Banks in the news


This is another test posting to see if it will come up to the top of the listing

It does - though it’s just a new Thread, the other was a proper Category.
It’s in the right place and Categories are fine, maybe we would be more disciplined with threads and keep things in better order?

Shall we see how it goes?

Next item that will be in the news is the outbreak of Painted Ladies and possibly Red Admirals, I have seen lots over the past few days all moving fast.

In the news - Seaweed, specifically it says Sargassum though no pictures are good enough for a confdent id. Seweed does not often get in the news, so didn’t want you to miss this one


Obviously not use to UK beaches.

This caught my eye

.
Flemish artist, scholar, poet and miniaturist Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600) created the first illustrated book devoted to the study of insects.

And so it came to be that there is life on the moon, probably.

Tardigrades don’t seem well represented on iSpot
 here is one https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/observation/712644/tardigrade
from which you can access the other.
.
However, maybe it’s too soon to need an additional iSpot community (Moon) to accommodate them


While Moths on iSpot are getting attention from some of us to get them identified ( you can help here) https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/project/769755/unidentified-moths

There are some moths that are doing very well without our help


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Thanks for this Jo - I see it’s the season to be more vigilant - and make space in the freezer.

Similarly bacteria & moss outside a space station

Ulva species in the news
 but not, apparently, welcome.

So, what’s our opinion on turning in the stoat?

You can imagine this has received a LOT of interest here, It began maybe 10 years ago when one, probably two (as tangoing comes to mind) were either brought maliciously or imported with animal feed. Too much publicity was applied to the possible loss of rare ground-nesting birds like the Short-eared owl and the Hen Harrier, They, the persecutors. should have concentrated on their food source, the Orkney Vole. The Orkney vole is unique to Orkney and they are packed lunches to Stoats.
Several £illiion has been allocated to completely eradicate the stoat - there will be several thousand by now with the odd report from ‘outer’ Isles. The task is immense, the will-power and co-operation is not.
I think it too late for complete eradication and only two need to be missed. But I have mixed feelings - the Stoat is lovely (they are in my garden), the Orkney Vole is unique (they are in my garden). The trapping programme uses Killer traps - it’s hard to keep kittens and baby rabbits out of them.
See https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/observation/679948/ - there are now no rabbits in my garden. The Vole population is VERY hard to monitor, no-one seems to be doing that. I rarely actually see one but their little tunnels and trails are still warm. https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/observation/183465/

Wikipedia tells me that the Orkney Vole is also found on Guernsey. However I can imagine that could be a parallel evolution of island gigant(ish)ism.

The Giant Neolithic Belgian vole


Good read? “the Orkney samples were most similar to those from Yugoslavia, thus indicating an origin in the Eastern Mediterranean.” is from http://www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/dhl/papers/kd/index.html
and
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/09/genetic-treasure-island-voles-show-dna-antiquity
and a longer read here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mec.12462

The Orkney vole in Guernsey
 another reason for the Channel Isles to be included?

I have noticed that in many ways Stamp collecting is similar to what we do in iSpot, ways, including debating the geographical boundaries of the catalogues.

From the preface of Commonwealth and British Empire SG Stamp Catalogue:

“In this catalogue Ireland (Eire) is included purely as a matter of convenience to collectors.”

I see no reason why iSpot should not include the Channel Isles in the UK and Ireland community “ as a matter of convenience to recorders”.

National Fungus Day, 6 & 7 October 2019.
Lots of events planned across the country.

A good one for a fungal foray


Dolebury Warren. Nowadays it is not safe to give locations as foragers for exotics are causing havoc.
See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/22/police-hunt-thief-stole-rare-mushroom-said-alleviate-symptoms/