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- YCW2020 A Day in the Life – Freshwater and Wetlands Advice Manager Iain Sime December 18, 2020
- Cairt-làir – lus beag le cliù mòr / Tormentil – little plant with a big reputation December 11, 2020
- Scotland’s Giant Mozzies December 7, 2020
- A new way to benefit nature on farms and crofts December 3, 2020
- #YCW2020 A Day in the Life – Peatland ACTION Project Officer Matthew Cook November 26, 2020
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Category Archives: Insects
Meet the pot beetles, nature’s quirky architects
Teams of volunteers led by Buglife and supported by SNH have recently rediscovered two species of pot beetles that have not been seen in Scotland for many years. Athayde Tonhasca introduces these lovely beetles with peculiar habits. The species that … Continue reading
Posted in Insects
Tagged biodiversity, Chrysomelidae, insects, pot beetle, Scottish Natural Heritage
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Meet the secretive large velvet ant
After an absence from the records of 32 years, the large velvet ant (Mutilla europaea) has been sighted again in Scotland by Dr Jenni Stockan from the James Hutton Institute. Athayde Tonhasca reveals the idiosyncrasies of this surprising insect. Velvet … Continue reading
Posted in Insects
Tagged cleptoparasite, dimorphism, insects, large velvet ant, Mutilla europaea, Scottish Natural Heritage
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Species of the month – the oak marble gall wasp
You would never imagine that tiny, obscure wasps like this could have a place in British history, or indeed have contributed to the culture and literacy of the Western world. But follow Athayde Tonhasca’s thread. Let there be gall enough … Continue reading
Posted in Insects
Tagged Andricus kollari, biodiversity, gall, insects, oak, oak marble gall wasp, Scottish Natural Heritage
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Scotland’s Nature weekly – 4 August
– A rare pea-sized jellyfish and the surprisingly deadly six-spot burnet moth are out and about at this time of year and under the spotlight in this week’s blog. Exploring Shetland’s sea caves and rocky reefs With the help of … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Marine
Tagged biodiversity, CNglcs, marine, marine survey, Mousa, SAC, Scottish Natural Heritage, six-spot burnet moth, SNH
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Deadwood … good wood
There is great ‘natural’ value in deadwood, as Sarah Smyth of our Ecoystems and Biodiversity team explains. Trees contribute a huge amount as living organisms providing shelter and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, pollution reduction, water runoff reduction , … Continue reading
The changing nature of our climate
Imagine if you could no longer find your favourite bird on the wetland in winter, or if trees were dying in your local wood for lack of water in summer. What if the fish in our rivers changed, and salmon … Continue reading
The Bog Squad in ACTION
Butterfly Conservation Scotland’s ‘Bog Squad’ is a volunteer task force, created to carry out rehabilitation works on damaged peatlands across Scotland’s Central Belt, with funding from our Peatland ACTION project. David Hill of Butterfly Conservation tells us more. Central Scotland … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Flanders Moss NNR, Flowers, Insects, National Nature Reserves, Projects, Soil, Uncategorized
Tagged biodiversity, Bird, birds, bumblebees, butterflies, Butterfly Conservation Scotland, conservation, National Nature Reserve, nature, NNR, Peatland ACTION, Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, SNH, The Bog Squad, volunteers, Wildlife
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Repelling invasives
Aliens were in the news last week – but these ones are from right here on planet Earth. In a week-long awareness raising push by the UK Government, invasive, non-native species and the problems they can cause were put under … Continue reading
Glasdrum’s ancient woodland
Continuing our series on Argyll’s National Nature Reserves, we focus on an ancient wood near Oban. Overlooking a sea loch, ash and oak trees dominate the wood, with trunks softened by a thick coat of mosses and lichens which drip … Continue reading
Posted in Access, biodiversity, Flowers, Insects, Lichens, National Nature Reserves, Protected Areas
Tagged Argyll, ash, biodiversity, butterflies, chequered skipper, ferns, Glasdrum, Glasdrum Wood NNR, lichens, liverworts, management, marsh fritillary, mosses, nature, NNR, oak, otter, Wildlife, woods
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The value of ivy
Ivy flowers late in the year in November and December, which is a huge benefit to a range of insects (including honeybees) who welcome the rich nectar supply at a time when few other plants are flowering. Sarah Smyth, an … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Birds, Flowers, Insects
Tagged Ivy, late nectar, reserves for winter, shelter food
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