Countryman
Diary - June 2008
Moths suffer from a terrible public image: on the whole, people
seem to regard them as boring, brown, jumper-munching pests.
The truth, of course, is very different. Moths are marvellous
and a nationwide survey, the Garden Moths Count, is all about
challenging the myths and raising awareness of the beauty, diversity
and importance of moths in our gardens.
Richard Fox, the Moths Count project manager, tells me: “Without
moths and other insects, our gardens would be devoid of almost
all of our familiar garden birds – blue tit chicks alone
eat some 35 billion moth caterpillars a year in Britain. Moths
represent a hidden wealth of wildlife on all our doorsteps with
hundreds of species living in and visiting average gardens, and
myriad weird and wonderful names.
“Garden Moths Count (21 June to 6 July 2008) is an exciting
nationwide survey of this overlooked but vital part of our biodiversity.
Anyone can take part, young or old, and participants don’t
need to be experts or have special equipment.”
Using the project’s website (www.mothscount.org), gardeners
and their families can find out how to attract moths (using a
torch or fizzy drink), identify the moths they find, and send
in their results online to put their garden on the national moth
map. Bright pink elephant hawk-moths, day-flying cinnabars and
the amazing buff-tip moth, which looks just like a silver birch
twig, are all part of the survey. There will also be a number
of public events taking place during the Garden Moths Count period,
where people can go along and see the amazing colours, patterns
and diversity of moths.
Down on the farm
June 1 is Open Farm Sunday, the farming industry’s annual
open day, when farmers all over the country open their gates
to show people what they do to produce wholesome food and care
for the countryside.
Building on the huge success of last year, when more than 400
farm gates opened to welcome a massive 150,000 people, organisers,
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) want this year’s
event to be even bigger and better. Just like every farm being
unique, no one event will be the same. Some will organise a small
farm walk for their non-farming neighbours, while others will
put on activities, food tasting, tractor and trailer rides, plus
much more for hundreds of people.
Visit www.farmsunday.org or telephone LEAF on 02476413911 for
more details.
Cattle to the rescue
Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) has introduced cattle to a key conservation
site in Friston Forest to help re-establish chalk grassland and
associated species such as the rare silver-spotted skipper, adonis
blue and chalkhill blue butterflies.
Thanks to funding from Viridor Credits and SITA Trust, SWT has
bought six British White cattle, installed a water supply, and
purchased a pen and cattle crush to help kick start the grazing
project.
Chalk grassland is nationally and internationally important
but there has been a drastic loss of this habitat in the last
thirty years. Only three per cent of the South Downs is chalk
grassland – a tiny relic of a once open landscape.
SWT’s project area is around eighty hectares and lies
on the downland slopes to the east of the Cuckmere Valley in
East Sussex, adjoining areas of open chalk downland including
Deep Dene Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the
Lullington Heath National Nature Reserve (NNR).
The re-introduction of year-round grazing at the site will recover
and re-colonise grassland areas lost to willow-herb, bramble
and scrub. The British White cattle enjoy eating the rough woody
forage found in Friston Forest and their grazing patterns will
create a mosaic of woodland, scrub and grassland encouraging
chalk grassland flowers and butterflies to flourish.
The Friston Forest project is being managed by the SWT working
in partnership with South East Water, the Forestry Commission,
South Downs Joint Committee, University of Brighton and Natural
England.
Celebration of wildlife
What do bats, seals, toads and bees all have in common? They’re
all part of Wildlife Week 2008, The Wildlife Trusts’ annual
celebration of UK wildlife which takes place from 31 May to 21
June. The trusts will be hosting hundreds of walks, talks and
family fun events up and down the UK to celebrate the remarkable
wildlife that our islands are home to.
Julie Fulton, The Wildlife Trusts’ head of people and
wildlife, said: “Wildlife Week is a fantastic opportunity
for everyone inspired by nature to go outside and get closer
to wildlife. You can polish up your wildlife-spotting skills,
search for butterflies, moths and mammals, or find out more about
some of the UK’s most fascinating plants and animals from
local experts. Children will love pond-dipping and wildlife wonders
events and, if you want to roll up your sleeves and get stuck
in, volunteers are needed to carry out vital work on nature reserves
across the UK.”
Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org or call 01636
677711 for a list
of events taking place.
Paul Jackson |
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