fritillary to Cumbria.  

The main food source of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly is Devil's Bit Scabious and this thrives in wet meadows. Due to agriculture, there has been much drainage and fertilization of these areas resulting in a loss if habitat and the main food plant for the butterflies.

Devil's Bit Scabious - Succisa pratensis

Other problems for the butterflies are fragmentation of habitat as a result of hedges and roads and so populations become cut off from one another. This reduces mating between populations and thus results in a reduction in genetic diversity. So another aim of the  project was to preserve and manage some habitat for the Marsh Fritillary and increase the populations again. So how is this achieved?

Heading to the release site

Basically butterfly experts like Keith and Steve breed the caterpillars in captivity and then release them into the wild. Suitable sites that have the correct habitat and food availability are found for the caterpillars and negotiations are made with the landowners to use the land as a release site and to continue to manage the site in such a way that the butterflies have a chance of survival. Then you get a group of willing volunteers to wander across fields with tubs of caterpillars, and high-tec equipment such as plastic spoons to release the caterpillars into the wild.

Trusty caterpillar and butterfly volunteers

The release of the caterpillars is normally done in a methodical manner with everyone spreading out in a row and walking in formation to find a plant to place some caterpillars on. As I had to head off to work on the release day, I wasn't able to be part of the formation. However, as a special treat I was allowed my own little release of some wiggly caterpillars into the wild.....go little guys (see pic below)!!
 

Devils Bit Scabious leaves - release site for caterpillars

Getting ready for release

My personal release of wrigglers!

Basically after the release, the caterpillars are left their own devices to grow and develop and hopefully to increase the population. It is now the beginning of August - where did all that time go?? and it is now time to head back out to do a larval web count to see how many of the little wrigglers have survived. Unfortunately its that time of year when I have got too many other things on so I won't be attending but I am looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Bioblitz! Looking for bugs, plants and animals with Solway Wetlands Partnership

Bioblitz fun....what a great way to spend 24 hours! The idea of a bioblitz is to find as many different species as possible on a chosen site. I love everything about nature and every so I decided to go along and help at the bioblitz organised by Naomi Hewitt at the Solway Wetlands Partnership on the RSPB Campfield Marsh site. 

Four Spotted Chaser, Libellula quadrimaculata

The bioblitz ran for 24 hours from the evening of Friday 29th May through to the Saturday evening. During that time we tried to record as many different species as possible. Also on hand to help were people from Natural England and experts such as entomologists, lepidopterists, chiropterologists and herpetologists.....more commonly known as experts of insects, butterflies, bats and reptiles!! Please note any bugs collected were done so for identification purposes by experts and were released safely back to their homes.

Great Diving Water Beetle, Dytiscus marginalis

I went along on Friday evening and Saturday morning and even during that time we had recorded a lot of different species and there were a few first sightings for me, for example a water scorpion - very cool and newt eggs wrapped up in leaves - also very cool!

The idea of this blog is just simply to share some of my photos from the day, rather than writing too much. Enjoy.....

9 Spined Stickleback, Pungitius pungitius

Lesser Water Boatman, Corixa punctata

Common Frog tadpoles with legs and eyes!!
Rana temporaria

Water Scorpion, Nepidae Sp.

Dragonfly larvae

Great Pond Snails, Lymnaea stagnalis and another aquatic snail!

 

Great Diving Beetle, Dysticus circumflexus

Great Diving Beetle, Dysticus circumflexus

Eggs from a smooth or plamate newt - found in folded leaves

Cowslip, Primula veris

Wood Forget-Me-Not, Myosotis sylvatica

Red Campion, Silene dioica

Drinker Moth Caterpillar, Euthrix potatoria

Orange Tip Butterfly, showing underwings
Anthocharis cardamines

Camouflage - Orange tip butterfly against the cow parsley!!

Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula

Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella

Damselfly land!

Green Dock Beetle, Gastrophysa viridula

Dock Beetle Eggs

Common Toad, Bufo bufo

Pale Prominent Moth, Pterostoma palpina

Square Spot Moth, Paradarisa consonaria

So that is just a snippet of what we found out on our bioblitz and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in nature. The best thing about a bioblitz is the sharing of knowledge. When you get a group of nature geeks together it is amazing what you can learn from each other. The natural world never ceases to amaze me and there are so many cleaver and adaptable species out there. You only need to explore a small section of hedgerow and it is amazing what you can find. In fact, I may try my own little survey close to home....

A Home on Your back - Amazing Snails and a few Slugs!

Some people think snails and slugs are a bit slimy and kids often squeal at the thought of picking one up. I have to admit I am fascinated by slugs and snails but I also have total admiration for snails as they carry their homes around on their backs all day! A snail can completely contract into its shell and hide there. The one pictured below is poking out its beady tentacle!

Common Snail - Local neighbourhood

Slugs and snails are molluscs and they form the class of Gastropods. They have some pretty amazing features such as a 'radula' which is what they use to eat. The radula is basically a long rasp which has tiny teeth like structures that slugs and snails use to munch their food. The majority of slugs land snails are herbivores, eating plant material. However snails can also be found in freshwater and marine habitats and some of these are predators and will eat anything!

Freshwater Pond Snail - Clint's Quarry

The other amazing thing about slugs and snails is their 'foot' and way slugs and snails can defy gravity and hang onto leaves and stalks without falling off! The foot is basically a large muscle and by contracting this muscle, the snail or slug is able to move along the ground. The foot also produces slime and this is what is left behind and we often see as a trial.

A slug dining in the air!

When studying for my Natural Sciences degree and in particular when learning about Evolution, I studied banded snails. Banded snails are a prime example to show what is known as polymorphism, which is basically where there are two or more different phenotypes in a population. The phenotypes are the characters that are expressed in the organism and these are influenced by both genes and the environment that the organism lives in. As a result of natural selection one of the phenotypes can become more frequent in the population than the other. There are two species of banded snails and these are brown lipped or white lipped and the snails can be banded, non-banded or many banded and it is great to study them in relation to their habitat to see if their camouflage does affect the abundance of one type over the other. Have a look at the Evolution Megalab which has loads of helpful information on looking for snails and studying them - a great fun and easy activity for all the family!

Banded white lipped snail, Cepaea hortensis - Local Neighbourhood

Non-banded white lipped snail, Cepaea hortensis

Banded white lipped snail, Cepaea hortensis - Local Neighbourhood

Other interesting things about snails in that they prefer damp conditions, so if it is too dry they will hunker down for a few days until the conditions improve for them. One day when I was out for a walk I found a whole load of snails snuggled up together in the crook of a tree!

The Snail Tree - Local Neighbourhood

So slugs and snails are actually quite interesting and fun. Next time you are out, don't ignore them and think they are slimy have a think about what amazing little creatures they are!

Sources of Information:

Wikipedia: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snail

Evolution Megalab: http://www.evolutionmegalab.org/file_downloads/en/How_to_hunt_banded_snails.pdf