We all know the three major fossil fuels; coal, oil and gas but today we're off to a peat bog. Peat is sometimes referred to as the forgotten fossil fuel and is rarely used outside of Scandinavia and the British Isles. It's an amazing material formed by partially decayed organic matter and, what's more, it's terrific at storing carbon. So terrific that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have calculated that peatlands store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. The important plant in this ecosystem is this Sphagnum moss. The green bits that you can see contain the usual photosynthesising plant calls, but underneath they have special, barrel shaped cells that soak up water like a sponge, thus creating the bog. Bogs are very acidic and only certain plants, like the Hare's-tail Cottongrass that you can see dotted about, can tolerate these conditions.
Another plant that loves these acidic conditions is Heather which is why we're seeing a lot of Oak Eggar caterpillars about. Despite its name (which derives from the fact that its coccoon is said to resemble an acorn) its preferred caterpillar plant foods are Heather and Bilberries. We also have a Wall Brown butterfly making a flying visit and a small moth hiding in the heather that I can't identify.
To stop our feet getting wet, volunteers have laid hundreds of metres of boardwalks, and as these warm up in the sun, Large Red Damselflies and Viviparous Lizards come out to bask. How do you tell a damselfly from a dragonfly? Dragonflies rest with their wings outstretched, damselflies fold them back in line with their bodies. (One of the many tips to identification that you'll find in The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies).
As we come to the edge of the bog we come into a small patch of Silver Birch. On some of the dying stumps of trees we have Birch Polypore bracket fungi growing. These grow almost exclusively on birch trees and are also known as the razorstrop fungus because that was what they were traditionally used for. And for those of you who don't remember the days before the disposable safety razor, razor blades used to resemble single blade penknives and had to be regularly sharpened by whetting the blade, back and forth on a strop. We also have a number of small beetles on the leaves. I haven't had them confirmed as yet, but I think that they are Heather Beetles, Lochmaea suturalis.
I haven't mentioned birds yet, but they've been about. Mainly Chaffinches and a few Blackbirds but for most of the morning we've been accompanied by the call of a cuckoo, the first I've heard this year. And for those of you who only read this blog for the birdie bits, here's a Wood Pigeon taking a bath on the track into the nearby village of Glasson.
Steve
Minibeast Monday * Podcast Tuesday * #CumbriaNature Wednesday * Foraging Friday * and other odd bits as they happen throughout the week.
If you'd like to see some of the pictures in more detail, you'll find them in the gallery. These are also available for prints or digital downloads for commercial or scientific use.
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The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies All you need to know to identify any type of insect, spider, worm or snail very simply and find out more about it. Yvonne: This was a gift for a family so that the children can understand what they see on days out. The second was for me. Logical and easy to use. If you know anyone who likes nature you can be confident that gifting this book will give years of pleasure. |
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The Eggs of Saramova You can listen to this book for FREE as it is being serialized on the podcast The Author Reads |
 £7.50 Paperback edition |
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Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels A light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex. Janet: If you are short on time but enjoy reading and are maybe not into long extended novels then Not Just For... Twisted Women provides readers with concise stories that stand alone and most certainly entertain with their ultimate twists. Loved it. Helen: A very good read! Well written and entertaining! Margaret: Each quick tale gives a glimpse into a character's life and has an often humorous twist at the end. I would love to read more. Yvonne: These days many people find it hard to find the time to read a novel, so this book of short stories is ideal to dip into. It is also makes a good gift. |
 £4.99 Paperback edition |
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Crete Nature Catch-up |
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