The Intrepid Adventures of Fred the Damselfly

This is the time of year where newts have started laying eggs in our pond, the flag iris, which I divided last year, is shooting up along with the other water plants AND, unfortunately, blanket weed. Its also the time of year that I scoop up and remove some of said blanket weed as well as beech leaves which come in from the nearby hedge. I try to do this carefully and put anything alive back into the pond and leave the wet pile of leaves on the side just in case. However this time of year sees nesting blackbirds and house sparrows in the hedge who give these piles a good going over so if there is anything left in there it's probably more likely to get eaten.

Damselfly nymphs, who have overwintered for a year or two in the pond, are now thinking about crawling up a stalk or leaf of vegetation and transforming themselves into fully-flying damselflies. In our pond there appears to be more than one species based on their appearance such as whether they have banding on their tails (damselflies have 3 tails) but I'm not sure what exactly is in there. I know large red damselflies visit the pond and at least one type of blue damselfly.

This is the story of one called Fred though.

One day, as I was scooping out the dead leaves from the pond, I noticed one damselfly nymph swim its way over to the pond edge in front of me. Normally they like to keep themselves hidden and I often find them clinging to the undersides of leaves. Peering down I could see this nymph was a strong red colour different from the usual brown or green so it looked almost ready to transform into an adult large red damselfly. In fact he was even poking his head out of the water and starting to climb up the pond's side. I say 'he' as it's the male large red damselflies that are bright red whilst females are darker and so I, perhaps rather unimaginatively, christened him F(red) as a result.

Meet Fred

Fred crawled up to the edge of the pond ..and..fell back in. Again he tried this time managing to haul himself onto one of the flag iris leaves but, again, tumbled back into the water. I was beginning to think Fred wasn't quite ready for this.

It was at this point Fred made a beeline to the shallower parts of the pond where there was more vegetation. But unfortunately also where there was a predatory newt. He swam straight towards the newt and she, seeing a possible meal, opened up her mouth and bit him. I probably shouldn't have named the damselfly really, names cause attachment even in this short of time and I admit I even let out a small 'no!' as he was bitten.

But somehow,
somehow Fred escaped. He managed to wiggle free and clung onto her leg only letting go as she swam back into the pond's depths rather oblivious to what was going on. Newts aren't the smartest of creatures. Was Fred okay though? Was he injured? I saw a couple of eyes through the leaves.. so he was still there at least.

He began crawling out again. but rather than climbing up a stem to burst out of his his exoskeleton as a newly emerged adult, Fred seemed determined to go for a wander across the lawn. I kept an eye on him as sparrows and blackbirds paid a visit to the garden to check out the soggy piles of leaves. I was starting to question what on earth Fred was up to as he slowly made his way to the hedge where the birds' were nesting; towards the mouths of hungry chicks. I tried to encourage him away and up some vegetation thinking maybe he hasn't twigged onto what he was meant to do. But he wasn't interested. Somehow he made his was back to the pond's edge and decided to plop back into the water. Maybe the time wasn't quite right.

Before long though he was off again on another adventure across the lawn. I watched him for a while but I needed to take the dog out for a walk. I questioned whether I should leave him to it, but seeing his past behaviour decided to put him on the flag iris and let him decide from there where things were a little safer.

On my return I scanned the lawn to see if he had decided on yet another walk but couldn't see him anywhere. But then I saw on the flag iris a newly emerged large red damselfly was sitting and getting ready to fly. It could have perhaps been one of the other nymphs in the pond but to my mind it was Fred.

He sat there drying his soft wings in the sun, shifting round on the stem as I looked at him in case I had plans to eat him. I checked from time to time to see how he was doing but had to head indoors to do other things. A pair of blackbirds visited the area and began sorting through the leaf pile for any invertebrates to make a meal of. The female headed to the drive whilst the male hopped around at the far end of the pond. Fred was at the near side of the pond so currently out of range but I gave them both a stern glare to not eat Fred.

Next I checked both Fred and the blackbirds were gone. Whether his luck finally ran out with the blackbird or whether he finally flew off to pastures new I'll never know. Damselflies are so vulnerable just sitting there and waiting until they are capable of flying.. and Fred seemed an extremely reckless one at that. But I like to think that he made it.

Pet Breed Focus: The Sheltie Guinea Pig

This month we look at the Sheltie, a long-haired breed of guinea pig that is also known as the Silkie in the USA.

Guinea pigs, also known as caveys, originate from the Andres in South America where they grazed on grassy plains, and despite their name are rodents. They were first domesticated for food and fed household scraps and were important in traditional healing rituals for diagnosis, religious ceremonies as well as given as gifts. 

They have enjoyed status in western Europe as a household pet since their introduction from traders in the 16th Century where they were kept as exotic pets by the upperclass including Queen Elizabeth I. Due to their docile nature and responsiveness to handling and feeding they were used for experimentation since the 19th Century giving the rise to the expression 'being a guinea pig'. They have now largely been superseded by rats and mice. 

It's unknown as to exactly why they are called Guinea pigs but there are a few theories. Traders may have brought the animals into western Europe through Guinea, or 'Guinea' may be a corruption of the word 'Guiana' an area of South America although guinea pigs not being from that region. The English at the time also used 'Guinea' as a term for far away land, and perhaps the 'Pig' part maybe due to the noises they make

The Sheltie was first bred in the UK in the 1970s by breeding Peruvian breed guinea pigs with Self smooth blacks and was recognised as a breed in 1973.

They are known for their soft, shiny long hair that sweeps back away from the face and down the body. 

They differ from the Peruvian by having less dense, long fur that falls in a different pattern that doesn't naturally part in the centre. As well as this their face is not covered by a fringe. From above their hair resembles a 'teardrop' shape. Their fur can be any colour for showing with the exception of tan. 

It is important that this breed of guinea pig gets used to brushing and cleaning as this is integral for the care of their coat and makes this a more high maintenance breed. The fur needs to be trimmed; especially at the rear to prevent matting. 'Barbering' can be an issue if kept in groups as they may chew other's fur so give plenty of hay to keep occupied.

As well as for their appearance they are known for being laid back and gentle animals.

Rewilding: An Introduction

You may not have heard the term 'Rewilding' but it is a growing practise in the environmental sector that seeks to improve the state of nature through various methods one of which is the reintroduction of species such as large carnivores. With the Lynx UK Trust applying for a licence this year and a decision in Scotland on the fate of the beaver trial underway rewilding is certainly something that's under the current spotlight.

So what is it?

Rewilding is about large scale conservation. It looks to restore and protect natural processes and core areas of wilderness. It does this by connecting up areas of fragmented habitat and through the reintroduction of species with a focus on keystone species. These are important as they have a disproportionate impact on the species around them and play key roles in ecosystems; hence the name.

Apex predators are typically keystone species as they exert important top-down influences on food webs and their removal sends waves of effects throughout - something known as a trophic cascade. This is why the reintroduction of large carnivores is so important to restore areas of wilderness.

Reintroductions sometimes use proxy species - these are non-native species that are considered where the wild species has become extinct, such as the use of Konik ponies to replace the wild taipan. More controversially its been suggested to use elephants in Brazil to improve the plant productivity as the Americas have lost much of their past mega fauna such as the giant sloth. But there is a risk when using non-natives of unwanted interactions between species which can cause more harm than good.

Why large carnivores are important
The absence and subsequent reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the USA is a great example of the importance of large predators. The loss of wolves saw deer numbers multiply leading to overbrowsing and overgrazing of the vegetation. This meant that the forests, despite looking healthy, were in fact slowly dying as their seedlings were eaten and the trees were unable to replace themselves. It had other effects too - there was less carrion for invertebrates and other scavengers, coyote populations grew and their prey populations shrank.

The comeback of the wolf to Yellowstone saw significant changes to the area as the following Youtube video illustrates:

Rewilding in the UK?
The loss of large predators in the UK by the 18th century has had implications for our countryside including the overpopulation of deer, particularly in the Highlands of Scotland where the habitat has been degraded as a result. This impacts on other species as well as costing forestry and agricultural sectors. There is a now a large focus on the Uplands for reintroductions and rewilding because of these impacts. The Uplands are also areas of lighter human population densities and farmland is these areas are often not productive enough to make a profit and are subsidised.

Many rewilding projects have taken place in mainland Europe, including reintroductions, but as the UK is an island it has to be an active choice to bring animals in to reintroduce. Suitable individuals need to be taken from healthy wild populations where they have the experiences necessary to be able to survive which captive animals lack. There are also many licences and regulations which further complicate matters. Rewilding should not be just seen that something that’s good for wildlife it brings many other benefits particularly if we look at issues such as flooding. 

Having a loose concept of what rewilding was I decided to attend a workshop on rewilding held by A Focus on Nature (AFON) at WildWood animal park in Kent to learn a bit more about it. We looked at the work TreesForLife are doing in the HighLands of Scotland, the Great Fen Project in East Anglia, beaver reintroduction, attitudes to lynx reintroduction and a great deal more. So much in fact that I couldn't fit it all in one post. 

So.. more to come perhaps?

Wildlife Watch: The Bluebell

Stroll through a woodland this time of year and you'll likely be met with a carpet of bluebells on the woodland floor. This is a sight less often seen outside of the UK; in fact we may have up half the world's bluebell population. Our native bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is protected as a result as well as overcollection in the past, this means it is an offence to uproot a wild plant. It is known as a AWI species (an ancient woodland indicator) a sign of a woodland that's been around since at least 1600CE as bluebells are slow to colonise new areas. Plants found outside woodlands but that have not been planted are usually signs of where the woodland once was... unless it's a Spanish bluebell.

You can tell if a bluebell is native or a Spanish bluebell by having a look at the flowers. Generally native bluebells are a deeper colour with flowers dropping on one side. Spanish bluebells have paler, wider flowers spiralled around the stem. As our native bluebells will hybridise with Spanish this can make identification harder but there is a simpler difference. Inside the flowers native bluebells have white anthers whilst Spanish and hybrids have purple.

(Left) Native bluebell                        (Right) Spanish bluebell

An interesting trick can be done to change a bluebell into a crimson one through another woodland species - the wood ant. 

Wood ants will bite in defense but also spray formic acid. This reacts with the pigments in the petals changing them to a bright pink. By finding an active ants nest you can agitate the ants into attacking the bluebell to create this reaction. Pretty interesting to see although it does smell a lot like vinegar!

Midway through changing colours gives a 'tie-die' effect to the petals

Pet Breed Focus: The Dalmatian

This month's pet breed is the Dalmatian, a very well known breed with it's distinctive spotted coat.

The breed originates from what was Dalmatia, now part of Croatia, with the oldest references to the breed come from 17th century paintings. They were used as dogs of war in Dalmatia and retain a strong guard instinct. The breed was largely developed in England where their strong guarding instincts were utilised to protect brewers' carriages. In the States they were used alongside horse-drawn fire engines and guarded the expensive horses that were tempting to thieves. They have also been used for hunting and their attractive coat led to their use in circuses. Now they are mainly a family pet that increased in popularity due to the book and later the films 101 Dalmatians. This unfortunately led to much irresponsible dog breeding and ownership resulting in many abandoned dogs although now the numbers of dalmatians being registered has fallen substantially since these surges.

This large muscular dog is predominantly white with black or liver coloured spots although they can be other colours or even tricoloured. They have a short coat that lacks the oils that produce a 'doggy smell' but sheds a lot. As they were bred to run alongside carriages they are a high energy and stamina dog that needs a lot of exercise so they do not get bored and destructive. They are not born with spots but develop them at around 3 weeks old with most spots developed at around a month old; although they can still gradually develop new spots as they age. They usually have large litters of around 8-13 pups but litters can be even larger than this.

They are relatively healthy but there are a couple of problems associated with the breed such as deafness which is linked to the dog's pigmentation; around 30% of dalmatian puppies have some level of deafness.

Another common problem is hyperuricema, where the dogs lack the enzyme uricase and have trouble breaking down uric acid which can lead to gout, and kidney and bladder stones. This is more likely to be present in older males and limiting the amounts of protein in the diet can help as well as always having access to fresh water. Efforts have been made to reintroduce the enzyme to some dalmatians through using other breeds such as pointers but there is a reluctance to accept dogs, even 13 generations removed as pedigrees. Similar to this, dalmatians with larger areas of pigmentation are less likely to have problems with deafness but are disqualified from breed standard to preserve the spotted coat. In later life autoimmune thyroiditis is commonly a problem effecting around 10% of dalmatians.

Temperment-wise they are intelligent, playful dogs that are fond of other animals especially horses and their stamina makes them a great running partner. They have some mild protective instincts so should be socialised well to promote a stable temperment.

A walk by the river

With the local river still flowing, albeit lower, through the village I often taken my labrador Jazz out for a walk along it. It was very mild with clear blue skies as we walked along the footpath. Blackthorns were white with blossoms with many trees just beginning to burst into leaf.

Along the way the dog caught scent of something in the hedgerow by the water. I assumed it was a duck as we had seen a few along the river in the weeks before but was surprised to see a sparrowhawk burst out of the hedge and fly further along the lane, carrying its prey in its talons as it went. As we continued our walk along the lane, the sparrow hawk returned flying by us and up past a couple of houses, without it's prey but with yellow eyes glaring at us as it went. It was a male, with slate grey upperparts and barred breast with warm orange cheeks and sides. I did a little watercolour that evening of a sparrowhawk as a result. 

Watercolour of a male Sparrowhawk

Further along, Jazz found what the sparrowhawk had been eating. Most of it was gone aside from the feet and wings and tail.

Not many birds have red feet so I decided to look up what it could be. The orange colouration under the tail with the red feet to me suggest it was a red-legged partridge, quite a large prey for a sparrowhawk, especially a male as females are larger. Sparrowhawks aren't the most efficient killers of larger prey so hopefully the partridge didn't suffer too much.

Heading back the way we came we returned to the spot on the hedgerow where my dog had flushed out the hawk. Looking into the hedge I could see a mass of feathers where he had been plucking the bird.

Returning to the river I watched as my dog harnessed her inner-beaver, dragging out the largest branches and rocks she could find in the water up to the bank. Making the most of the spring sunshine a couple of last year's small tortoiseshells flitted about in the warm sunlight. As it hadn't rained in a while the water was wonderfully clear as it lazed along its the road. It's only a seasonal river that doesn't flow for some years so it won't be around much longer with the increasing heat. It had flowed for the last two years which has invited a a couple of pairs of grey wagtails to stay nearby and you could hear them 'pipping' as we walked by. I always feel they're rather poorly named as it's their lemon yellow bellies and tail which stand out rather than their grey backs.

Still, I'm sure that both they (and the dog) will make the most of the river while it lasts.

Wildlife Watch: Snake's head fritillary

In addition to the pet breed focus and what with the arrival of spring I thought it would be a good idea to shine a spotlight on some of the wildlife we have here in the UK and have a look at a different species every month. The arrival of spring is brings with it some notable plants into flower and I thought I'd talk about an usual one called the Snake's head fritillary.

The Snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) is an unusual and distinctive looking plant with crimson and white checkered petals than droop into lampshade-like blooms. They grow on pale grey-green slender stems up to 30cm with thin tapering leaves. They typically grow through March and open to flower in April to May.

These flowers used to be commonly found in damp meadows, particularly in the Thames valley where they used to be cut and sold at markets. Through the drainage of wetland areas such as flood plains, and the intensification of agricultural practices we have lost around 95% of our lowland meadows in the UK. Now native snake's head fritillaries are quite rare to find and can only be found in a few ancient hay meadows. However they may be found planted as they are a popular plant often sold in garden centres.

There are still a few places where you can see them flowering in wet meadows, some putting on impressive displays. One of the best known is the North Meadow at Cricklade National Nature Reserve near Swindon in Wiltshire. There's even a website for the site that will keep you updated on how close they are to flowering. Other notable meadows include those at Magdalen College, Oxford, and Fox Fritillary meadow in Suffolk. The latter is only open to the public one day a year to see the blooms; which this year is on April 18th. If you live nearby these places are certainly worth a visit. Sadly it'll be too far for me so I'll just have to wait for my planted one in my garden to flower.