Nature in your local patch
OPAL West Midlands: Nature in your local patch
Bees
March 09 notes
The last few days of warmth seem to have done the trick. Life is abundant in my local patch. I went off for a walk today with one purpose, to photograph an early flowering and interesting riparian plant. You’ll all know it, certainly in late summer when its large rhubarb-like leaves coat the banks of the local rivers. The plant in question is Butterbur. It is an early flowering species, sometimes as early as February (like last year) and it flowers before producing those huge leaves.
The banks of rivers are now dotted with small yellow flowers belonging to Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot. The former has been flowering for a few weeks. I saw my first solitary flower on March 2nd, but it is much more evident now. I didn’t see any Coltsfoot last time we were out (Mar 13th) so it has arrived in the last few days. Both of these flowers are sun lovers and Lesser Celandine even tracks the sun and closes its leaves when the sky darkens.
The other good news is that the migrant warblers are returning from Africa. I have heard Chiffchaffs singing the last few weeks. We are now waiting for the others, Wilow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and the like. In some areas in the West Midlands Chiffchaffs (and some other warblers) overwinter but not deep in the city.
The ponds of your local patches should be home to mating amphibians and many full of spawn from frogs, toads and newts. They will develop quickly into tadpoles as the weather warms. Amphibians have been in the news lately because of the collapse in their numbers. Ponds and lake in cities, towns and gardens are important habitats as rural dew ponds are being removed at alarming rates.
The banks of rivers are now dotted with small yellow flowers belonging to Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot. The former has been flowering for a few weeks. I saw my first solitary flower on March 2nd, but it is much more evident now. I didn’t see any Coltsfoot last time we were out (Mar 13th) so it has arrived in the last few days. Both of these flowers are sun lovers and Lesser Celandine even tracks the sun and closes its leaves when the sky darkens.
The other good news is that the migrant warblers are returning from Africa. I have heard Chiffchaffs singing the last few weeks. We are now waiting for the others, Wilow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and the like. In some areas in the West Midlands Chiffchaffs (and some other warblers) overwinter but not deep in the city.
The ponds of your local patches should be home to mating amphibians and many full of spawn from frogs, toads and newts. They will develop quickly into tadpoles as the weather warms. Amphibians have been in the news lately because of the collapse in their numbers. Ponds and lake in cities, towns and gardens are important habitats as rural dew ponds are being removed at alarming rates.
January 09 notes
Surprisingly, even though it is the middle of winter, it is worth keeping an eye out for winter active bumblebees! Bumblebees have the remarkable ability to uncouple their wings and pump their flight muscles without moving their wings to warm up. This is a little like you or I shivering to keep warm, and means that Bumblebees can fly at times of the year when other species of bee are simply too cold. As a result they are particularly important pollinators in cold periods of the year when other species are not active.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.