This is the End….or is it?

Eighteen months ago, the Meet the Species team set out on an epic quest: to bring scientists, naturalists, schools groups and members of the public together in the search for 2,012 species of wildlife for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Meeting micro-species

At nearly 150 thrilling events, thousands of participants joined the race up and down the country, meeting around 4,000 species along the way (some number crunching still going on). So far 1,727 of these are on our 2,012 list with 285 still to find.

We think there are three main reasons for not finding some of these elusive species

1. Seasonality – most of our events took place over the summer months so we are missing a few autumn moths, fungi and winter birds that migrate for the summer
2. Expertise – some of our species are very difficult to identify and rely on the right expert, to be in the right place, at the right time to get a positive record – we don’t record if we’re not sure!
3. Rarity – Some of our species are either very uncommon  – like the Goose Barnacle, or very local in their distribution – like the Red Squirrel, so if we don’t have an event in the right place we can easily miss them.

The Meet the Species Festival Base Camp

We’ve had an amazing time engaging with people and nature in this epic survey and thousands have got closer to nature and learned about the importance and the fun of taking part in wildlife surveys. Hopefully we will hit our target of ticking off every species on the list by the end of the Paralympic Games but even if we don’t, with your help we have made a significant contribution to conservation research by generating over 11,000 biological records and counting!

This data will be used by scientists and conservationists to monitor the state of the UK’s wildlife, influencing the decisions made by land managers and politicians in the future.

Spot the Ladybird with Remy Poland

A massive thank you goes out to all of the naturalists, scientists, organisations, schools and individuals who have volunteered their time, skills and efforts to help with Meet the Species and of course to all those who contributed to our Final Lap Blog! We hope you had fun…we know we did!

So whether you’ve iSpotted your wildlife sightings, joined a Meet the Species accredited event, met the team at one of our feature events or joined in the Final Lap blog, thank you so much for joining the race. Of course you can continue to take part in any of the amazing surveys run by organisations all over the country.

The important thing now is to keep up the good work!

Best wishes and enjoy meeting more species,

The  Meet the Species Team

The Meet the Species Team at Green Man Festival 2011 – one of our feature events

Meet the Species is a project of the Bristol Natural History Consortium and part of Discovering Places, the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad campaign to inspire the UK to discover their local environment. To find out about BNHC’s other projects, check out our website.

Ed Drewitt’s favourite bird – the Gannet

The sea is a mysterious place – millions and millions of gallons of water home to marinelife both above and below the sea’s surface. I am at my most relaxed and chilled when I am on a boat watching anything from dolphins to birds. And a bird you can almost guarantee to see is the Gannet. It is huge, very white and definitely my favourite.

Image of a Gannet by Richard Towell Flicr

Its’ long body, pointed wings with black tips and summery yellow head make it unmistakable. The bill is the Gannet’s most important tool. When they find a shoal of fish they hold their wings back and become a straight, pointed dagger. Dropping at speed, they plunge the water, catch their fish and rise to the surface to eat their prey within seconds.

This year I went out on a boat to see thousands of Gannets breeding on the small island, Bass Rock, in Scotland. It was certainly a sensory experience. The smell (very smelly and fishy!), the sight (a spectacle), the sound (a grating cacophony) and the taste (seasalt on your lips).

If you’d like to see your own Gannet watch from a coastal vantage point looking out to the horizon, get out onto a special boat trip or if you don’t like boats watch young Gannets currently still in their nests at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire.

Buglife’s Bug of the Month- Cinnabar Moth

If you’re out and about on a nice sunny day and notice what you think is a pretty red and black butterfly it is actually the Cinnabar moth (Tyria Jacobaeae).

The Cinnabar moth (Tyria Jacobaeae) was originally named after the bright red mineral ‘cinnabar’ once used by artists as a red pigment for painting.

The adult moth has two bright red spots and red stripes on its forewings and scarlet hind wings with charcoal edging. Moths are split into 2 broad groups – the macro moths (large) and the micro moths (small). The Cinnabar is a macro moth and has a body length of 20mm and a wingspan of between 32mm – 42mm. Although this is a predominantly nocturnal moth it can also be seen during the day.

Cinnabar moth (Tyria Jacobaeae) © Clare Dinham

Life cycle

Females can lay up to 300 eggs, usually in batches of 30 or 60 on the underside of ragwort leaves. When the caterpillars (larvae) hatch they feed on the around the area of the hatched eggs but as they get bigger and moult (instars) they mainly feed on the leaves and flowers of the plant, and can be seen out in the open during the day.

Caterpillar

Caterpillars are feeding from July – early September and are initially pale yellow but soon develop bright yellow and black stripes to deter predators.

Cinnabar moth caterpillar (Tyria Jacobaeae) © Roger Key

The caterpillars feed on poisonous ragwort leaves. The poision from the leaves is stored in the caterpillars body (and even remains when they are an adult moth). Any birds or other predators that ignore the caterpillars bright warning sign will be repulsed by how foul they taste.

Numerous caterpillars on one ragwort plant can reduced it to a bare stem very quickly. They are also known to be cannibalistic.

The caterpillars overwinter as pupa in a cocoon under the ground. The adult moths emerge around mid May and are on the wing up until early August, during which time males and females will mate and eggs are laid.

Distribution and Habitat

The Cinnabar moth is a common species, well distributed throughout the UK and has a coastal distribution in the northern most counties of England and Scotland. Due to its toxicity to livestock Ragwort is being controlled in many areas across the UK. A study carried out by Butterfly Conservation and Rothamstead research in 2003 showed that although the distribution of the Cinnabar moth has remained roughly the same between the study period of 1968 – 2002 their numbers have dropped dramatically due to the persecution of their food plant Ragwort.

Cinnabar moths are found in typically well drained rabbit grazed (short sward) grassland including sand dunes and heathland and lots of other open habitats such as gardens and woodland rides.

Moth trapping

Cinnabar moths are attracted to moth traps which is the main way of recording moths. A moth trap is essentially a light trap which is set in the evening just before dusk and left on throughout the night. Any moths found within the trap can be studied the following morning and released without harming.

Moth trapping using a light trap © Clare Dinham

National Moth Night

Moth night is an annual event carried out across the country aimed at raising the awareness of moths among the public. This year it was carried out from the 21st – 23rd of June. Click on this link to find out more about National Moth Night

With thanks to Buglife for their contribution. To find out more about Buglife visit them at;

 www.buglife.org.uk

www.facebook.com/pages/Buglife-The-Invertebrate-Conservation-Trust

www.twitter.com/Buzz_dont_tweet

Wildlife Art from Ceri Mair Thomas

Ceri is working to raise awareness for wildlife conservation through art. She studyied Zoology at Cardiff University and has worked on projects to protect and study British wildlife which has inspired her work. We pariculalry love the Long tailed tit designs!!!

Website: PlanetCeri.Wordpress.com

Facebook/PlanetCeri

Long-tailed tit – digital artwork by Ceri Mair Thomas

 

Long-tailed tit – digital artwork by Ceri Mair Thomas

 

smoothnewt in watercolour – Ceri Mair Thomas

Short-eared owl – digital art by Ceri Mair Thomas

The Dog Whelk- Man’s best friend…. well, this man’s atleast!

Tom Hird AKA The Blowfish

Hey Guys! Blowfish here, and those fantastic people at Meet The Species have given me freedom to blog about whatever I fancy! HA HA HA HA! The FOOLS! Don’t they know how much The Blowfish can gabble about crabs, waffle about whales or speak about sharks!? It’s a wondrous prospect and so full of choice, but I thought I’d tell you guys and gals about one of my fave marine creatures found in the UK. He’s small, he’s bland but he really packs a punch! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you… the Dog Whelk!

Nucella lapillus, the Dog Whelk, can be found up and down the coast of the UK and if you saw him, you’d just assume he was another boring old snail, going about his business just munching on algae and slime. A dangerous mistake to make. This sniper of a snail is a ruthless predator and is certainly not squeamish. Its favourite prey is mussels. Although mussels might be considered a sitting duck (after all, they hardly move), they do have a super tough shell that even a human can have problems cracking.

So how do you make a meal of a mussel? Well, the dog whelk is not afraid of using a little chemical weaponry. There is a special patch on the whelk’s muscular foot that secretes a powerful acid that will start to dissolve the mussel’s shell. Backing up this acid attack, the dog whelk produces his most devastating weapon, a radula. All molluscs have radula and they are very wonderful things. A radula is essentially a long conveyor belt of teeth. In algal grazing molluscs, the teeth are flat and evolved for grinding, but in predators like the dog whelk, the teeth are long, curved and dagger sharp! Using the radula like a chainsaw, the whelk starts to saw through the acid-weakened shell. But the worst is yet to come!

Once the shell has been breached, the living mussel inside is slowly shredded to pieces by the buzzing radula. It can take up to a week for a dog whelk to eat a single mussel! However, one mussel’s sacrifice might not always be in vain. Chemicals given off by feeding dog whelks stimulate the surrounding mussels to defend themselves. Using strong sticky adhesive threads called byssus, the mussels will bind the dog whelk to the surface of the rock, holding it fast and leaving it to face a long drawn-out end.

You see! All this hardcore drama! All occurring right under your nose! So next time you’re down on the beach, don’t go looking for the fast scuttling crabs, or the darting actions of fish, why not spot the Dog Whelk and his slow but deadly methods! Great stuff!

Cheers

Blowfish

To read more about Reptiles, Amphibians and Marine Life, you can visit the Blowfish’s blog here; www.school-of-fish.co.uk/blog

Or to contact Tom (Hird AKA the Blowfish) please visit; http://www.atwenterprises.co.uk

Many thanks for your great contribution Blowfish!

Katie Vernon Illustration: Inspired by Nature

For the past 18 months in which we’ve been ‘Meeting the Species’, we’ve duly noted that nature, in its many weird and wonderful forms, shouldn’t be limited to being recorded in black & white. We’ve explored many different ways of recording our findings, through photography, audio, and video. We also love the idea that using art not only to record nature but using art to connect and engage with your natural surroundings and the wildlife in it. Luckily for us some of the most captivating artists can be found right here in the world of blog, and here’s one of our favourites!

Katie Vernon (Indiana, USA) takes leaves out of nature’s many pages. Her projects capture a simple essence of structure & form in nature and the unique beauty of wildlife around her. Here’s what happened when ‘Meet the Species’ get the opportunity to ask Katie about the inspiration for her artwork…..

MTS: So Katie… What is the connection between your art and your interest in nature?

Katie: The most obvious connection lies in the fact that I was a florist for a few years. It was easy to be inspired to draw/paint floral images when I was surrounded by them. I love drawing animals because I think they can be more expressive than drawing humans (and drawing humans has never been by forte). I have always been more drawn to nature than cities- put me in a mountain range and my heart sings, put me in a crowded city and my senses become overwhelmed. (although I do love some good people-watching)

MTS: Where does you passion for nature come from?

Katie: My mom always wonders where I got the ‘outdoorsy’ gene from. I always loved playing outside as a kid, then in high school we had a gym class that exposed me to climbing, kayaking, and camping-and I was hooked! I’ve done a 28 day course with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in Wyoming, am married to an Outward Bound instructor, and find that the more time I spend in nature, the more I love (and crave) it.

 

MTS: Are there any green spaces or natural locations near you which particularly inspire you?

Katie:  I currently live in the awesome town of Bloomington, Indiana. It’s a great little liberal town with so much to offer, but I am unfortunately not inspired by its natural surroundings. I think I have been spoiled by spending lots of time out west in places like Yosemite, some of the more remote areas Yellowstone, and so many other places with absolutely breathtaking overlooks, pristine mountain streams, and wildlife more majestic than a squirrel. (no offense to the cute squirrels in Bloomington) Since my job is very portable, we will be moving in a few years and have our sights set on places like Oregon, Idaho, or even New Zealand.

MTS: Do you have a favourite animal or plant you like drawing?

Katie: Lately I have enjoyed drawing botanicals that aren’t necessarily flowers and I always love drawing bigfoot and brontosauruses.

MTS: What is your favourite season?

Katie: definitely fall. I love being outside without having to wear a million layers or breaking a major sweat. The crisp air is at the same time invigorating and soothing- it makes me want to go for a hike and then come in a sip on some hot cocoa.

 MTS: What materials do you use?

Katie:  I use a combination of materials in my work- pencil, acrylic, gouache, and ink. I also use a tablet sometimes and I do a lot of collaging on the computer.

 MTS: Describe your art style in 3 words?

Katie: Whimiscal, quirky, in-development

MTS: So….Any projects on the horizon?

Katie: 3 months ago I gave birth to our first little girl- Juniper. So that’s my main job for a bit, but I am in the very early stages of working on a few children’s products (games/puzzle) with Chronicle Books. I also have a new etsy shop (KatieVernon) for my current work that isn’t strictly floral fauna (like ChipmunkCheeks). And lastly, I have a small online shop called Good Voyage that a friend and I opened earlier this spring (good-voyage.com). It combines our love for adventure, the outdoors, and design. We are currently working on our fall/winter products!

Thanks Katie… We wish you all the best with your future projects!  If you like Katie’s work, then here’s where you can find her:

Website:www.katievernon.com

Blog:www.katievernon.blogspot.co.uk

Etsy Shops: www.etsy.com/shop/KatieVernon or www.etsy.com/shop/ChipmunkCheeks

Facebook: Katie Vernon Illustration

Twitter:@katievernon

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kyvernon/

Instagram: kyvernon

Hugh Warwick; Wildlife Inspiration

A stirring thought from Hugh during his talk at Wilderness Festival: one of our Meet the Species feature events

To see more of Hugh, please visit his website or follow him on Twitter

The Science Says- Butterfly migration is mind boggling!

Rebecca Nesbit (Butterfly Becky): Conservation and the environment have been my passion from when I was far too young to know what it all meant. So I studied biology at University of Durham and in 2010 I was awarded an ecology PhD. I did my research at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire and spent my time chasing migrant butterflies. I now work as a PR consultant, and represent small companies with bright ideas in science and technology.

A few weeks ago my friend was surprised to find a small green caterpillar in her peas from Mozambique. Curious to see what species had made it all the way from Africa we kept it in a pot and were delighted when it turned into a pupa. Sure enough, two weeks later it emerged as a beautiful moth, which turned out to be the scarce bordered straw, Helicoverpa armigera, a species that arrives in small numbers in the UK as a migrant.

Scarce Bordered Straw, Helicoverpa Armigera

Our pet moth had come to the UK the easy way, thanks to people. But its wild counterparts can get here without us, and it’s not alone. Many insects travel thousands of kilometres and move between continents without the help of humans. Take the silver Y moth, which is very common in the UK. It never spends the winter here, but uses wind currents hundreds of metres above our heads to reach the UK from Africa.  Don’t be fooled by its tiny size though – it is by no means at the mercy of the wind, as this research shows.

You may also have spotted the painted lady, a beautiful butterfly with winter breeding grounds in north Africa. When weather conditions get too dry in Africa butterflies make the journey north, and lay their eggs in Europe where the weather is better for the caterpillars’ food plants. In the autumn they fly south to escape the cold. If you see any, Butterfly Conservation would love your records.

Insect migration can be very different to bird migration. Many birds migrate each year between summer breeding grounds and winter feeding grounds. But lots of insects don’t show this distinct pattern and are simply moving to a new area so they lay their eggs somewhere with a plentiful supply of food.

Also, most insects don’t live that long. In many insect species, such as the painted lady or silver Y, no individual makes a northwards and southwards migration – instead it is the next generation which completes the round trip. That makes it even more mind boggling to think about how they find their way without anyone to follow or any prior knowledge of the route. You can read about my research into how butterflies know which way to fly  The more I learn about the world of insects the more amazing their world seems!

With many thanks to Dr Rebecca Nesbit ( rebeccanesbit@societyofbiology.org )  for her great contribution!

To find out more about Minibeasts visit www.thesciencesays.southernfriedscience.com/who-we-are

Or visit them on Twitter @thesciencesays or @RebeccaNesbit

BioBlitz at Cambridge University

This year many of our Meet the Species accredited events were BioBlitz events – where scientists, volunteers and members of the public all come together to survey a green space for wildlife. This video is from Cambridge BioBlitz and you can find you local event through the National BioBlitz Network.

Many thanks to Cambridge University (& Cambridge University Botanical Gardens) for this amazing video and their kind contribution.

Blend in with the wildlife – Make a Mask with The Wildlife Trusts

Cut out and colour in your own animal face mask. There are six to choose from.

What you will need:

– some plain card or paper

– a length of string or elastic, or a stick and tape

– colouring pencils or felt-tip pens

– a printer

– a helpful adult

What to do:

1. Print out your favourite mask from the selection below onto your plain card or paper. Card is best for making a strong mask, but if you only have paper you could try sticking it down on a piece of old cereal box.

2. Ask your helpful adult to help you cut out your mask design. You’ll need to carefully pierce holes to help you cut out the eyes.

3. Now colour in your mask. You could use the pictures in Explore Wildlife to help you, or make up the colours as you go along. Either way, try to keep inside the lines!

4. Next you can decide how you want to wear your mask. You could ask your helpful adult to pierce holes on either side of the mask to thread your string or elastic through, tying a knot at each end to hold it in place. Then slip the whole thing over your head and adjust until it stays in place. Or you could tape your stick to the back of the mask and use that to hold it in front of your face like you’re at a fancy dress party!

5. Show off your new headwear! Why not take a picture of yourself and send it in to us at watch@wildlifetrusts.org or Watch, The Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Mather Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1WT

Badger

Click here to download the badger mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about badgers

Peacock butterfly

Click here to download the butterfly mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about peacock butterflies

Common frog

Click here to download the frog mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about common frogs

Kingfisher

Click here to download the kingfisher mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about kingfishers

Grey seal

Click here to download the seal mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about grey seals

Long-eared owl

Click here to download the owl mask

 Click here to see a picture and find out more about long-eared owls

www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/face-masks

With thanks to The Wildlife Trusts for their kind contribution. For more from The Wildlife Trusts:www.wildlifetrusts.org

Follow The Wildlife Trusts on: Facebook  &  Twitter