The hazel dormouse is an arboreal species, that is to say, it spends a large part of the year up in the trees.  It is also largely nocturnal in habit. Its favourite foods are hazelnuts, berries and insects.  Their active period is between Spring and Autumn, and during this time they build a ‘nest’.  These nests tends to made from ‘local materials’ usually found within a few metres of the nest.  Bracken, hazel, beech leaves and grasses are frequently used, though honeysuckle and other species may be incorporated.  The nests are found in trees in deciduous woodlands, thick scrub, and hedgerows, feeding on local available materials depending on the time of year.  They tend not to move great distances, generally having a range of up to a hectare. With the approach of colder weather and limited food supplies, the dormouse tends to move down to the ground and build another nest ready for hibernation.  The winter nest is similar to that built in the canopy with an outer layer of leaves and core of some ‘woven’ material.  Hibernation is a dangerous time for a dormouse.  If the dormouse has not accumulated enough fat reserves then it will simply run out of energy during the cold weather.  It has been estimated that a dormouse loses about 0.5% of its body weight every day during hibernation.  Whilst ‘asleep’, the dormouse is easy prey for a predator and could also die as a result of trampling by a large animal [the nests are inconspicuous], or indeed woodland management activities. [caption id="attachment_41621" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Dormouse in a state of torpor.[/caption] Interestingly, during the dormouse’s active period of Spring and Summer, the dormouse can enter into a state of torpor when food is scarce.   This allows them to save energy through dropping body temperature and heart rate.  So hazel dormice can spend a lot of the year ‘asleep’ in one form or another. Woodlands TV has just produced their first film about the hazel dormouse - which can be viewed below. This film was made in collaboration with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). More information on the PTES’ monitoring and conservation of hazel dormice can be accessed by clicking here, Note that a licence is required for handling these special animals, details in this link :- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazel-dormice-survey-or-research-licence-level-1. [embed]https://youtu.be/COUh5ZluEew?si=f697mPkVLoI8dceU[/embed] Interesting fact : Though Ireland has no native dormouse, the hazel dormouse was found in County Kildare in 2010. Further films by Woodland TV can be found here : -https://www.youtube.com/@WOODLANDSTV    

Woodlands TV has produced a film entitled  “The Wonder of woodland fungus”.  In this informative film by Siddarth Shetty, Professor Mahesh Nirmalan, of Manchester Royal Infirmary, and Professor Niroshini Nirmalan, of the University of Salford, talk about the wonders of woodland fungi, their benefits and what we can do to protect them. Fungi are neither plant nor animal but they play an essential role in woodland ecosystems.  Fungi together with bacteria and other micro-organisms contribute to the detrital food chains, which are vital to the cycling of carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients.   [embed]https://youtu.be/E-6XGVNVppk?si=d5ZMbUG2MBW5qFeI[/embed] The excellent photography in the film shows several species of fungi that you might find in a woodland setting. If you want to know more about some of them then, there are some older woodlands.co.uk blogs that you might find interesting. Sulphur tufts https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/monthly-mushroom-sulphur-tuft-hypholoma-fasciculare/ Amethyst deceiver https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/november-fungi-focus-amethyst-deceiver-laccaria-amethystina-and-the-documentary-fantastic-fungi/ Chicken of the woods https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/the-monthly-mushroom-chicken-of-the-woods/ Polypores https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/woodland-activities/the-monthly-mushroom-dryads-saddle-polyporus-squamosus/ Candle snuff https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/woodland-activities/december-monthly-mushroom-purple-jellydisc-ascocoryne-sarcoides/ Beefsteak fungus. https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/july-fungi-focus-beefsteak-fungus/ Bonnet Mushrooms. https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/november-fungi-focus-orange-mosscaps-orange-bonnets-and-moss-bells/ & https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/novembers-fungi-focus-rosy-bonnet-mycena-rosea/ Thanks to Woodlands TV for images.

If a hedgehog is in distress it may just need water or you might want to seek help from an expert such as Lisa Steward of the Thorne Hedgehog Rescue project in Puckley, Kent. I met Lisa at Kent's Belmont Wood Fair in early September where she was bottle-feeding a hoglet whose mother had been run over by a car. This was only one of the 200 hedgehogs she has rescued and is nursing back to health. Another one that she is nursing had almost been decapitated by a strimmer but fortunately its wound had not become infected. What Lisa never does is to feed them cow's milk which can be fatal. Unfortunately I didn't know that when I found a distressed hedgehog a few years ago. My mistake of giving it a saucer of cow's milk may have killed it or it could already have been doomed from eating the neighbour's poisonous slug pellets. I'll always have that hedgehog on my conscience. [embed]https://youtube.com/shorts/1QWIIaEQyyE?feature=share[/embed] It turns out that hedgehogs are both loveable and important - they eat slugs and beetles and are an important part of the British ecosystem. Unfortunately they are often harmed by poisons such as insecticides and other chemicals: to reduce the chemical threat it has been illegal in the UK since 2022 to use or sell metaldehyde slug pellets, but many other threats remain.  Cars can run them over partly because of the hedgehog's instinct to respond to danger by curling into a ball rather than running away - the paradox of roadkill is that if you don't see dead hedgehogs it does not mean they are all safe - more likely it means there are none, or very few, surviving in that vicinity. Another danger is that they get trapped - ponds with steep sides, swimming pools and cattle grids each represent a threat, so ideally each of these will have a ramp that the hedgehogs can use to climb out. https://youtube.com/shorts/sPpi46CYnkI?feature=share The British Hedgehog Preservation Society advise on how to help protect hedgehogs and they suggest that gardeners who light bonfires should be alert to the risk of unintended cremation of living hedgehogs. Unfortunately they are attracted to the sort of material that will be burnt in a bonfire such as dry leaves and twigs. So as a precaution, and if possible, a gardener should set up a new site for their fire and move the material across to that spot just before lighting the fire. Similarly anyone strimming an area should first check that there are no hedgehogs hiding in the uncut undergrowth. Hedgehogs can also get trapped in litter or stuck in netting so it is sensible to make gardens hedgehog-safe. But it is even better to actively make gardens hedgehog friendly - by creating wild areas which offer shelter and natural food. And it helps to leave gaps below fences or ground-level holes in walls so that a garden is accessible to hedgehogs. Our enthusiasm for hedgehogs in the autumn should not be extended to translocating them from other places because they may have a dependent litter which is left behind and is then condemned to starvation. Indeed in the autumn hoglets need to grow rapidly so that they can survive their first winter of hibernation - at a minimum they need to weigh at least a pound or about half a kilogram. You could help your hedgehogs by building a "hedgehog hotel" as Steve has done here with his daughter.  Here is a short film by WoodlandsTV: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n6J0dRz8OY&ab_channel=WoodlandsTV[/embed] If you come across an injured hedgehog you could contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society which keeps a Directory of local rescuers or "rehabilitators"                              

This is a re-post of a blog from 2023, but this time with the new film by WoodlandsTV, in which April Windle [of the British Lichen Society] examines the role of the many complex chemicals found in Lichens. Lichens are plant-like organisms that are rather unusual in that they are an amalgam of two (or occasionally three) organisms : a fungus and algae (or cyanobacterium). They are symbiotic systems, where the partners in the association work together for mutual benefit.  The fungus makes up the bulk of the lichen's form (known as the thallus), it is a complex network of fungal threads (hyphae) that surround the algal cells.  The algae (green algae or cyanobacteria) are essential to the symbiosis as they can photosynthesise, capturing carbon dioxide and providing both partners with organic carbon compounds (often in the form of sugar alcohols). Lichens produce an amazing variety of chemicals - many are secondary metabolites.  It is thought that some of these may  have medical / pharmacological properties.  Some species  of lichen are brightly coloured because of the chemicals.. The colour may vary from a golden yellow to a deep red. The pigments responsible for these colours belong to the anthraquinones.  However, these insoluble, phenolic pigments can have toxic effects. To avoid harm by these pigments, the lichen exports* the pigment from the fungal component of the symbiosis. [caption id="attachment_39795" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Moss and lichen growing together[/caption] The pigment then accumulates / crystallises on the surface of the lichen. The layer of pigment crystals reflects harmful radiation in the form of ultra-violet light and also blue light, whilst still allowing enough light to pass through for photosynthesis by the algae / cyanobacteria. Exposure to ultra-violet light can damage DNA, inducing mutations.  The pigmentl layer is effectively a ‘sunscreen’ for the lichen. * Recent work at Imperial College and RBG, Kew has identified the genes responsible for pigment production, and the transport of the pigment out of the fungal tissue. In the past, certain lichen pigments were often used to dye clothing materials.    Parmelia saxatilis, also known as grey crottle, was used to dye wool for Harris Tweed.  This lichen is often found growing on tree trunks and gives a red / brown colour to the material. For more information on the various chemicals found in Lichens, see the WoodlandsTV film below : The Chemical, Medicinal and Biofluorescent Properties of Lichen. [embed]https://youtu.be/AEc263aQ1rQ?si=00FwDTH5LljetQ0A[/embed] Curious fact : Some specimens of the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum are thought to have lived for thousands of years.  

In 2023 the forest fires in Western Canada were so extensive that they burnt 37 million acres of forest lands, which is ten times the total area of forestry in the UK.  The carbon emissions were so great that they alone had a carbon footprint bigger than every country apart from the US, China and India.  Canada does not include emissions from wildfires in its carbon budget so the impact of its forest fires is in addition to its industrial and domestic carbon footprint. Although the total area burnt the next year - in 2024 - was smaller, the 2024 fires were particularly intense and destroyed 50% of the buildings in the city of Jasper. Forest fires affected infrastructure so badly that tourists were excluded from the whole of Jasper National Park in Alberta for many weeks.  This new intensity can also destroy trees that have been growing for hundreds of years and may have survived many other other fires.  This would have been the case for the King Arthur tree in California which had been the 9th largest Giant Redwood in the world: this huge and ancient Sequoia was destroyed in the 2020 Castle Fire. It is uncertain what is causing these intense infernos beyond climate change, to which the fires are themselves contributing. Many people believe that allowing too much dry and dead wood to build up creates the conditions for particularly hot fires which will easily jump fire breaks and natural circuit breakers, such as rivers   It may be that the First Nations [as Canadians call the native peoples who inhabited the country for thousands of years before European settlers arrived] were better at managing the land and would have reduced the fuel load in the forests, and there would have been a greater variety of tree species. Another paradox is that when the National Park authorities are most effective at putting out fires this allows a greater fuel load to build up so that there can be fewer fires but much bigger ones. To counter this, some Canadian Park managers are deliberately starting fires which they believe will be controllable - this is evident in the forests next to Lake Minnewanka. These are done in the off-season when large conflagrations are unlikely. In the past, forestry companies tried to extinguish fires by using float planes, such as the Hawaii Martin Mars dropping water.  This was put in an air museum in August 2024. The seaplane's water deposits were less well-targeted than today's helicopter drops.   Nowadays, forest blazes are usually left to run their natural course and this can take a long time.  Sometimes a fire will continue smouldering underground and it can be 18 months before a forest fire is confirmed to be finished. In cases where buildings, main roads or railway lines are threatened there will often be efforts to extinguish the fire using helicopters.  Drones are also used to survey the progress of fires. One measure which might reduce the issue is to replant burnt-out areas with  species that occur naturally and are  less flammable and better as surviving such as Eucalyptus.  However, the hotter, drier summers are creating conditions where we are in a new age of more intense forest fires and the Canadians are adjusting as fast as they can.  This means short term measures such as evacuation plans and more firefighting equipment, as well as longer term plans such as working on a better mix of trees and combating climate change more widely.

An electric or hybrid car needs a rechargeable battery to power the electric motors of the vehicle. The batteries make use of oxides of lithium nickel manganese & cobalt. The battery of such vehicles makes up a significant portion of  the cost and  environmental impact  of an electric vehicle.  Growth in this market has created issues in securing ethical battery supply chains. The future supply of nickel, cobalt and lithium is problematical, presenting challenges both in environmental and geopolitical terms.  Much of the battery production is centred on China.  Mining of a metal such as Nickel generates significant quantities of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.  The demand for Nickel is forecast to double. An alternative to traditional mining techniques for metallic ores is phyto-mining. This is possible where there is a significant quantity of the metal in the soil, and there is a plant that can take up and accumulate  the metal.  The absorption and accumulation of metals like Nickel, Cadmium and Copper is perhaps more problematic as they are toxic to many plants.  Worldwide some 450 different species can absorb and accumulate ‘toxic’ metals, growing in ‘poisoned’ or toxic soils, such as former mine workings.   Some of these plants are hyper-accumulators – noted for their ability to take up a metal to many times the level in the soil. In Albania, a project is underway to use a plant to ‘mine’ nickel.  The plant is a perennial herb with yellow flowers - Odontarrhena decipiens.  It is a member of the Brassica / cabbage family and is a hyperaccumulator.  It can take up into its stems and leaves about 2% of its dry weight as nickel.  The plant is being ‘farmed’ in Albania, where there are nickel-rich soils derived in part from the mineral Olivine.     Though olivine contains too little nickel for conventional mining, it has enough for hyper-accumulators to absorb and concentrate it.  When the olivine is ground up and spread on the field, it not only replenishes the soil with nickel [that the plants absorb] but it also reacts with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere locking the CO2 away.  This project is being developed by ‘Metalplant’ . Whether phytomining using this plant will prove to be a useful way of augmenting Nickel supplies remains to be seen.  

There are eleven thousand trees in Kew Gardens.  Each year, a few trees are lost due to natural causes, old age, disease etc.   In 2002, a drought resulted in the loss of  some 400 trees.  Such a prolonged dry spell is  likely to occur again and again as global temperatures rise, and climate change takes a hold. Modelling of future climate scenarios by Kew scientists suggests that towards the end of this century between a third and a half of Kew’s trees could be lost.  Trees like the English oak, beech, birch and holly could be vulnerable to warmer temperatures and extended dry spells.  There is a plan at Kew to replace gradually trees with species currently found in warmer areas, such the Mediterranean, Asia and Central America. Examples might include species such as the iberian alder, cherry hackberry and Montezuma’s pine.  Many of the plants in the gardens will survive, [including Kew’s ‘Old Lions’] as they were collected from in and around the Mediterranean; some of these date back to the victorian era or earlier. The ‘old lions’ of Kew are trees from the original grounds / garden that still survive. Examples include : Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonica) Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) Caucasian elm (Zelkova carpinifolia) Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) The Caucasian elm dates from 1762, when an arboretum was planted.  It is thought that it might have been in a batch of plants from the Caucasus, planted in what is now the herbarium paddock.  In 1905, the height of the tree was recorded as 60 feet (18M), though they can grow to 100 feet.  A larger caucasian elm can be seen at  Tortworth. One species of oak that is common at Kew is the holly or holm oak (Quercus ilex).  This is a common, naturalised oak that was probably introduced into the country in the sixteenth century.  It is a hardy, slow growing tree and many new holm oaks were planted in 2008 to redefine the Syon Vista.  The wood of the tree is strong and, in the past, it was used in carts and farming equipment. Its acorns start off green in colour but turn a reddish brown; they are a tasty treat for pigs. The threat to Kew's trees is not unique, parks and urban spaces across the country need to plan for the future, to ensure that their trees can offer some resilience to changing weather patterns. Full details of Kew's planning here.  

Much has been written about the explosion of the UK deer population in recent times, and the damage to woodlands through their browsing activities.  However, the grey squirrelis associated with tree damage.  The grey squirrel is not just the 'cheeky chap' who steals the bird food in the garden, it is a serious pest.    The grey squirrel is a non-native species.  It was introduced in the 19th century.  The squirrels have spread across the country and have displaced the native red squirrel from many areas (either through competition or disease).  The grey squirrel's bark stripping activity now poses a threat to the sustainable management of woodlands. Gnawing of the bark means that they can get to the sweet, sap filled tissue (phloem) just beneath the bark. This tissue is responsible for the movement of sugars and other organic molecules around the plant (known as translocation). If the gnawing extends around the stem then the tree is ‘ringed’ [i.e a complete circle of bark and underlying tissue is removed]  then the tree us likely to die.  The squirrels tend to take bark from the main stem (and branches). The bark stripping may : Lead to the loss of particular tree species (for example, beech) Lead to the loss of insect / spider and fungal species associated with the loss of tree species, i.e. a loss of biodiversity allow fungal infection of the tree Reduce carbon capture Reduce the economic value of timber Act as a disincentive to creating new woodland for timber In order to reduce squirrel damage, it is important to Start inspecting for damage in late February as damage typically occurs in early Spring.  Examine the base of trees for damage. Look for ‘tester patches’ made by squirrels (to which they may well return later). Check young, broadleaf trees as they are particularly favoured by the squirrels.  Oak and beech are quite vulnerable to damage (see image of damaged beech trunk below). Recent research* at Bangor University has investigated the microbiome of the squirrel in relation to its bark stripping activity.  The microbiome of the gut refers to the various micro-organisms found with the intestines.  Analysis of bacterial DNA found in the colon of great (and red) squirrels revealed that grey squirrels had 'oxalobacter' bacteria in their colons.  These bacteria are able to 'release / access' calcium from the tree bark to the squirrels.  Calcium is an important nutrient in terms of bone building and is also involved in muscle contraction. had  a more diverse bacterial population in the colon. These findings may help explain why the grey squirrel 'outcompetes' the red squirrel.  Their more diverse gut microbiome may mean that they can access a greater range of resources. For example, grey squirrels can digest acorns, which red squirrels cannot;  this is possibly associated with tannin content of acorns. In order to reduce damage in a woodland, the number of grey squirrels may need to be managed.  This can be done though trapping or shooting.  Trapping is a legally acceptable and effective way of controlling grey squirrels in most situations. Grey squirrels can be trapped throughout the year though March to September is a good time as food is less abundant. Through autumn, berries, nuts and seeds [natural foods] are available so trapping is less successful.  Details of the various types of traps and their use / placement may be found at: https://greysquirrelcontrol.co.uk/trapping-method.php https://www.britishredsquirrel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Grey-Squirrel-Best-Practice.pdf https://basc.org.uk/pest-and-predator-control/grey-squirrel-control-with-live-capture-traps/ https://www.britishredsquirrel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Trapping-Protocol.pdf  https://bpca.org.uk/a-z-of-pest-advice/squirrel-control-how-to-get-rid-of-squirrels-bpca-a-z-of-pests-/188983 To go down the ‘shoot to kill’ route then there are a number of rules and regulations to observe.  Details may be found in the link below : http://www.britishredsquirrel.org/grey-squirrels/grey-control/ It is hoped that eventually a form of oral contraception will be developed, which will offer a non-lethal and humane means of population control. Full details of this research work may be found here