We’ve had an exceptional Summer of scorched soils, withered leaves and parched lawns so far this year, so July’s Monthly Mushroom almost slipped by the wayside while I awaited a shift to atmospheric conditions slightly more conducive to a fresh seasonal flush. However, this choice specimen should be emerging just around now and should be with us until the end of the year. They are the same shape and size of many of the puffball examples listed in the last Monthly Mushroom post, but few amongst even the most passionate woodland wanderers tend to get too fired up by the sight of an Earthball. Read more...

For some time now the woodlands blog has commented on   the loss of hedgerows, the homogenisation of our flora,    and the disappearance of roadside plants. The loss of roadside plants is due in part to the enrichment of such areas with nitrates from fertilisers / waste from livestock from adjacent agricultural land the deposition of nitrogen compounds from car exhausts. This extra nitrogen* encourages some plants to the exclusion of others.    The beneficiaries of this ˜extra nitrogen' are stinging nettles, brambles, various grass species and cow parsley.    At the moment, cow parsley can been seen springtng up all over the country - by the sides of the roads, motorways, country lanes - displaying its umbels of white feathery flowers. Read more...

The big butterfly count is up and running for this year.  It was launched in 2010 and has become one of the world's biggest surveys of butterflies.    It is a nationwide survey and is aimed at assessing the ‘health” of our environment, and that of butterfly populations.  Butterflies and moths are good indicators of biodiversity, and reflect changes in various environmental parameters. To join in with big butterfly count 2018, which runs from 20th July to 12th August, all you need to do is simply count butterflies for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather.  Read more...

Sweden has a lot of forest and woodland.   In fact, roughly half of the country is covered by trees.  Travelling back some two thousand years, the trees were mainly broadleaved but then oaks and alders began to decline.  However, by the mid twentieth century Spruces and Pines were dominant.  This was mainly due to the process of forestry management, producing wood for fuel, charcoal [used in iron smelting], potash, tar and timber for building. However, the recent record breaking temperatures and drought across many parts of Europe have put large areas of Swedish forest at risk.   Rainfall in Sweden this year has been dramatically down - approximately a seventh of the normal amount. One has to look back to the C19th century to find similarly low figures.  Read more...

It is well known that bees respond to various signals that plants 'offer' as an encouragement / inducement for pollination - notably size, colour, honey guides, movement, scent etc.  Less obvious are the ultra-violet patterns on the petals that can be seen by bees and other insects.  Now, research workers at the Univeristy of Bristol have identified another 'sensory signpost' on the floral highway - variations in temperature on the flowers - often corresponding to colourful patterns on the petals. Scanning the flowers, the researchers (Dr. Heather Whitney et al) found that where there were dramatic patterns that those areas could be 4oC to 5oC warmer than the rest of the flower. Read more...

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The recent hot spell has seen a number of fires, not only in the UK but across the world (Arizona , Victoria Australia, Indonesia).  Spells of extreme heat (and drought) have been known throughout history but it would seem that with climate change / global warming extreme events have become more common.   Data show that the years of the 21st century are among the warmest on record - global air temperatures have risen by 1oC since the industrial revolution. Extreme temperatures have been recorded in many places across the globe.   Ouargla in Algeria soared to 124.3o F (51.3oC), Denver recorded at temperature of 105o F, Montreal recorded 97.9o F, Glasgow hit 89.4o F, Shannon in Ireland reached 89.6o F, Tbilisi (Georgia) soared to 104.9o F and parts of Pakistan are reported to have reached 50oC.   No record by itself can be ascribed to global warming but these and many other records across the globe are consistent with the extremes that can now be expected (more often) in a world that is warming - as atmospheric greenhouse gas levels increase due to human activity (we have entered the anthropocene). Hot and dry conditions mean that plant material can dry out quickly, so that a thicker layer of plant material / litter is formed - which provides significant fuel for fires.   Studies of some areas suggest that the increased Winter and Spring rainfall (again associated with climate change) encourages plant growth, creating more material for fires (when dry conditions obtain later in the year). Read more...

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by special glands on a plant.  These glands are normally associated with the flowers - but not always.  Floral nectaries are often found at the base of the petals so that a visiting insect picks up or deposits pollen whilst collecting the nectar.  The visitor thus 'helps’ the plant to reproduce / set seed.   Common pollinators are bumblebees, bees, wasps, moths, butterflies and hummingbirds;  less common pollinators are flies, ants, possums and bats. However, nectaries can be found elsewhere on a plant - on leaves, leaf stalks (petioles), stems and fruits; these are extra-floral nectaries. Read more...