Butterflies, Rats, Hedgehogs, Swifts and Rivers
Big Butterfly Count
The Big Butterfly Count has started – do take part. It requires spending just 15 minutes counting butterflies. The app has a guide on species ID to help you, so you do not need experience. You can find out more here. You can also view the Big Butterfly Count observations reported by others here. From this map, you can see that there are many green spaces in BS3 not yet surveyed! Will you help fill the gaps?
Have you seen a Painted Lady?
Apparently we are being ‘invaded’ by Painted Lady butterflies. This is the largest swarm* of butterflies since 2009 (*other collective nouns for butterflies include flutter, kaleidoscope, rabble, flight or roost!). They are coming up from sub-Saharan Africa, but it takes three or four generations. To read more about them Click Here
Also around are probably more home-grown Red Admirables. Amongst moths, look out for day-flying Jersey Tiger moths and, again, probably from Europe, Humming-bird Hawkmoths (who you might see feeding on red valerian growing in pavement cracks). To read more Click Here
State of Pollinators Report
The report from the national pollinator monitoring scheme has been released. The scheme is relatively new, beginning 2017, but is providing evidence of on-going decline of hoverflies. Solitary bees and honey bees are more stable. To view the report Click Here
Love that Rat?
Not surprisingly, there has not been a widespread outburst of support for rats following our enquiry in the last AWN. We will not yet be launching the Rat Appreciation Tendency.
We had two responses. Shelagh has a resident rat in her compost bin. The rat is called Genghis and is very good at controlling the slugs and snails in the garden. Genghis likes strawberries too. Shelagh hopes that Spring Watch or another TV show might like to de-demonise rats at some point.
Our other responder pointed out that rats are a food source for foxes, so probably popular with them.
Dehydrated Hedgehogs
It is really important to put out water for hedgehogs who may be visiting your garden this summer. A local Hedgehog Sanctuary has reported seeing increasing numbers of dehydrated hedgehogs needing care. See the full BBC report Click Here
A couple of nature documentaries to check out:
The other Taylor Swift: The South Bristol swift monitoring is on-going and we expect the swifts to start their journey back to sub-Saharan Africa over the next couple of weeks. You can read an interesting article about swifts and a documentary in B24/7. To read Click Here.
Rivers – A Race Against Time: A short film by Room 13 Hareclive: an award-winning independent artists’ studio, co-run by children in Hartcliffe, south Bristol. To view Click Here
New Resources from Really Wild Lockleaze
We’re delighted to share our report on our first three years of Really Wild Lockleaze- containing info from how we set the project up, case studies of work on different land types, and the successes and challenges we’ve experienced.
We’ve also now got three practical toolkits out on Urban Tree Planting, Urban Meadow Creation, and general Street Wilding which we hope will be really useful whatever the size of your project.
For our resources Click Here We also have printed copies at the Hub in Lockleaze, and the Really Wild team/ volunteers will try to have some copies on us at citywide/BS3 nature events!
Bursary Tickets available for The Wild Summit With the support of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, 100 free tickets are available for The Wild Summit on 9 September, 9 am – 5 pm at the Bristol Beacon, BS1 5AR.
To find out more about The Wild Summit and view the programme Click Here. It brings together nature lovers, community campaigners, businesses, politicians, officials and policy experts for a day of presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and conversations focused on the critical importance of investing in nature.
The bursary scheme is open to people who one or more of the following apply to:
- Community leaders
- Individuals from marginalised or under-represented backgrounds
- Individuals who do not have the financial means to attend, at this time
- Individuals working for a charity/CIC with an annual turnover of less than £100,000
To apply for a bursary place, fill in this short form by 5 pm on 7th August: Click Here
Funding opportunities
See attached monthly newsletter from Natural England which lists all the nature-based funding opportunities for the SW.
Echo Wood time capsule invites people to send a message of hope to the future
Avon Needs Trees has unveiled plans to bury a specially commissioned time capsule at the heart of Echo Wood – the living artwork of 365 trees co-designed with artist Luke Jerram.
The giant stainless steel acorn filled with messages for future generations will become the latest chapter in one of the South West’s most ambitious artworks. Echo Wood is planted at the heart of Lower Chew Forest, a new forest of 100,000 trees between Bristol and Bath – with the artwork of swirling avenues of blossom at its centre.
Created by artist Michael Turner, the time capsule will be buried alongside photographs of the landscape before the new forest was created. The acorn will remain sealed for 50 years before being opened as a record of today’s Chew Valley and the hopes people held for its future. The charity will also include a pledge for nature, setting out its mission and ambitions for the forest as it grows over the coming decades.
Before its burial, the acorn will tour local schools, communities and Valley Fest in the Chew Valley, inviting people to write messages to future generations about the world they hope to see in 50 years’ time. At Valley Fest, Avon Needs Trees staff will be roaming the festival with the acorn in a wheelbarrow. Future tour dates will be announced on the Avon Needs Trees website, ahead of a public celebration and burial ceremony.
Echo Wood is a living artwork that will mature and blossom over the next century as the wider woodland grows. The project has already raised more than £100,000 for Avon Needs Trees, powering the creation of the new forest.
Luke Jerram, artist and co-designer of Echo Wood, said: “I’m delighted people have another chance to become part of Echo Wood. I’ll be writing a message that I hope my children will read when the capsule is opened in 50 years. It’s a wonderful way to pass hope from one generation to the next.”
While today’s supporters are planting trees they may never see reach maturity, their messages will live alongside the artwork described as a ‘living stone henge’- as a symbol that local people cared about the environment they were living in.
A limited number of Echo Wood trees are still available for sponsorship, giving people the opportunity to become part of the artwork while helping Avon Needs Trees continue to establish Lower Chew Forest.
For more information about Echo Wood, and the time capsule tour, visit the Echo Wood website.
https://echo-wood.co.uk/sponsor/
Luke Jerram is an internationally acclaimed, Bristol-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation and live art projects. He has presented more than 900 exhibitions worldwide, creating extraordinary works that have inspired millions. He is known for his giant sculptures of the Earth, Sun and Moon exhibited around the world. In Bristol he is also known for the iconic “Park and Slide” waterslide down Park Street, and the street pianos he installed across the city. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Bristol (2020) and the University of Gloucestershire (2022), is an Honorary Academician of the RWA, and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. www.lukejerram.com
Avon Needs Trees is a charity that creates new, permanent woodland throughout the Bristol-Avon river catchment to fight the climate and nature emergencies. We create woodlands that will stand for generations, locking up carbon, boosting local biodiversity, and providing natural flood management. Our woodlands are planted by an incredible community of over 1,600 local volunteers. Once planted, these green spaces can be enjoyed by people long into the future. For more information, images, the 4k film and interview opportunities please contact: eleanor.murray@avonneedstrees.org.uk 07931291682
Best wishes, TAWN (Team Avon Wildlife News: Ben, Diana and Sarah)
Don’t forget to write in and tell AWN about what YOU are doing to protect wildlife in Avon.
Please contact mywildbedminster@bs3community.org.uk if YOU would like to join TAWN and edit an AWN or two.
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