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.

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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.

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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Meet the UK Ladybird Survey

By Remy Poland

Who we are

 We are five biologists working in teaching and research with a love of natural history, and a passion for ladybirds in particular!  Together we run the UK Ladybird Survey to encourage others to get involved in biological recording, and to monitor the status of UK ladybirds. Remy Poland is a biology teacher at Clifton College. Helen Roy is an ecologist at NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Richard Comont is a PhD student at NERC CEH. Peter Brown is a lecturer in zoology at Anglia Ruskin University. Lori Lawson-Handley is a lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Hull.

 What we do

The UK Ladybird Survey was launched in 2005, following the arrival of the invasive harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, in Britain.  It built upon the success of previous recording schemes, such as the Coccinellidae Recording Scheme and the Cambridge Ladybird Survey.  The is was to allow members of the public to submit records of both harlequin ladybirds and native British species by means of an online recording form.

The UK Ladybird Survey  was launched in 2005, following the arrival of the invasive harlequin ladybird in Britain.  It built upon the success of previous recording schemes, such as the Coccinellidae Recording Scheme and the Cambridge Ladybird Survey.  The aim is to allow members of the public to submit records of both harlequin ladybirds and native British species by means of an online recording form.

Harlequin Ladybirds

Harlequin Ladybird Larva feeding on a greenfly

The harlequin ladybird (above) is native to central and eastern Asia, but has long been used to control pest insects such as aphids in North America and continental Europe.  It was first recorded in south-east England in 2004, and has since spread rapidly to become one of the most commonly seen ladybirds in the UK.  Members of the public have submitted over 30,000 records of harlequin sightings, verified by the survey’s experts by inspection of specimens or photos, and this has allowed us to build up accurate maps of its distribution and spread.  In addition to this, we have received many thousands of records of native British species, which have also contributed to national distribution maps and the publication of a ladybird atlas in 2011.  This data is invaluable in monitoring the impact of harlequin ladybirds on native species, with which they compete for food and sometimes even prey upon (above).

2 Spot Ladybirds

Orange ladybird

Eyed Ladybird

Sadly, the data has revealed a significant decline in some species, most notably the 2-spot ladybird (above).  Rather more encouragingly, we have seen an increase in numbers of the orange ladybird (above)in recent years – this is a mildew feeder that may have benefited from prolonged spells of wet summer weather and lack of competition for food with harlequins (which prey on aphids).  Another species that appears relatively unaffected by the harlequin (and the favourite species of many of the survey team!) is the eyed ladybird, a large species whose larvae are covered by an armoury of thick spines which protect them from hungry harlequins (above).  It is vital that we continue to assess the status of all ladybirds in Britain, as this will help us to conserve their habitats and communities in the future.

7-spot ladybird infected with the parasitoid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae

A parasitoid fly on a Harlequin ladybird pre-pupa

As well as submitting records of ladybird sightings, we are also encouraging people to look out for the natural enemies of ladybirds.  Our research has shown that the harlequin ladybird is less susceptible to a range of natural enemies, including a fungal pathogen, and some parasitoid wasps and flies (above).  This apparent immunity may partly explain why the harlequin has spread so quickly in this country.  It will be interesting to monitor this situation over time – it may be that British natural enemies start to utilise the harlequin ladybird as a novel host.

10 fun facts about ladybirds

1.  Ladybirds are beetles, belonging to the insect order ‘Coleoptera’, and the family ‘Coccinellidae’.
2. Ladybirds undergo a full metamorphosis, hatching from an egg into a larva, then changing from a larva to a pupa, and then finally transforming from a pupa into an adult [ladybird life cycle, larva, pupa- See below].
3. Ladybirds are named after the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted wearing a red cloak.  The red of a 7-spot ladybird is said to represent ‘Our Lady’, while the seven spots represent her seven joys and seven sorrows.
4. The number of spots on a ladybird does not tell you how old it is, spot number varies between species, but also within species due to factors like temperature.
5. There are 47 species of ladybird found in Britain, only 27 of these are brightly coloured and conspicuous, the rest are small, often hairy, and can be difficult to identify at first.
6. Not all ladybirds are red with black spots! Some are black with red spots, some are yellow with black spots, some are orange with white spots, and one species even has stripes!  Ladybirds show ‘warning colouration’: they contain bitter-tasting chemicals and advertise their distastefulness to predators with bright and memorable colours and patterns.
7. Most species of ladybird eat greenfly or blackfly, some eat scale insects, some eat plants and some even eat mildew!
8. Not many things eat ladybirds as they do not taste very nice, but they are attacked by some parasites and pathogens
9. The largest ladybird species in Britain is the eyed ladybird
10. The smallest of the ‘conspicuous’ ladybirds is the 16-spot ladybird

Ladybird Life Cycle

Get spotting!

Looking for ladybirds in a pine tree using a beating tray

Hunting for ladybirds is fun, simple and easy to learn.  It can be done in your garden, at public parks and woodland, and even in school grounds and churchyards.  Three pieces of equipment are useful here: a beating tray or light coloured umbrella, a sweep net and a long stout stick.  To look for ladybirds in trees, place the beating try/ umbrella beneath the foliage, and firmly tap the branches with the stick (above photo) .  Any insects resting in the tree will fall into the tray and you can try to identify them (ladybirds are easy to spot once you have your eye in, but take a look at the other creatures you might find: earwigs, shield bugs, flies, wasps, caterpillars etc.).  Lime, sycamore and oak are particularly good for ladybirds, but you might also like to try some conifers like Scots pine, to find more specialist species like the eyed and striped ladybirds.

To look for ladybirds in grass and meadowland, a sweep net can be used.  An improvised version can be created by using an old pillow case held open by a coat hanger and mounted onto a handle.  Walk through the grass and sweep the net from side to side in a figure-of-eight motion.  Insects in the undergrowth will be knocked into the net and can then be inspected.

You will also need an identification guide so you can try to determine which species of ladybird you have found.  The most useful is the FSC ladybird field guide (a guide for ladybird larvae is also available), but there is also plenty of information and photos on our website, including downloadable ID sheets for the most common species.  A more comprehensive coverage is given in the NERC atlas – Ladybirds (Coccinellidae) of Britain and Ireland.

Don’t forget to record your sightings online at www.ladybird-survey.org.  Happy spotting!

[Photos by Remy Poland and Mike Majerus]

Further information

www.ladybird-survey.org

Brown, P.M.J., Roy, H.E., Comont, R. & Poland, R.L. (2012) Guide to the ladybird larvae of the British Isles.  OP152. FSC.

http://www.field-studies-council.org/publications/pubs/ladybird-larvae.aspx

Majerus, M.E.N., Roy, H.E., Brown, P.M.J., Frost, R. & Ware, R.L. & Shields, C. (2006) Guide to ladybirds of the British Isles.  OP102. FSC.

http://www.field-studies-council.org/publications/pubs/guide-to-ladybirds-of-the-british-isles.aspx

Roy, H.E., Brown, P.M.J., Frost, R. & Poland, R.L. (2011) Ladybirds (Coccinellidae) of Britain and Ireland.  NERC CEH.

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/Ladybirds-Britain-Ireland-atlas.html

Roy, H.E., Brown, P.M.J., Comont, R., Poland, R.L. & Sloggett, J.J. (2012) Ladybirds (Naturalists’ Handbooks 10).  Pelagic Publishing, Exeter.

http://www.pelagicpublishing.com/ladybirds-naturalists-handbooks.html

 

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Meet More Species with iSpot

iSpot has been supporting Meet the Species and helping people identify what they have found. Martin Harvey, of the iSpot team at The Open University, tells us about the species people have been meeting on iSpot, and how you can continue to join in after Meet the Species comes to an end.

Meet the Species has been a fantastic way to get involved with seeing new wildlife and finding out about the environment, and iSpot has been pleased to help with some of the identification queries that have arisen. iSpot [http://www.ispot.org.uk/] is a website from The Open University that is dedicated to helping people learn how to identify the wildlife they find, thanks to the enthusiasm and expertise of the wide range of wildlife-watchers that are active on the site.

Agelastica_alni_screenshot from iSpot

If you’ve seen some wildlife and you’re not sure what it is you can add a photo or description to iSpot, and in most cases you’ll get a speedy and accurate response from the iSpot identifiers, who include a range of knowledgeable people and representatives from recording schemes, national museums and conservation organisations [http://www.ispot.org.uk/representatives]. The observations added to iSpot are passed on to the relevant recording schemes, and can help contribute to recording and monitoring our wildlife.

Harlequin Ladybird – the most commonly iSpotted species using the Meet the Species tag

Throughout the Meet the Species project people have been adding observations to iSpot with a suitable tag, in order to take part and share what they’ve found. As of now around 300 observations have been tagged [http://www.ispot.org.uk/meet-the-species] (but there’s still time to add yours!). The most frequently observed species has been the Harlequin Ladybird [http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/284315], but nearly 200 different species have been found altogether.

Garden_Tiger_screenshot

Some of the more unusual observations have been:

• The spectacular (and declining) Garden Tiger moth [http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/195465]
• A very cute Wood Mouse! [http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/279219]
• A rare (but increasing) leaf beetle, Agelastica alni [http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/275906]
• A variety of orchids [http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/277416]

Wood_Mouse_screenshot

Sadly, the Meet the Species project is nearly at an end now, but if you’d like to continue discovering the wildlife that lives alongside you then iSpot is there for you to make use of. And if you know at least a few species yourself you’re also in a position to help others, sharing knowledge and joining in the friendly online community. Anyone can take part by registering (free) at iSpot.org.uk [http://www.ispot.org.uk/].

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Final push to find our remaining species!

We’ve got until the end of the Paralympic Games to find our remaining species! Upload your photo records to iSpot or (if you’re a more experienced wildlife recorder) send us your species lists to matt@bnhc.org.uk including a location and date of viewing.

Click here to download the list of species still to find!

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Ed Drewitt – Why wildlife recording matters

Have you ever taken part in a wildlife or plant survey? If so, how did the taking part make you feel? Empowered? Enriched? Happy?

Over the past ten years there’s has been a huge surge in surveys which you, as a member of the public, can take part in. You may sometimes hear it called Citizen Sciences – basically, utlising thousands (if not millions!) of people across the country to take part in a particular count, walk or watch looking for specific animals or plants. Probably one of the longest running and well known is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch which started back in the 1980s and takes place at the end of January every year counting birds in our gardens.

Ed leading a bird survey on a National Trust site

Taking part in such a survey means we can all make a difference and contribute to informing science about changes in numbers of creatures, revealing the existence of something new or perhaps the disappearance of a species which needs urgent attention. Either way, recruiting so many people means researchers can work with a huge sample size which means we can be more sure about the overall results (any inaccuracies or biases of a survey can usually be balanced in some way using statistics).

A nocturnal Moth Survey with the Bristol Moth Group

What does this mean for you and me? Well, research shows we get a feeling of wellbeing and happiness by engaging with nature. And by doing our little bit and making a difference we feel empowered. We may feel rather powerless or useless after hearing or seeing a sad nature story, not quite knowing what we can do to help.  Being able to take part in a survey, whether its looking for bats, beetles or birds means we can DO something to help – and enjoy ourselves along the way.

Identifying beetles on an invertebrate survey

Here’s just some of the surveys you can take part in:

• RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
• BTO Gardenwatch
• BTO Birdtrack
• PlantLife Wild About Plants
• Mammal Society Mammals on Roads
• ARG UK Records Pool
• BugLife Oil Beetle Survey
• Butterfly Conservation Big Butterfly Count
• Garden BioBlitz
• Pond Conservation The Big Pond Dip
• Or get a taster of all sorts at your local BioBlitz event

So get out there and get involved to contribute to ongoing conservation research across the UK.

Ed Drewitt

– Naturalist, broadcaster and wildlife detective

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