In terms of a ‘head count’ of tree species, Europe does not do well when compared to Asia or North America.  There are approximately five hundred tree species scattered across Europe, whereas Asia and North America are home to some thousand species each.  There is fossil evidence that tree species such as Liquadambar (Sweet Gums) and Liriodendron (Tulip tree) once lived here. So one might ask why did they disappear? The answer may be due a combination of glaciation and topography.  During the late Pliocene period, the  global climate cooled and massive glaciers began to extend across the Earth’s surface. Glacial and interglacial periods  followed in the Pleistocene or Quaternary Period; sometimes referred to as the Ice Age. As the glaciers moved relentlessly south, so plants (and animals) had to move Read more...

The hoverfly is so named because it does hover, its flight path is  somewhat hesitant, moving along in a sort of zig-zag at times; it is sometimes mistaken for a bee or a wasp due to its colour and 'stripes'. There are roughly some 6,000 species of hoverflies.  Hoverflies are to be found on every continent  with exception of Antarctica (plus some small, remote islands); and in many different biomes . Like bees and bumblebees, hoverflies are pollinators but bees and bumblebees have had a ‘better press’ - known as being important for the pollination of many fruit and crop species. Now Dr. Wotton and his team [at Exeter University] suggest that hoverflies are sometimes more effective pollinators than bumblebees / bees and that their role in fertilising crops might have been underestimated.   It is thought that hoverflies could prove to be useful pollinators where bees do not ‘perform’ well; i.e. outside of mediterranean or temperate habitats / climates, where temperatures are lower.  The flies carry pollen over considerable distances and may visit isolated plants. Read more...

Nearly every report that one comes across says that many plant and animal species are under threat.   The causes are many but may be broadly summarised as  Fragmentation, loss or destruction of natural habitats (as a result of intensive and extending agriculture, roadways, railways etc) Pesticides and pollution (e.g. neonicotinoids, eutrophication as a result of fertiliser use) Impacts of climate change Some of the changes are more obvious in every day terms than others, for example, the drop in insect numbers is revealed by the car windscreen ‘test’ : the splatometer.   A survey of insects hitting car windscreens in rural parts of Denmark [using data collected between 1997 to 2017] found a decline of some  80%. There was a similar decline in the number of swallows and martins, (they depend on insects for their food). Read more...

Following seemingly weeks of awful weather and awful news the 16th March was an amazing spring day, clear blue skies and gentle warm sunshine - a good day to see what was new at the wood.  As it turned out there was plenty. We heard our first Chiffchaff of the year, and saw Great Tits beginning to explore nest boxes. When we arrived the pair of Buzzards were active, and we also noticed a male Wren busy building a nest in a large insect box we were given at Christmas, and fixed close to the ground by our coffee spot. They are confident birds, but difficult to photograph because of their cryptic colouring and speed, and their penchant for the dapple of undergrowth and nooks and crannies. However this bird was out and about, and back and forth to the box collecting moss from the base of near by trees.  Read more...

Figs can grow as rather straggly bushes or tall trees; they are native to the Middle East and parts of Asia. Evidence of fig ‘cultivation’ has been found in a neolithic settlement in the Jordan Valley - many thousands of years ago. In Ancient Greece, Aristotle described in some detail the biology and cultivation of the fig. Figs were said to be responsible for the death of Augustus (first emperor of Rome), as his wife Livia smeared the figs in his garden with poison - allegedly. Figs were cultivated in Pakistan through to the Mediterranean and Portugal; they were later introduced to the “New World” and have been grown extensively in areas like California since the late 1800’s, forming a valuable part of the local economy. Figs belong to the same family as the Mulberries (Morus alba & nigra) and the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) - the Moraceae.   The fig can grow to a height of some 10 metres and it is deciduous.  Its large, deeply lobed leaves are shed in autumn - leaving noticeable leaf scars on the stems. The surface of the leaves has a ‘rough’ texture.  The bark is a dark grey, slate or brown colour. If the young shoots / leaves or developing figs are cut, they may exude a milky sap (latex) - which can cause skin irritation. Read more...

Mast is the production of an enormous number of seeds, this can be seen not only in ‘traditional’ trees like beech and oak, but also monkey puzzle trees, certain pines and spruces.  In fact, mast years occur in species from 37 different plant families, though it tends to be restricted to long lived woody species, that ‘use’ wind pollination. During mast years, it is basically impossible for animals to eat all the seeds ("predator satiation") so many seeds survive to the following spring and germinate.  In other years, a poor seed set may result in dramatic effects on herbivore populations (red and grey squirrels, dormice, wild boar etc). In the case of beech, records suggest an underlying pattern of masting every two years but in practice really heavy masts (in England) are several years apart (between 5 and 12).  The ‘signal’ for heavy masts  may be a combination of climatic factors such as late spring frosts, or summer droughts.  However, recent research suggests greater warmth in the previous two Springs and Summers (growing seasons) may be the trigger.   Read more...

Rust fruiting bodies are pretty tiny, and I think it is safe to say that the bulk of them look remarkable similar to the naked eye. As many rusts are limited to a particular plant, identifying the host should be the first step when it comes to identification. I used the example of Alexanders in my piece on Blackberry Leaf Rust and I’ll use it again, because they are rife around coastal areas such as where I live in East Kent. The Romans introduced them to Britain, and presumably they introduced Puccinia smyrnii, the Alexanders Rust, along with them. Another commonly found one that is easy one to identify is Hollyhock Rust, or Mallow Rust (Puccinia malvacearum). So turning back to our new bible Dutch Rust Fungi, if I were to find a rust growing on my garden mint, I would search for the word mentha in the section on host plants and sure enough, we see a Puccinia menthae listed, the Mint Rust - yes, one potential source of frustration is that to learn about rusts, you are going to have to cultivate a basic knowledge of Latin names for plants too! Read more...

Spring might be a wonderful season for nature lovers in general, but for those with a specialist interest in fungi, it can be something of a dry period. This past April has been drier than usual and, dare we mention it, the past couple of months of lockdown have kept many of us housebound anyway, with far fewer opportunities to get out and amongst it looking for things of interest. So is there really not that much to see or discover around this time of year? Well, one might think so, but my own eyes were opened recently when Helen Baker on the British Mycological Society Facebook group organised a wonderfully touching initiative to mark the sad and untimely recent passing of the group’s moderator and founder, Richard Shotbolt, whose encouragement and advice has acted as a spur to many a fledgling mycologist over the years. Read more...