Wet and Dry

 

It had been my intention, on returning from my summer break from blogging, to bring you a whole series of blogs, featuring the diverse wildlife of Scotland, Hungary, Austria and Germany. However, the best laid plans and all that. As we all know, the weather has become ever more unpredictable, and to cut a long story short, Scotland was too wet for wildlife and central Europe was too dry.

The first picture above shows the Falls of Dochart at the western end of Loch Tay where Ishbel, Mattie and I spent four days studying clouds... from the inside. It was only on our return journey, when we visited the lower reaches of the Tay in a vain attempt to find some Bearded Tits, that we spotted a few Fallow Deer. Other than that, a couple of Buzzards, pretending to be Golden Eagles, and a lone Kestrel were all that we could find.

A week or so later, my mother, my sister and I, took a cruise up the river Danube. Here, I was hoping to bring you something along the lines of My Family and Other Animals, but unfortunately, the other animals were conspicuous by their absence. Apart from a handful of wasps, three butterflies and a dragonfly, the only other insect I saw was this Green Shieldbug, who hitched a lift with us somewhere near the Hungary/Austria border.

Of birds, mammals and amphibians there was scant sign, even though I walked the river banks at various stops. This may, in part, have been due to the long dry summer in central Europe. So dry, in fact, that the cruise had to be abandoned at Passau as the river level had dropped so much that the Danube had become unnavigable above that point.

This got me thinking. We are being bombarded with information about climate change and the state of the planet. So much so, that it's hard to take it all in. What I wanted was a short, readable, book that would put everything into context. So I've decided to write one. It will be called British Mammals: Then and Now.

I have a number of antiquarian natural history books that tell me the state of British mammals in days gone by, which I will contrast and compare with current information to try to establish what has happened, why it has happened, and what will happen in the future if we either intervene or let things continue as they are. Give me a few weeks to get the initial research done, and then I'll be back with some updates and a few fascinating tidbits about the 100+ mammals that we have in the UK. (No, I didn't realise we had that many either).

All the best for now.

Steve

PS When I've finished with some of my antiquarian sources, I''l probably put them up for sale, so keep an eye on Steve's Vintage Collectables (which is also a good place to look for Christmas presents. Vintage and antique items are a lot more environmentally friendly than modern, manufactured stuff).

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All the best,

Steve

Mugwort - The Smokers' Alternative - Silloth West Beach

 

We're off to Silloth West Beach today, in search of a somewhat drab looking plant called Mugwort. Drab it may be, but it is the first of the nine sacred herbs listed in the 10^th century herbal, the Lacnunga. You can stuff your pillow with it for sweet dreams, beer was brewed with it before hops as a medicine, or you can put it in your bath water for an invigorating soak. Personally, I'm going to put it in my pipe and smoke it. I started smoking many years ago when fags were cheap and apparently good for you (according to the adverts). Nowadays, they are ridiculously expensive and, so we are led to believe, can kill you at twenty paces. Mugwort, so I am told by other pipe smokers, can gradually wean one off nicotine by gradually increasing the ratio of mugwort to tobacco in your pipe or roll-up. Worth a go. I'll let you know.

Now that I've collected a bag of young leaves with which to experiment, let's go and see if we can find any Northern Dune Tiger Beetles. In a word, no, but we'll find one some day. We do have a couple of other beetles though. This first one is a Darkling Beetle. There are over 500 species of these, but this one, Phylan gibbus, is a bit of a dune specialist. The other, beautifully shiny metallic green one, is a European Gazelle Beetle, Nebria revilcollis. Lovely over here in Europe, where it belongs, but it has taken to voyaging the Atlantic and is now invading North America.

Behind the dunes, we have a magnificent stand of gorse and small trees which the birds are absolutely loving. There's a resplendent male Chaffinch, singing from a high branch; a Starling foraging for insects and other arthropods around the roots; a camera shy Linnet; and a Song Thrush competing with the Chaffinch for volume, and winning by quite a few decibels.

A tiny flash of blue has just caught my eye in that heather and moss down there. Let's dive in and see if we can find the owner. It's a lady Wolf Spider, carrying her brood in a sac (Wolf Spiders are the only spiders that do this). I'll just see if I can tempt her to come to my hand so that we can see her better. Here she is, sweet little thing. When the spiderlings hatch, they will run up her legs, presumably using those convenient spines, and settle on her back for several weeks, until they are able to fend for themselves. I'll put her back and let her go about her business.

As I am writing this, Jeremy Vine is hosting yet another programme about Covid. I don't know about you, but I think that too much coverage of a subject can create public apathy, even resentment and eventually become counter-productive. I've noticed this with with other things such as antisemitism, racial equality and gay pride. Highlighting issues is one thing; shoving it in people's faces all the time is quite another. Unfortunately, I can see the same thing happening with climate change. If you want to get a message across – do it with a smile, like these guys!

Steve

Steve's Nature Plus Minibeast Monday * Podcast Tuesday * #CumbriaNature Wednesday * Foraging Friday * and other odd bits as they happen throughout the week.

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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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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

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 -Stormy Weather

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Phenomenal Phenology II

 

Back in 2014, I published what turned out to be a very popular blog post called PhenomenalPhenology. In that post, I made what would appear to be a fantastic claim to justify the title:

“I say phenomenal, because on the one hand it is terrifically simple and you need no scientific training whatsoever to be a phenologist, and on the other hand your contribution could help to save thousands, if not millions, of lives in the future.”

I stand by that claim, and in the light of that, I think the subject is well worth revisiting. So, take a walk with me around Cogra Moss and we'll have a recap and an update.

Periwinkle (Vinca sp.)

First of all, Phenology is the science of recording when things happen in the natural world. Take these Periwinkles, for example, by the side of the footpath. This is the first time that we've seen them in flower this year so we'll take a note of where and when. It's very simple, that's all there is to it. Not just flowering times of plants, but you can record when the first buds appear on trees and when things start to go to seed as well.

But what's the point? I hear you ask. To which, the answer is: that if you keep annual records then, over a period of time you can build up a picture of how the natural world is changing over time – and that is a powerful predictor of climate change. As I've only recently moved to the area, I haven't had a chance to build a picture yet, but during the 14 years that I spent in Crete, I tracked rain, flowers, birds and insects. On its own it looks pretty haphazard and random, but when combined with other people's observations around the world, things start to come into focus.

We all know that the climate is changing (and squabbling over whether that change is natural, man made, or a bit of both is pretty pointless now). We will have to adapt to it, as we have done in the past. What is different now is the scale of the problem, and the speed at which it is happening. I clipped the picture above from ClimateRefugees.org (I'm sure they won't mind) and there you will find the whole chilling story.

We can all do our bit towards providing the vital information that will continue to be needed over the coming years. For where flowers, insects and birds lead, we humans will surely follow. A list of citizen science projects is given on the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology's web page. Outside of the UK, simply type 'Phenology projects' into your search engine. So, whether your interest is in botany, ornithology, entomology or you just want to help the world cope with a changing future, this is a simple way to make a big difference.

All the best,

Steve

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The Reasons Behind The Excessive Rainfall

Out & About

Do you remember that old stone bridge that we crossed at Mirtos last month? The one where I suggested that whheelchair users would probably find it more practical to use the adjoining concreted ford? No longer; the ford was washed away last week in the fifth major deluge to hit our island this year. We have had more rain so far this year than the total rainfall for any of the preceding ten years.

I thought that we'd take a walk down to the cliffs today to see how Ferma, which lies between Myrtos and Makry Gialos, has fared. But as we wend our way down through the olive groves I'll try to explain what is happening and it is down to our old friend (or new enemy) climate change. Simply put, the temperature of the Earth is slowly rising but it is not constant around the globe. Here in south east Crete we are just under a degree celcius warmer than we were ten years ago which is much greater than the global average. Warmer air holds more moisture and it has a tendancy to drop this in torrential downpours.

Flood pictures from news 24 7 and Kreta MakryGialos

Somehow we seem to have missed the worst of it. Just a bit of extra water flowing down the gully which the birds are enjoying. There's a Corn Bunting down there look which I don't often see in these parts and, rarer still, a pair of Purple Heron flying over the sea. With all this fresh water laying around it seems strange that they should choose to come to the coast. Maybe they're spoiled for choice. And... I've just seen the first swallows of the year. They seem to be getting later, they used to turn up in the middle of March ten years or so back.

“They seek him here, they seek him there,

Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
That demned elusive Pimpernel”

Thus rhymed Baroness Orczy in her novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Well, here it is, the diminutive flower after which her hero is named. A toxic little weed (the flower, not the hero), particularly to livestock. Humans fed with experimental doses of the essential oil suffered intense nausea, headaches and bodily pain. The ancient Greeks used it as an antidepressant, presumably on the grounds that all that suffering takes your mind off your less tangible woes.

Fieldcraft & Foraging

There are quite a lot of insects about this morning including these three which turn up regularly in the last week of March or the first week of April. The exact date is linked to conditions such as light levels and temperature, which determine when the flowers start to bloom and thus, directly or indirectly, when food is available. As such, you can use insects as a rough temperature guide. An American chap took this to extremes apparently and calculated that 40 + (the number of chirps made by the Snowy Tree Cricket in 14 seconds) = the temperature in degrees Farenheit. He obviously had a lot of time on his hands to come up with that particular piece of fieldcraft.

In The Lab

The Painted Ladies are still about but in lesser numbers and last week I sent a batch of specimens off to the Vanessa cardui migration project for DNA testing. The point of this, as with all studies of plant, insect and other bird and animal migrations is to spot changes in migratory behaviour. For eventually, where the wildlife goes so too will our own species. 'Climate Refugees' is a term that we will hear more and more in the years to come and if we can use our observations of nature to predict where and when human migration will occur then maybe, just maybe, the governments of the world can prepare.

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 - (Current series start)

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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. Kindle Edition 1.99 pounds sterling (or equivalent). Paperback Edition 4.99 pounds sterling (or equivalent).. Read snippets, samples and stuff at Steve's Books

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If Spring Never Sprung

Crown Daisies, Glebionis coronaria

We are nearly at the end of our journey down the Milonas Valley but before we reach the point where the little river enters the sea I want to take a slight detour to a small, fallow field nearby because it sums up this season of spring so succinctly. In this one field I counted twenty different wild flowers when I chanced upon it the other day so let us wander among the crown daisies and the poppies and watch spring in action.

Buff-tailed Bumble bee, Bombus terrestris Common Poppy, Papaver rhoeas

This is no quiet landscape; a veritable orchestra of insects are chirruping, buzzing and droning as they go about their business of collecting from the flowers, pollinating as they go. The deep bass notes of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee down in this Common Poppy are counterpointed by the Honey Bees investigating the Yellow Asphodels around the edges of the field.

Flower Weevils,  Malvaevora timida Common Mallow, Malva sylvestris

The beetles too are adding a further layer to the symphony. All our old friends are here; the Soldier Beetles, the Flower Chafers and the carpet Beetles but who are these small fellows hiding in the folds of the Mallows? Some tiny little Flower Weevils and not all fellows it would appear. There is definitely some action going on here that you wouldn’t expect of the Royal Philharmonic (not during a concert at any rate). 

Pale Shoulder, Acontia lucida Mediterranean Sand-spurrey, Spergularia diandra

I think we’ll take our lead from this Pale Shoulder moth and laze awhile on these soft beds of Spurrey. The larvae of the Pale Shoulder feed on Goosefoots and Mallows among others and this field hosts plenty of both so it’s no surprise to find it here. No great wonder to find so much Spurrey either as it is a very salt tolerant plant and we’re very close to the sea. You know, I could lay here in the spring sunshine for hours just listening and watching but there are so many intriguing sights, scents and sounds that are just crying out to be investigated. Let us move on.

juvenile Balkan Green Lizard, Lacerta trilineata

Where you have insects you have predators of course and here among the stones at the edge of the fields the lizards are lurking ready to snap at any unwary insect that comes too close. Just stop and listen for a while: overlaying the rhythmic background of the insects you can hear the intertwined melodies of the songbirds in the olive groves that surround us. The trilling piccolos of the finches, the percussive rattling song of the Sardinian warbler and the beautiful flute solo of the Blackbird. Spring is indeed the most wonderful of seasons.

The Extra Bit

Spring has definitely sprung; the flowers are blooming, the insects are pollinating and the birds are singing for mates in the trees. But what if spring never sprung?* Or leastways, if it failed to spring in the manner to which we’ve become accustomed? Unfortunately this is happening right now. From my own notes I know that the rainfall patterns have shifted forward by a month in the last ten years, the Crown Daisies that used to start flowering in November/December are now rarely seen before January and the insects aren’t always keeping pace with the changes. That Pale Shoulder moth was one of the few noctuid moths that I’ve seen this winter whereas ten years ago I was photographing species by the score. Worldwide the climate is changing. Of that there is no doubt and arguing about whether we are to blame or whether it is part of a natural cycle is pointless now. If the flowers, insects and birds go out of synchronisation (and evidence shows that they are) then our agriculture also slips out of gear. We are going to have to adapt to survive. Sure we can do it, by cobbling together artificial solutions to crises as they arrive, but days like this will be lost.  The Mayans, Romans and Ancient Egyptians have shown us that civilisations don’t last forever and western civilisation as we now know it is in for an interesting century.

* For pedants and students of the English language the phrase "If Spring Never Sprung" is grammatically incorrect. Either "If Spring Never  Sprang" or "If Spring had Never Sprung" would be correct but they do not have the same impact as a title.

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LINKS:

Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

See detailed pictures at http://www.inaturalist.org/login  (search - people-stevedaniels-observations)

The Nature of Crete  (Flipboard Magazine)

Cretan Flora

Flowers of Crete;

BIRDS OF CRETE

Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths

Aquaworld Aquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)

Phenomenal Phenology

Swift

After the exertions of the past fortnight up and down that ditch I thought you’d appreciate a quiet evening in the courtyard over a gin and tonic chatting about something you can all really get involved with and that is the phenomenal science of phenology. I say phenomenal because on the one hand it is terrifically simple and you need no scientific training whatsoever to be a phenologist and on the other hand your contribution could help to save thousands, if not millions, of lives in the future. A fantastic claim? Then let me explain. Take a look at those swifts up there.

Nesting Swallows

Those are the first swifts that I have seen this year and I shall record that fact as I have done every year since 2010. I do the same for the first swallows of spring as well and I finish up with a pretty little graph like this which gives me the impression that the birds are tending to arrive a little later than they used to. And that is all there is to it. From the Greek φαίνω (phainō), "to show, to bring to light, make to appear" + λόγος (logos), amongst others "study, discourse, reasoning" phenology is the science of recording when things happen in the natural world. I’m showing you the picture of the swallow with her brood not just because it’s a nice action picture but also to say that it is not just first sightings which you can record but first events as well such as first signs of nest building or when chicks fledge.

Poppy and Swallowtail Butterfly

OK, that’s what phenology is but what’s the point? Well, partially it can help to show the interconnectedness of the natural world. Take this phenology showing the relationships between flowers and insects for example. Poppies are representing the flowers and Swallowtail Butterflies are representing the insects. Notice how closely the appearance of the insects follows the appearance of the flowers. I see from my weather records that 2011 was a very dull spring with about six times the average rainfall in April.

Black Redstart

Which brings me round to the Englishman’s favourite subject: the weather. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (or a professor of biology for that matter) to realize that weather and nature are very closely tied together. You do, however, have to see the big picture.  Take the autumn appearance of the Black Redstart for example. He can appear any time from day 294 (October 21^st) to day 341 (December 7^th) and this shows little or no correlation to the weather conditions out here. I would expect the dates to show quite a strong correlation to the weather conditions in north eastern Europe however as this is where they have spent the summer raising their broods and it is inclement weather up there that is going to trigger them to move.

Rising mean temperatures in south east Crete are contributing to desertification

Now to the saving lives bit. Weather is what happens on a day-to-day basis. If you add a lot of weathers together that’s climate and the climate, as we know, is changing. This in itself is no great problem to mankind: we’ve been through ice ages before and survived and we’re very adaptable creatures. It was only 5,200 years ago when we went through the last severe global warming event when the sun got the hiccups and the Sahara desert became uninhabitable. People just got up and moved to somewhere more hospitable. But there’s the rub: 5,200 years ago the world’s population was only 250,000,000 (imagine Indonesia being the only inhabited place today and the rest of the world being devoid of human life and you’ll get the picture). The current world population is now approaching 7,250,000,000 and 90% live in the tropics. And just to make it really interesting this is a period of rapid climate change and an awful lot of people are going to want to move very soon, at a very conservative estimate we’re talking tens of millions if not in excess of 100,000,000. 

This is where your phenology comes in. In the not so distant past we all had a much closer association with the natural world around us and by observing the plants and animals we had an intuitive feel of weather changes in the coming days or weeks. Now we have to examine the phenology of plants and animals on a global scale so that, in conjunction with the meteorologists and climate scientists, we can have some hope of predicting what will happen, where and when and help people to move in an orderly fashion rather than have them turn up on each others doorsteps when the wave breaks. There are already a number of phenology surveys around the world where you can record your observations and many more will surely follow. If your country isn’t yet listed then keep records anyway, they may be of vital importance.

Countries with phenology surveys:

UK	France	USA
Australia	India	Ireland
Netherlands	Canada	New Zealand

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LINKS:

MAJOR CLIMATE CHANGE OCCURRED 5,200 YEARS AGO: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT HISTORY COULD REPEAT ITSELFhttp://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/5200event.htm

Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Flowers of Crete;

BIRDS OF CRETE

Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths

Aquaworld Aquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)