Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jul 15

How many times have you watched a delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze?

Or sat in your garden watching a dainty little butterfly flutter between plants in your borders?

But what was it so you can tell people you saw it!

Well, there are several very common butterflies in the UK that you can learn without too much trouble to make your gardens a more interesting place!

And once you have learnt the few regular visitors to your garden - you will spot a new one when it arrives more easily - and know which key features to look out for.

Butterfly Identification:
Being aware of the general colouring and wing patterns of butterflies can help you to make a correct id.

For example, butterflies have 4 wings; 2 on each side with the uppermost segment on each side usually being the same size or larger than the rear.

They also have very different colourings on the undersides of their wings that can be quite unique - although not quite so obvious as the topside.

Most common species have a combination of spots, white or black patches or even stripes (of a kind) and it is these that can make all the difference.

For example, the small tortoiseshell and the painted lady can appear almost identical at first glance to a ‘learner’, but when you look at their fore-wings the difference is obvious:

Small Tortoiseshell:
Yellow and Black ’squares’ along the top edge with 1 terminal white square.

Painted Lady:
Only small patches of white amongst larger black patches - no neat squares at all!

Of course there are numerous other visual differences including blue edging all over the Tortoiseshells wings and dark spots on the Painted Lady’s rear wings - but the above is the most obvious feature to observe.

Why Learn Them?
Well, not only will knowing by name all the butterflies that visit your garden or live in your local woods be interesting in itself - but it can help the wider world too.

By knowing and reporting your species to specific charities and biological groups, you could help them to create butterfly distribution maps for your region and the country as a whole.

This will allow for a wider impact assessment of the areas and habitats involved.  As butterflies only frequent certain plants throughout their lives - they can be a great indicator of the state of the plants, their habitat and therefore the other animals that live in the same area.

This can be a really useful tool in trying to help local biodiversity in these changing times.

Also at the moment, Butterfly Conservation and Marks & Spencer are funding a ‘Big Butterfly Count’ at the end of July 2010 to take a quick stock of whats out there this year - and as a result have produced a fantastic colour butterfly identification guide for you to refer to.

Even if you end up not doing the count, you can still learn from the id guide about which species you should be expecting to see visiting your garden plants!

And if you want to do more to help these vital species - then visit the Butterfly Conservation Trust online and think about donating or becoming a member.

posted by admin on Jun 25

Have you been up to anything this week - or is this the first you have heard of it?

As part of the National Year of Biodiversity - there is hope that the creepy crawlies will get a look in too!  Not just the little furry ones and the pretty birds!

Spurred on by the ever charismatic and slightly nerdy Chris Packham, why don’t you give insects a chance?  I have started to learn a bit more about the insects around us as I know that they are an essential and amazing part of the ecosystem.

I can now identify around 10 different butterfly species, about 5 moths - as well as the plants that they feed on and those that their young eat.  And I am getting some really great photos along the way!

So now - just like you - I can learn more about other groups of insects from this fact-filled site and all the related links and events.    

Insect Fun & Facts:
This section allows you to read about the tallest, shortest, heaviest, tiniest ad all those record breakers in the insect world - as well as allowing you to make a giant dragonfly yourself!

Insect Garden:
This section is all about making your average garden more attractive the the right kind of insects - both for natural organic pest control, pollination and pure beauty!

Insect Index:
Here you can follow the descriptions and links to find out exactly what type of bug it was that you found near the pond or under a stone - with some great pictures too!

Insect Resources:
Here is the best part of the site.  It is a page totally filled with links and resources to get you started in the insect world - or to carry on from where you are.  It’s a long page!

Insect Events:
There is an extensive listing of minibeast events across the country divided into counties.  I found 2 literally just up the road from me and the WWT centre - so I’m sure you will find one near you too!

Insect Surveys:
Whether it’s the Painted Lady Butterfly Watch or the Great Stag Beetle Hunt, you can take part in these surveys to make sure that our tiny wildlife is kept on top form.  Just follow the links to get started making a difference!

Anything from this website you take on board will make a huge difference to our native wildlife - and could be the difference between extinction and population explosion!

posted by admin on May 15

Yes - that’s tonight.  It’s not too late to really help out with some local conservation work!

The Butterfly Conservation Trust has been running this event for years now (but without the bats - they are new this year: see below….) and they are always looking for new moth trappers and counters to help form a complete national distribution picture.

Moths and other insects are very susceptible to changing habitats and whole populations can rise or fall depending on how the land around them changes.  For example the building of a new road could affect their movement for many months - maybe too for too long and they stop moving altogether.   Even changing back gardens to decking, front gardens to drives, adding too many all-night light sources to distract them.

Moths & Bats:
There are a whole host of things that can prevent a moths natural behaviour, and this is where the bats come in.  Bats love eating insects - particularly moths.  Infact all 16 species of bat found in Britain eats moths as part of their diet, some more than others.

So if the moths are being affected by environmental changes or as a result of global warming, then bats will be too - so this year the Bat Conservation Trust have joined forces - and to save resources really.  If thousands of people are out at night counting and trapping moths - then why not get them to watch out for bats at the same time!

Do be aware however, that in the UK there are strict regulations about the proximity of humans to bats, and it is against the law for an unqualified person to approach bats when roosting or even to touch a bat they find on the ground or in their home.  So it is best to join a bat group to get really close and maybe to eventually become one of those qualified people!

How To Take Part:
Now, you can take part in any way you want really, whether you find a local event that is offering a nighttime bat walk with an expert, you might find an evening lecture and trapping session at a local wildlife centre or maybe you just want to trap moths at home yourself using any number of homemade or shop-brought ‘live’ traps.

You can download and pictures and all your results to the main Moth Count website up until the end of the year, giving you plenty of time to have identified everything you have found.  I mean there are an estimated 2500 species of moth found in Britain and the Channel Islands alone!

And you don’t need to be living in the countryside to take part - it is just as interesting to find out which moths and bats are living in towns and cities these days.  Migration and distribution changes through the years are a very interesting part of this study, as some species and up thriving in cities and others have to find a new place to live.  Just like people I suppose!

Something New:
Maybe you have never really been a fan of moths or bats - and you want to try something different.  Give it a go.

Your town and churchyard could look totally different at night and it could be a great adventure for the kids - I mean there is no point passing on your phobias to them is there.  They could be a budding wildlife volunteer in the making and help keep moths and bats as a vital part of our local environment in the future, for the animals.

Even if you don’t want to touch anything tonight, at least have a look at some of the creatures that use your garden at night.  There should be fox cubs around, maybe a hedgehog or badger as well.  You might hear the beautiful song of the nightingale, or an owl calling it’s mate.

And some moths aren’t that boring either - take the Elephant Hawk-moth:  A huge moth with delicate pink and lime green wings.  And you never know if you could find something new to Britain.  What if 1 of your moths is the first of it’s kind to head over from Europe - it has happened before on a Moth Night.

Happy Counting!

posted by admin on Jan 10

Finally, the snow has all gone and the temperature is rising!

Outside of my window this morning there were 2 roe deer trekking across my garden, and out the side by the bird feeders, I saw a nice collection all feeding at the same time: 2 blue tits, 2 great tits, 2 robins, a blackbird and 4 pheasants!

It’s great to see everything still fighting their way into spring, and I am now living in a perfect rural location to witness the changes from winter.

I have already registered myself with many charities and wildlife surveys to make the most of my time here and to help with the monitoring of our native mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and plants!

And of course, it will give me the opportunity to learn a bit more about the world I live in! 

Identifying the calls of birds and the sounds of mammals will really improve my enjoyment of the natural world - and could even help on my CV when I apply for future employment, volunteer opportunities or further education!

Great New Years Resolution don’t you think!