Olivia Watts's blog

Bishops Wood Open Day and BioBlitz

Olivia Watts — Tue, 24 May 2022 13:18:52 +0000

Fancy a free weekend out to delve into history, wildlife and traditional crafts? Then join us as we open the doors to our Worcestershire centre, Bishops Wood.

On Saturday the 11th of June 2022, we have an exciting mix of activities, local businesses and stands to explore - a family fun day for all!

On Sunday, the 12th of June 2022, BioLinks will be hosting a BioBlitz to try and identify as many species of flora and fauna as possible. So, whether you are interested in plants, mammals, invertebrates, birds or all of the above - we need your help! This is an event for adults to meet like-minded people and practice wildlife identification skills.

The whole weekend is a free event, and we would love to see you there! You can read more about what’s on below.

Saturday 11th June - Bishops Wood Open Day

This day is free to attend, and booking is not required. Suitable for all ages. Refreshments are avaliable on site, or you can bring a picnic with you. Open 10:00 – 16:00.

On the 11th of June, we have our Bishops Wood Open day, a chance for adults and children to explore Viking history by participating in games and activities in the Saxon area, which includes a traditional Saxon Hall and a full-size Viking longship.

But if this doesn’t interest you, don’t worry! We have plenty more on offer! There will be outdoor activities, lots of craft stands and stalls showcasing local businesses. In addition, BioLinks will be there with an array of wildlife activities, from moth identification to woodland walks – plus, if you complete all the BioLinks activities, you get to take home one of our much-loved identification guides.

Open Day Activities:

Viking games and activities at the Saxon Hall.
Wand making – Carve your very own wand!
Fire lighting and toasting marshmallows
Pond Dipping
PoMS FIT Count – Take part in some citizen science!
Moth Identification
Woodland name trail walk
Colour and craft your own insect face mask
Shelter building
Climate change walk and quiz
Mindfulness walks and activities
Browse stalls from local businesses

There will also be a chance to chat to the team about volunteering and other opportunities with the Field Studies Council.

All activities at the open day are free, and there is free parking on site.

Sunday 12th June – BioBlitz

This event is free to attend; however, booking is essential as we will be providing lunch and refreshments. Open 10:00 – 15:00. Adults only. To book your place, please email r.davies3@field-studies-council.org

On Sunday, BioLinks will be taking over to discover what species call Bishops Wood home. This is an adult-only event with catering provided – all for free!

We just ask that you come along and put your wildlife and botanical identification skills to use. We will be creating what we hope to be a very long species list for the centre and submitting these as biological records. We will have experts on hand to help and a selection of surveying equipment that can be used. Here are some of the groups we will be looking out for on the day.

Terrestrial and Soil Invertebrates – There are thousands of invertebrates in the UK, so it will be all hands on deck to identify as many as possible. There will be opportunities to use sweep nets, butterfly nets, soil sieves, leaf litter sieves, pooters, and hand lenses.
Freshwater Invertebrates – use our equipment to explore what lives below the surface of the ponds on site. They are a hub for dragonfly and damselfly larvae, so it would be great to identify which species. It is also the perfect time of year to see them in flight and resting on vegetation, so bring your camera for great photo opportunities! We will also be interested in identifying the other types of aquatic species, from fly larvae to diving beetles.
Mammals – Although the mammals on-site may be elusive, it may be possible to identify the species from their tracks or droppings. There may be a range of small mammals, plus larger woodland dwelling species such as badgers and deer.
Plants – June presents a delightful mix of botanical species, with many in flower. We will have some identification guides on hand to help identify the trees, wildflowers, and grasses on site.
Birds – The birds have been busy feeding up their young through spring, and in June, these juvenile fledglings will start to leave the nests. We will be listening and looking for as many species as possible, so bring some binoculars and keep your eyes peeled for some fluffy fledglings!
And everything else! Every record counts, so whatever you would like to come along and identify, we would be more than grateful.

We look forward to seeing you there! Email us to book your free place: r.davies3@field-studies-council.org

Please note Sunday is an adult-only event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch: r.davies3@field-studies-council.org

How to Find Us

Surrounded by stunning ancient woodland FSC Bishops Wood has a unique and sustainable centre building. The grounds are also home to a large pond and several outdoor learning areas with natural wood and willow sculptures. Bishops Wood is owned by the National Grid and operated by the Field Studies Council.

FSC Bishops Wood
Crossway Green
Stourport-on-Severn
DY13 9SE

From Kidderminster (M5, A38, A449 southbound). On the M5 heading southbound coming off at junction 5, taking the third exit on the roundabout to get onto the A38. at the first roundabout take the third exit onto Kidderminster Road going straight over the next roundabout sticking to Kidderminster Road. At the second left turn to follow Doverdale Lane. Once you have come to a sign turning right onto the A449 take it until you get to the Mitre Oak pub on your left. Take the first exit on the roundabout onto Bishops Wood Lane, and finally taking the first left you will arrive at Bishops Wood Field Centre.

From Worcester (M5, A449 northbound) On the M5 heading northbound, take Junction 6 to Worcester/ Kidderminster taking the second exit heading for the A449 northbound, continuing for 9 miles. At the roundabout with the Mitre Oak pub take the first exit onto Stourport Road. Take the first left onto Bishops Wood Lane, finally taking the first left on you will arrive at Bishops Wood Field Centre.

Additional Information

Contact for the Open Day on Saturday 11th June: enquiries.bw@field-studies-council.org
Contact for the BioBlitz on Sunday 12th June: r.davies3@field-studies-council.org

Celebrating the 10th Year of the Young Darwin Scholarship

Olivia Watts — Wed, 11 May 2022 10:01:31 +0000

Are you aged 16-25? Do you spend your free time immersed in the natural world?
Have you ever wondered if this hobby or love affair with nature could lead to a career in the long run?
Do you wish you could meet other young people who share this interest who are asking similar questions and be inspired by environmental professionals already working in the green sector?

Well, look no further! The Field Studies Council is delighted to announce that applications for its 2022 Young Darwin Scholarship are open.

The application process is short and sweet, and it is your chance to share your environmental interests, explain what inspires you to get outdoors and describe why you want to be a Young Darwin scholar.
One scholar said, "I feel my love for ecology has been re-sparked. It's refreshing not to have the stress of being assessed whilst learning in a relaxed yet very informative way. Meeting like-minded people has motivated me to go back home and make a difference."

We have awarded places to 195 young people over the last 10 years, and this year we have another 75 funded scholarship places available. We believe this is a fantastic and important programme to really help young people with their environmental goals, which is why we only ask scholars to pay 10% (£45 for the day series - £90 for the residential) towards the programme and the rest is covered through grants and donations.

Although we could write pages of why we think this scholarship is great, other organisations who help fund the programme also agree on the benefits of this unique learning opportunity.
Ground control says: We are thrilled to sponsor the young Darwin scholarship. The program is a fantastic introduction to biodiversity and environmental sustainability, and it creates a community of young people who share similar interests. Ground Control is committed to human nature at its best, and the scholarships provide an excellent introduction to help ensure nature's recovery.

But most importantly, here is what past scholars think of the programme:

100% of scholars said they had a greater awareness of environmental pathways they could follow after attending

100% of scholars agree that young people should apply for this opportunity

It's hard to argue those stats!

One scholar said: "A great week with a fantastic group of people. I've made lots of really good friends and learned a lot about plant identification and invertebrates which was something that I had never done before."

So now you're thinking this sounds great, organisations support it, other young people find it beneficial, but what actually is it?!

The scholarship starts with an immersive five-day experience integrating fieldwork, identification skills, career guidance, and networking opportunities, led by inspiring experts in ecologically rich environments. This is combined with ongoing mentoring, support and online/in-person training from Field Studies Council specialist staff and a diverse range of mentors.

The scholarship originated from the minds of Field Studies Council staff back in 2012 at our Shropshire field studies centre. This was very convenient as Shropshire also happens to be the birthplace of Charles Darwin! Since then, we have been delivering this programme every year. We listen to the scholars' feedback and consult our youth council to shape it into something that benefits young people the most.

This year we are running it at 5 easily accessible locations in the UK: FSC Preston Montford in Shrewsbury, FSC Castle Head near Cumbria, Manchester, London and Bristol. Each location is unique, and activities will vary, but here are some snippets from last year.

Top Left: Surveying invertebrates with sweep nets at Preston Montford. Top Right: Dissecting Barn Owl pellets at FSC Castle Head. Bottom Left: Science Communication workshop at Greenwich Park. Bottom Right: Bird surveying at Minsmere nature reserve.

Now are you thinking of signing up?

Great! We want to hear from all young people with an interest in nature. We particularly want to encourage those who feel a bit excluded from the natural world to apply. Whether you feel unrepresented within the natural world, you have some neurodiverse needs requiring additional support, or the 10% financial contribution is just too difficult to afford, we are here to help you! However, you do need to get in touch if you do require extra support.

Drop Dylan, the Field Studies Council Youth Engagement Officer an email if you have any questions about the scholarship or requests for additional support — d.byrne@field-studies-council.org

Feeling inspired? You know what to do next! Apply today for a Young Darwin Scholarship. Click here to find out more, watch our video from 2021 and most importantly, check what's involved within the application process!

Applications close June 5th 2022, so don't delay. We look forward to hearing from you!

Apply Now

Craneflies To Light Project

Olivia Watts — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:02:25 +0000

The BioLinks project is working to increase invertebrate recording in the UK by providing subsidised training courses, learning opportunities and digital tools, focusing on invertebrate groups that may be underappreciated and under-recorded.

Recently, BioLinks have teamed up with the Cranefly Recording Scheme to help out one particular group of invertebrates. Our newly developed initiative aims to increase cranefly records in the UK and learn more about the species that are attracted to light.

What Are Craneflies?

Craneflies belong to the order Diptera, meaning they are one of the 'true flies' and possess one pair of wings and a set of halteres. They typically have a long body, long wings, very long legs and long, thread-like antennae. There are around 350 species of craneflies in the UK, and although many of us can probably picture a cranefly, we are most likely thinking of one of the larger 'long-palped' craneflies from the family Tipulidae (made up of approximately 87 species in the UK). However, there are many smaller species that may not necessarily make you jump straight to cranefly at first glance. These are typically the smaller 'short-palped' craneflies from the family Limoniidae, with approximately 227 species in the UK.

Though a number of craneflies are fairly distinctive and relatively easy to identify, some species are more difficult to identify. Often, a specimen will need to be examined to gain a positive identification.

The Craneflies To Light Project

Through BioLinks courses and events, it's great to meet other entomologists and discuss recent sightings, news and knowledge share. From these discussions, ideas can be built upon, and this project is one that has developed from a conversation between Pete Boardman and Rachel Davies. Pete Boardman runs the Cranefly Recording scheme, and Rachel Davies is the West Midlands Project Officer - and they are both fantastic BioLinks tutors! After discussing cranefly surveying methods, it became apparent that this group of invertebrates may often be found in moth traps as bycatch - but the question remains: which species? And this is how the #CranefliesToLight project was born!

This project aims to examine which cranefly species are attracted to light by asking moth trappers to spend some time identifying and recording their cranefly bycatch. The project also offers an identification service, where people can post in their cranefly specimens to be identified by volunteers (and verified by Pete Boardman).

If you would like to get involved with the #CranefliesToLight project, you can find out more here and then submit specimens following the instructions. The survey sheet that you will need can be found here. Please make sure a survey sheet accompanies all specimens; otherwise, we cannot use the data. Please note that all specimens must be submitted before 31st December 2022.

The Cranefly Recording Scheme

The Dipterists Forum is a group dedicated to the study of Diptera (true flies). There are many recording schemes within the forum, one of which is the Cranefly Recording Scheme. The Recording Scheme was formed in 1973 by Alan Stubbs, and it collects records of all UK cranefly species. The families found in the UK are: Cylindrotomidae (damsel craneflies), Pediciidae (hairy-eyed craneflies), Tipulidae (long-palped craneflies), and Limoniidae (short-palped craneflies). The Cranefly Recording Scheme also records two further families: Ptychopteridae (fold-wing craneflies) and the Trichoceridae (winter gnats). With these records, the scheme has been able to produce distribution maps for UK species. It also aims to help provide information on craneflies and help with identifications.

They can be reached on Twitter (managed by Pete Boardman) or on Facebook (managed by Ryan Mitchell and Ian Andrews). Records can be submitted to the scheme through iRecord, or through direct contact with the scheme organisers. All of the specimens sent in through the #CranefliesToLight project will be identified with the help of Pete Boardman, and species records will be submitted to the Recording Scheme through iRecord.

Identification Resources

If you would like to participate in the #CranefliesToLight project and attempt some cranefly identification at home, some useful resources can be found on the Cranefly Recording Scheme web page.

BioLinks is also running a series of cranefly identification days in the West Midlands in 2022:

Craneflies To Light Resources

Here are the quick links to the project information and the recording form that needs to be completed and sent with any cranefly specimens.

If you have any questions regarding the Cranflies To Light project, please email biolinks@field-studies-council.org

NVC Winter Habitat Survey - A Day In The Life of a Course Participant

Olivia Watts — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 21:34:41 +0000

It's always great to hear from our course participants, and we love to share knowledge and experiences with others. Recently, one of our fantastic higher education placement students, Chelsea, took part in the NVC Winter Habitat Survey course at Slapton Ley. Chelsea is an Environmental Science student who is broadening and building on her wildlife knowledge during her placement, and she has kindly shared some of her experiences with us. So join Chelsea as she walks us through an NVC Habitat Survey course, covering what the day involved, some of the things she's learnt and a selection of the recorded species.

What is a NVC Habitat Survey?

The British National Vegetation Classification (NVC) is a system used to classify vegetative habitats in Britain, using specific codes for each classification (e.g. MG1, MG2, MG3 etc., for different mesotrophic grassland communities). The system was developed by ecologists, botanists and other environmental professionals during a large-scale scientific meeting. This meeting resulted in the publication of five books, each focusing on different broad ranges of habitats and forming the compendium of British Plant Communities.

Volume 1: Woodlands and Scrub
Volume 2: Mires and Heaths
Volume 3: Grasslands and Montane Communities
Volume 4: Aquatic Communities, Swamps and Tall-herb Ferns
Volume 5: Maritime Communities and Vegetation of Open Habitats

First published between 1991 and 2000, these texts have served amateurs, students and professionals alike, aiding in their understanding of British vegetation and the unique environments this island provides. They have also allowed several organisations to complete vegetative surveys throughout Britain, monitoring the habitat diversity found here and protecting the more vulnerable habitats from sources of change.

The classification for each habitat is determined using dichotomous keys found in the relevant NVC Volume. To do this, you must be able to identify the relevant plant species present in the area. This is much easier to achieve during the summer months when plants are typically in flower, making this course an interesting one as it allowed people to gain confidence in undertaking these surveys during the more challenging winter months.

To identify the relevant plant species, we used two primary texts and a few of the Field Studies Council's own grass identification guides (Grassland Plants 1 and Phase 1 Survey Guide: Grassland and Marsh). The other texts used were The Wild Flower Key by Francis Rose and Grasses by C. E. Hubbard.

Survey Sites

This course was based around the beautiful Field Studies Centre, Slapton Ley - an ideal location due to its close proximity to Dartmoor and Berry Head, two sites of particular interest in botany due to their contrasting geology. Surveying the plants at these locations demonstrates the differences that underlying geology can make to soils and therefore, the vegetation present and associated NVC classification.

Day 1

To begin the course, we met at Slapton Ley Centre to learn about NVC classifications, some background on the areas we would be visiting, and an overview of the weekend. After introductions and welcomes, we set off to Berry Head, a coastal headland forming the southern boundary of Tor Bay. It is a national nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) hosting a range of nationally rare and threatened species, making it a fascinating place to conduct a botanical survey. Here, the underlying geology is limestone – a feature that will impact the species present.

The journey to the field site was a great introduction to the beautiful coast of Devon; somewhere I had not spent much time before. We arrived at Berry Head and began looking at the vegetation we could find along the edge of the carpark, then further into the nearby field, and then further past the fields. It was definitely interesting to see how the variety of plant species you can find may depend on how frequently visited and trodden an area is. Some species closer to the car park were more nutrient-dependent as they would be nourished by the nutrients introduced by things on the bottom of shoes or left by dogs… Further away from the car park, we found more physically fragile species and those less tolerant to foot traffic. This was particularly interesting as it showed the changes in NVC classification that can occur over a short distance and why it's essential to survey several parts of a site before determining a classification for the whole area. For these areas, we used Volume 3 of British Plant Communities: Grasslands and Montane Communities. Using this guide, we determined that the community nearest the car park was probably a sub-community of the MG1: Arrhenatherum elatius grassland. Further away, we found this changing into MG9: Holcus lanatus-Deschampsia cespitosa grassland. We also found evidence of MG5: Cynosurus cristatus-Centaurea nigra priority habitat grassland community in this area. It was interesting to see all this variation in a relatively small area!

Moving on, we headed towards the southern fort and surveyed an area of vegetation on a sea-facing slope above the cliffs. Here, we discussed how the differences in salinity from sea spray and greater exposure to wind affect the vegetative habitat. We discovered that the habitat would be best described as one of those contained in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities; Maritime Communities and Vegetation of Open Habitats.

Nearer the southern fort, we were introduced to a very unique habitat, so unique that it has its own NVC classification! This classification is not shared with any other place in the UK due to the variety of rare plant species. This is the CG1b classification: the Scilla autumnalis-Euphorbia portlandica sub-community of the Festuca ovina-Carlina vulgaris grassland. The rare species present included:
•    Autumn squill (Scilla autumnalis)
•    Honewort (Trinia glauca)
•    White rock rose (Helianthemum apenninum)
•    Small restharrow (Ononis reclinata)

Day 2

For the second day, we ventured out to Dartmoor, specifically the area of Sharpitor. Dartmoor is a National Park and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) covering 954 km2. The underlying geology is granite, which is exposed in places forming its famous tors. Sharpitor is located on the south-western side of the National Park. For this day's survey, we used Volume 2 of British Plant Communities: Mires and Heaths to determine the NVC classifications.

We climbed towards the tor, occasionally stopping to identify common plants in Dartmoor, such as heath bedstraw (Galium saxatile) and cow-horn bog-moss (Sphagnum denticulatum). We noticed the difference in the vegetation present on the road-facing side of the hill of the tor, which was more similar to a calcifugous grassland. We categorised this niche as the U4e: a subcommunity of the Festuca ovina-Agrostis capillaris-Galium saxatile grassland due to the presence of heath bedstraw (Galium saxatile), sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), tormentil (Potentilla erecta) etc. We surveyed the area around the tor, adding new plants to our identification repertoires.

Continuing down the southeastern side of the hill towards the peat bog, we learned about different bog plants including common floatgrass (Glyceria fluitans) and golden-head moss (Breutelia chrysocoma).
In this area, we found M10a; the Carex demissa-Juncus bulbosus/kochii subcommunity of the Pinguiculo-Caricetum dioicae mire. This was interesting as the maps available under this community classification in the British Plant Community book on Mires and Heaths showed that this community is not generally found in southern Britain. Its presence here may be due to a gradual change since the books were last edited.

After some lunch in the great outdoors and chatting over our findings, we went upwards onto the other side of the tor to see what differences in vegetation we could find. Here, we found areas of cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) as well as bristle bent (Agrostis curtisii), deergrass (Scirpus cespitosus) and mat-grass (Nardus stricta). Indicating that we were probably looking at an area of the H4d; Scirpus cespitosus subcommunity of the Ulex gallii-Agrostis curtisii heath.

It was great to see such a variety of habitats, undertake an NVC survey and practice my identification skills. We all learned a lot about various plant communities and different habitats! The tutor Philip Wilson was highly knowledgeable, and he really did treat us to a wonderful botanical weekend! It was also great to meet like-minded people on the course and share the experience with others.

Chelsea Boden is currently a Higher Education Placement student with the Field Studies Council, and already in her time with us, she has experienced a lot. Here's a little snippet into her year so far:

"While being a Higher Education Placement (HEP) at the Field Studies Council, I've had many opportunities to improve my knowledge base on all sorts of areas of the environment, including rocky shore communities, sand dune ecology and salt marsh plant identification. I've also been given several training opportunities to further widen my knowledge and experience while on placement; this includes training with the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum on identifying sea birds, education on grey seals, plus Snorkel Instructor training with BSAC. It's been great to explore other parts of the country via the Field Studies Council centres, including Millport in North Ayrshire, where I spent part of the winter season, Slapton Ley in Devon, where I attended the NVC Winter Habitat Survey course and here at Dale Fort in Pembrokeshire. These locations have stunning views and surrounding scenery, which helps illustrate the importance of protecting our environment. Working with the Field Studies Council during my placement year so far has really helped to demonstrate the importance of many of the topics I've studied at university and put lots of the theory into practice, something I had not had the opportunity to do first-hand during my studies due to Coronavirus halting any practical experience I would have undertaken. I feel confident that this year of experiences will help me continue my degree by giving me that edge that only first-hand experience can provide."

If you would like to learn more and experience an NVC Habitat Survey first-hand, you can find the upcoming courses here.

We also have plenty of opportunities to upskill in botany on our practical or online courses.

If you are interested in completing a placement with the Field Studies Council, sign up for our newsletter to get announcements about our future opportunities.

And lastly, if you have been on one of our courses, we would love to hear from you, so remember to tag us on social media and share your photos! @FSCBiodiversity

Curating the Past, Creating the Future: Legacies in Biological Recording

Olivia Watts — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 14:55:48 +0000

If you love wildlife and want to know how species observations can be used, this conference will showcase some of the fantastic projects and biological recording initiatives happening across the UK.

The National Forum for Biological Recording is an independant voice for those involved with biological recording in the UK. They promote and influence the development, use, management and dissemination of biodiversity information and biological records. And in the process, they bring together recorders, schemes, societies, data managers, record centres and biodiversity data users.

The Field Studies Council has teamed up with NFBR and the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History for this year's conference, covering a very interesting topic.

Curating the Past, Creating the Future: Legacies in Biological Recording

The theme of this year's conference is the legacies created by biological recording. From safeguarding historic specimen collections to dealing with personal photographs, it aims to cover various aspects of usefully preserving biological recording outputs for present and future generations.

There are some fantastic talks on projects that I've personally been involved in, including:

The DECIDE Project - Is looking at how existing biological recording data can be used to inform biological recorders on where there is a lack of existing data and how to prioritise where to record next. This project, from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, is using butterfly records as a pilot and has the potential to change the way in which we advise volunteer recorders where to concentrate their efforts.
Supporting Science Project - Butterfly Conservation are looking at how they can simplify recording efforts and data flow pathways to bring together all of the different butterfly and moth datasets in a way that benefits data user, recorders and verifiers. The BioLinks butterfly and moth iRecord courses are a part of this project.
Carrion Beetle Recording - Ashleigh Whiffin has delivered a fantastic Natural history Live talk for us previously - so I can assure you from personal experience that her talk is not one to be missed!
Darwin Tree of Life Project - Liam Crowley will be reporting on this ambitious project that aims to sequence the genomes of all 70,000 forms of eukaryotic life within the UK. I've been to Whytham Woods with Liam to help out with the earthworms, so it will be great to hear about the other invertebrate groups that Liam has been working on.

The main event will be held over two days, the 5th and 6th of May, with the additional option of a field trip on Saturday the 7th of May.

You can attend the main events at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History or live stream it from the comfort of your own home – although if you attend in person, you get a behind the scenes tour of the museum!

Get your ticket here.

Day 1: Thursday 5th May

Live-streamed and at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History

14:00 Welcome - Sarah Whild, NFBR
14:10 From Museum to Moth Trap: following in the footsteps of an Edwardian Entomologist - Katty Baird, National Museums Scotland
15:00 Recording nature where it matters: The DECIDE Project for precision citizen science - Michael Pocock, CEH
15:20 Comfort break
15:35 Supporting Science - A small project with a big ambition to smooth the flow of Lepidoptera data - Rachel Conway, Butterfly Conservation
15:55 Giving nature a number - Ian Taylor, NatureMetrics
16:15 DNA, genomes, and biological recording - Liam Crowley, Darwin Tree of Life
16:35 Digitising the archive - Henrietta Pringle, TVERC
16:55 Closing Remarks - Steve Prentice, NFBR
17:00 Close of Day One
17:15 Museum Tour (in person only)

Day 2: Friday 6th May

Live-streamed and at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History

10:00 Welcome - Elaine Wright, NFBR
10:05 You Can't Take It With You: the problem with personal collections and what to do with them - Sarah Whild, BSBI
10:25 Recording the immature stages of British and Irish Butterflies - Peter Eeles, UK Butterflies
11:15 Break
11:45 Waking the Dead: promoting and recording Carrion beetles - Ashleigh Whiffin, National Museums Scotland
12:05 The role of photography in Biological Recording - Penny Metal
12:25 Deep data sharing: proactively decolonising natural science collections - Rebecca Machin, Leeds Museums and Galleries
12:45 NFBR AGM
13:10 Closing Remarks for online participants - Sarah Whild, NFBR
13:15 Lunch
14:15 Workshop session (in person only)

Workshop A: Making reference collections today - Zoe Simmons, UONHM
Workshop B: Curating photos for biological recording - Martin Harvey, CEH

15:00 Workshop conclusions
15:15 Closing Remarks for in person participants - Sarah Whild, NFBR
15:30 Close of conference

Get your ticket here

Day 3: Optional Field Trip to Wytham Woods

Wytham Woods is an iconic location, a Site of Scientific Interest and one that has hosted ecological studies since the 1940s. It is comprised of ancient semi-natural woodland, secondary woodland, modern plantations and limestone grassland (among other niches).

It has been maintained and owned by the University of Oxford since 1942, and it is exceptionally rich in flora and fauna. We are excited to visit and hope you can join us! Watch the video below to peak into the woodland...

We can't wait and we hope you like the sound of the event! Get your ticket here and we look forward to seeing you there!

The Fantastical Lives of Ants

Olivia Watts — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 09:11:35 +0000

In the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs rumbled over the earth and plants first began to bloom, the first ants emerged. They had evolved from Parasialids (insects most like sawflies dating back to the Permian) and would have had to develop parasitoidism, a wasp-waist, a sting, and eusocial societies before anything recognisable to us as an ant could be found 200 million years later.

Since then, ants have traversed the globe and made their homes on every continent apart from Antarctica. With an estimated 13,000 to 16,000 living species described and 30,000 predicted to be found, they are a highly speciose family that have adapted to every terrestrial habitat. Given the vast numbers of ants found in some ant colonies, it has been suggested that there are 10, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 (10 quadrillion) ants alive at any one time. Their global distribution is, however, somewhat skewed towards warmer climates, with ant species diversity and density being highest in the tropics, where ants and termites make up a third of all animal biomass.

These extraordinary numbers reflect ants' successful colonisation of their local environments and has sometimes given rise to some truly bizarre adaptations. And, as ants can be considered a dominant group of terrestrial invertebrates, it would make sense for them to exploit other ants.

Slave-making Ants

It is a labour-intensive job to create a new colony and maintain its worker population. The queen must lay thousands of eggs, which the workers then have to keep clear of pathogens and parasites, and then feed and nurture the issuing brood. It can take months for a colony to replenish its numbers following an attack by a large predator or a competing ant colony. Some ants have evolved the behaviour dulosis (commonly known as slave-making) to circumvent these problems. They simply send out a raiding party to other nearby ant nests, slaughter the adults and kidnap their brood. This brood will be returned to the nest of the slave-making colony, where they will become integrated. These so-called slave ants will then perform the colony functions of feeding and nest maintenance as the raiders have become too specialised to perform these functions themselves. This raiding behaviour can be observed in one of the UK's Wood Ant species Formica sanguinea, parasitising its near-relatives Formica fusca and Formica lemani. Raids by F. sanguinea can include over 1,000 raiders forming a column around 12 metres long and 50 cm wide. Charles Darwin was unable to explain this behaviour, commenting: "By what steps the instinct of F. sanguinea originated I will not pretend to conjecture," in 'On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection'.

However, this is not necessarily a done deal, sometimes, the enslaved ants rebel. It has been observed that the captured workers attack some of the brood of their kidnappers either by ripping apart pupae and eating the chunks, or by dumping them in the corner of a chamber and leaving them untended so that they succumb to moulds. In some situations, up to 80% of developing queens and 60% of young workers can be killed by these slave nursemaids. It is thought that this is to increase the survival chances of the ants in nearby colonies that survived previous attacks (Pamminger, T. et al., 2014) .

"I warn you, child... if I lose my temper, you lose your head! ..."

Another form of social parasitism in ants is known as inquilinism. This isn't slave-making per se, but more the co-opting of a nest and colony by the queen of a closely related species. This tactic uses guile and deception rather than the brute-force tactics carried out by slave-makers. A parasitic queen ant will enter the nest of her host species, kill the incumbent queen, and take her place. The strategy of these parasitic queens is to mimic the host queen so that the rest of the colony don't notice that she's a usurper, but first, she must make it into the nest. She does this by catching sentries near the nest entrance, dispatching them, and then effectively taking on the scent of the colony by rubbing herself against their corpses. This gets her in the door, where she will cautiously hang around until she has properly taken on more of the colony odour and has become indistinguishable from her unsuspecting hosts. Now she proceeds to the chamber that houses the queen, where she will again wait, occasionally touching the queen to acquire her specific odour. Once the workers are unable to differentiate between the two queens, the parasitic queen strikes. Thereafter there are two possible strategies employed by the newly actualised queen. Depending on the species, she can either become a 'temporary social parasite' or a 'permanent social parasite'.

In the case of permanent social parasitism, the queen doesn't produce any workers and comfortably stays in the nest and produces more queens and males that will disperse, mate and then continue the cycle until the colony dies. Temporary social parasites on the other hand, will produce workers and in this way, will eventually replace all the host workers in the colony.

In Britain, Myrmica scabrinodis and Myrmica sabuleti are sometimes parasitised by queens of Myrmica karavajevi which co-exists with the resident queen in the host colony. Recent research (Casacci, L.P. et al., 2021) has revealed that the parasitic queen uses a combination of chemical cues and vibroacoustic signals near-perfectly imitating those of the host queen, eliciting the same levels of attention from host workers.

Royal Frenemies

A fairly common form of colony foundation in ants is known as pleiometrosis. This involves the co-founding of a new nest by several newly mated foundress queens. By clubbing together, they can establish a larger colony faster to better take advantage of available resources and defend the nest. What is curious about this behaviour is that the foundress queens, though of the same species, are often unrelated. As the colony becomes functional, there are several possible outcomes for these queens: they can continue to live in the same nest peacefully contributing to the growth of the colony; or they can come into conflict with each other, fighting amongst themselves for dominance with the victorious queen either killing off her competitors or banishing them from the nest. This behaviour is common in the Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus) with, in most cases, a single victorious queen surrounded by the bodies of her rivals.

It's an old story

By all accounts, it isn't easy trying to establish a new colony and defend a territory, so ants have employed a number of different tactics to try and get an advantage over their competitors. By taking advantage of their eusocial behaviour, ants are able to bolster their numbers by raiding workers from other colonies, they are able to co-opt entire existing colonies by removing the resident queen, they are able to co-exist with unrelated adoptive sisters in peace, or they can fight for overall control of the colony with their co-foundresses banished or beheaded. This is like Game of Thrones playing itself out in miniature all over the world, but on a scale that we can't completely comprehend with more than 400 socially parasitic species in six ant subfamilies recorded. And it has been going on for a long time – emerging 17 million years ago in Formica ants (Borowiec, M. et al. 2021) - and having evolved at least 60 times in ants.

So, it seems that ant colonies evolved many behaviours that Cersei Lannister summed up nicely: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."

If you would like to learn more about ants and their fascinating life histories, why not sign up to one of our ‘Learn to Love Ants’ courses, running in both the West Midlands and the South East. We also have some opportunities upcoming to allow you to work on your ant identification skills. More details can be found here.

Freshwater Invertebrate Sampling Techniques

Olivia Watts — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:49:02 +0000

Explore the 'why' and 'how' of freshwater invertebrate recording with our FSC BioLinks tutor, Rachel Davies – and join us on a course to stay curious!

Pond dipping is an activity enjoyed and experienced by many, especially as young children. It opens up the mysterious underwater world and captures our curiosity.

Many of us adults will know that finding these underwater inhabitants can still spark the same joy and that pond dipping is not the only method used to find them. Plus, surveying is typically done for research or water quality assessments – not just for fun. Freshwater invertebrates are an essential part of ecosystems, acting as food sources and nutrient recyclers. They are also very useful biological indicators.

What is a freshwater invertebrate?

The term freshwater invertebrate refers to invertebrates that spend at least part of their life cycle in freshwater. This includes invertebrates that we often think of when we think of water, such as dragonflies (Odonata), mayflies (Ephemeroptera), water bugs (Nepomorpha) and water beetles (Coleoptera). However, it also includes other invertebrates that we may not think of immediately, such as fly larvae, chalcid wasps and lacewing larvae.

When looking for freshwater invertebrates, most of us will likely have tried pond dipping at some point in our lives, pulling out pond skaters, water boatmen and many other common pond species. There are, however, many different sampling techniques that can be used for freshwater invertebrates, and these techniques differ based on the body of water being sampled.

Pond Dipping

Pond dipping is a common method for still waters, such as ponds and lakes. It involves dipping a net into the water and sweeping it through different habitats to take a sample. The sample is then examined in a white tray so invertebrates can be picked out and identified.

When pond dipping, you should ensure you are sampling patches of vegetation. You should also ensure you are sampling different water depths by skimming across the top of the water and plunging the net deeper to survey closer to the bottom. For those who do not own a net, a kitchen sieve can work quite well, especially if they are attached to a long handle.

To find invertebrates dwelling in the substrate at the bottom of a pond, nets can be used to dredge a small area. The sample will need to be carefully examined in a white tray, as substrate-dwelling invertebrates are often well-camouflaged and can be found wrapped up in decaying plant matter. This is a good method for finding certain species of dragonfly larvae.

Kick Sampling

Kick sampling is the most common method used to sample flowing water, such as streams and rivers.
To start, a kick net is held against the riverbed with the water flowing into it. Upstream of the net, the surveyor kicks the riverbed to disturb and dislodge any invertebrates. Dislodged individuals and debris are swept up by the flowing water and trapped by the net.
Another helpful tip when kick sampling is to pick up large rocks from the river bed and gently wash them inside the net to remove anything clinging on tightly.

As the net begins to fill up, it should be emptied into a white tray for sampling sorting, inspection and further identification. The physical kick sampling can be repeated several times in different spots on the riverbed to ensure that the sample is representative.

Direct Searching

Direct searching can be a useful method of surveying for both larvae and adults of many freshwater invertebrates. Submerged items such as stones and logs can be turned and visually checked for invertebrates, mainly larvae. For example, some species of mayfly larvae will cling to the underside of rocks, and caddis fly larvae will often be found clinging to rocks when they are close to pupating.

Marginal or partially submerged vegetation can be checked visually by inspecting parts of the plant protruding from the water’s surface. This is particularly useful for finding dragonfly and damselfly exuviae, or individuals in the process of emergence.

The adults of some freshwater invertebrates can be found by visually searching bankside vegetation and trees close to the water. Individuals, such as adult mayflies or adult damselflies, will often rest on these surfaces- particularly in sunny patches.

Sweep Netting

Sweep netting can be used to find the adults of some groups, particularly stoneflies and mayflies. Sweep netting involves walking along the riverbank, using a strong net to sweep through the bankside vegetation. The invertebrates caught in the net can then be encouraged into pots for identification. This is a common method used by entomologists to survey various invertebrates, particularly flies- so expect a lot of non-target captures.

Emergence Traps

As many freshwater invertebrates spend only part of their life in water, they will at some point emerge to pursue life on land. Once the insect emerges from water and moults, it enters what is known as the ‘teneral stage’. This can last for a few hours or a few days and makes the insect very vulnerable as its exoskeleton is yet to harden up. Once this stage has passed, the adult invertebrate will be ready to disperse with its hardened exoskeleton and its newly developed colouration.

Emergence traps make use of their lifecycle to aid collection - it is much easier to capture adults at the teneral stage before they disperse and become more difficult to find. Capturing the invertebrates at this stage in emergence traps allows us to see them transform into adults and aids identification. Often larvae will use rocks, vegetation or even litter for emergence, so one method takes advantage of this. An artificial object is placed into the water with the intent of larvae using it as a structure/substrate for emergence. A container is then placed above the object. The emerging adults can be collected and examined rather than dispersing off, never to be seen again.

For species that do not use structures for emergence, a canopy can be placed over an area known to house lots of larvae. As the adults then start to emerge, they will become trapped in the canopy and can be identified at a later date.

Emergence trapping requires specialist equipment and knowledge of larval sites and lifecycles. It tends to be used for scientific surveys and conservation programs.

Light Traps

Light traps, predominantly used by moth recorders, can attract the adults of some freshwater invertebrates, particularly caddisflies, some species of stoneflies and freshwater beetles. In addition, some other odd individuals can often turn up at light traps, so other unexpected visitors might show up from time to time!

Get Involved

If you would like to study freshwater invertebrates and try some of these sampling techniques yourself, why not join us for some of our FSC BioLinks courses? We have a range of freshwater courses in 2022 at FSC Bishops Wood in the West Midlands and FSC Bushy Park in the Southeast, all of which are very heavily subsidised. We also have some freshwater-focused Field Recorder Days in the West Midlands, where we will try various techniques mentioned above. These are free to attend, but booking is essential as numbers are limited.

All our freshwater invertebrate courses and Field Recorder Days can be found below:

3rd March Identifying Freshwater Invertebrates with Microscopes at FSC Preston Montford, Shrewsbury
15th March Learn to Love Riverflies at Morden Hall Park, London
22nd March Learn to Love Riverflies at FSC Bishops Wood, Worcestershire
23rd March Field Identification of Stonefly Larvae at FSC Bishops Wood, Worcestershire
24th March Field Identification of Mayfly Larvae at FSC Bishops Wood, Worcestershire
25th March Riverfly Field Recorder Day at Carding Mill Valley, Shropshire
6th April Dragonfly Larvae and Exuviae ID with Microscopes at FSC Preston Montford, Shrewsbury
11th April Hogsmill Nature Reserve Field Recorder Day at Hogsmill Nature Reserve, London
13th April Dragonfly Exuviae Volunteer ID Day at FSC Bishops Wood, Worcestershire
11th May Learn to Love Dragonflies and Damselflies at Knapp and Papermill, Worcestershire
1st June Knapp and Papermill Field Recorder Day: Freshwater Invertebrates at Knapp and Papermill, Worcestershire
26th June Riverfly Volunteer ID Day at FSC Bishops Wood
27th June Freshwater Invertebrate Field Recorder Day at Dowles Brook, Bewdley

We've still got plenty more courses to be released this year, and to be the first to hear about them sign up to our newsletter.

We also do lots more than just freshwater invertebrate courses, so have a look at everything we have to offer here.

A Glowing Report for Scotland

Olivia Watts — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 11:12:08 +0000

During the unpredictable Scottish summers, the thought of walking in the dark late at night, in remote places without the aid of a torch, is not everyone’s cup of tea. But get a glimpse of a female Lampyris noctiluca, commonly known as the common glow-worm, displaying her bioluminescence, and I guarantee you would be filled with wonder and awe and possibly not believing your own eyes.

‘Fireflies? In Scotland? Aye right!’ I can hear the resounding shouts from here. But it’s true, Scotland is home to a charismatic downright enchanting beetle that does indeed glow, well at least the female does.

Female glow-worm larvae

The Life of a Glow-worm

Emitting a yellow/green bioluminescence from the last three abdominal segments, females light up at night to attract winged males during June and July. With his huge eyes, especially adapted to detect the females glow, he spends his night flying low scanning for females. Once a female is detected, he drops to the female and mating occurs. The final part of her short adult life is then spent depositing her fertilised eggs at soil level before passing away. Males perish too.

But let me go back to the start. Eggs laid in summer hatch around 45 days later, depending on temperature and humidity. The tiny larvae are deceiving and deceptively charming looking. However, they are in fact ferocious predators of snails and slugs. Using sharp mandibles, they nip at their prey whilst injecting a toxic substance that both paralyses its victim while liquifying its flesh. This allows the larva to lap up a tasty mollusc broth. Observing the predator/prey relationship can be likened to the spectacle of lions hunting in the Serengeti, only in slow motion, with several larvae attacking one snail at times. Sometimes the snail gets lucky and recovers from an attack, mostly it is reduced to just a shell. If you are very lucky, you may find a larva settling down inside a shell to digest its meal. And this is the life of the larvae for two or more years, going through its instars and spending winters in torpor under logs, stones or burrowed in the soil as prey becomes scarce. Larvae can glow, but in slow flashes, thought to be a protective response or perhaps as illumination for their nocturnal hunting.

In the spring of its second or third year, usually April or May, the fat little larva finds a suitable pupation spot and transforms into an adult. Females are very similar to the larval form, and the much smaller males are more beetle-like with distinctive huge eyes and a hood over them. Presumably to protect them as they fly through vegetation. Males do not noticeably glow.

Neither sex feeds as adults, so their energy stores built up in the juvenile stage is finite with only enough to take them through mating and egg production. Once darkness has reached a level where humans would not be able to detect colour, the females climb a short height up the vegetation and switch on their continuous glow (or, as I am seeing, they tend to glow at soil level). Sometimes you can see her waving her abdomen, so it appears as a slow blinking in her attempt to seduce the males. If no males find her, she turns off her glow and descends to shelter until the following night. Her energy stores allow her to repeat this process for up to 10 days. If she is fortunate, she will be found earlier, mated and able to lay her fertilised eggs, before dying of starvation. If she isn’t mated, her eggs will be expelled unfertilised, before she succumbs to starvation. A sad end for this magical creature either way.

Adult male glow-worm

Monitoring Glow-worm Populations in the UK

So, to me and my continued research into the populations of Scotland. England is fortunate in some ways. It's less remote, with a larger number of dedicated people prepared to conduct nocturnal site surveys. Because of this, we know glow-worms are declining. Factors include habitat loss, artificial lighting causing the inability of males to find females, pesticide use and potentially climate change. Glow-worms typically favour unimproved grassland or damp scrub with good prey populations, and that habitat is uncommon. Developments and intensive agriculture have unfortunately contributed to declines. Our use of artificial light in the form of street lamps, garden lighting and vehicle headlamps are another factor. There are many published papers concluding the effect that lighting is having on numbers. Gardeners using slug pellets is now widely understood to have detrimental effects on wildlife, and the glow-worm is no exception. Populations in England and Wales are becoming increasingly fragmented with the potential consequences of genetic problems.

Scotland however, is presenting challenges. This lovely country has many well recorded and viewed wildlife spectacles. Displaying female glow-worms is not one of them. They are massively unrecorded here. Why? Reasons could be numerous. For a start, very few people and even dedicated entomologists aren't aware of the species presence in Scotland. This country, although relatively small, is vast in terms of remoteness and accessibility in the dark. Lastly, England has a larger human population. Given that entomologists/invertebrate enthusiasts are not exactly thick on the ground, it stands that in proportion to its human population size, Scotland will not have a large number of people interested in terrestrial invertebrates. Plus, there are even less people willing to start surveying at 11.30 pm at night, in potentially tricky terrain without the aid of artificial light sources. There is only a handful of folk that dedicate some summer nights to counting glowing females on known sites. Records coming in are either from those people or from chance encounters.

Charlottes Journey into Glow-worm Research

Scotland could have far more glow-worm populations than what is known to date and what’s even more exciting is that Scotland is potentially a reservoir for the species. So how are they doing in Scotland? Declining? Thriving? We just don’t know.

That’s where I pick up. Fascinated by invertebrates since childhood, the world of bioluminescence and fireflies was to me, a world of magic and evolution at its finest. A career as a farmhand and shepherd meant I was lucky to witness some of Scotlands finest wildlife spectacles, golden eagles soaring, red deer stags rutting, black grouse lekking, salmon spawning, the list goes on. Lucky enough to work on marginal and hill farms with bosses that appreciated wildlife, it gave me the knowledge that the less favoured areas of Scotland are jewels of biodiversity. Something that is not present in intensive units or urban developments.
I stumbled across a glow-worm record on a site in England and I was immediately hooked. We have fireflies in the UK! Better still, I was researching online and finding some records in Scotland. Coinciding with retiring early from farming, I embarked on mature student life at SRUC (Scotland's Rural University College) studying Wildlife and Conservation Management. This was the start of me delving into glow-worm monitoring.

Over time, monitoring glow-worms has grown wings from me just grubbing about looking for them. My summers are now spent using an old van to travel around Scotland surveying. It gives me a chance to liaise with landowners/managers (being an ex-shepherd this is very handy when it comes to developing a good working relationship with the primary land use industry), give talks and raise awareness through social media wildlife groups, in the hopes that it will encourage people to look in their local patch or join me on large site surveys.

The rest of the year is spent scouting out potential sites, researching nil returns on historical sites, i.e. land-use changes, raising funds, speaking to researchers in England or further afield and basically making a nuisance of myself in an effort to get more folk enthusiastic. I generally find that chatting away to farmers, foresters, gamekeepers and moth enthusiasts is a good source of information. After all, they are the ones most likely to be out at stupid o’clock. Many of my sites targeted for surveys have come from these conversations.

Adult female emitting her bioluminescent glow

Why are they so important?

As I’ve already stated, the species likes to live in relatively undisturbed habitats. Unimproved grassland and scrub or at least less environmentally impacted ground is vital for many species of invertebrates. And consequently, all the other animals that rely on them for their existence, not least our own. Fireflies are generally not included in the ‘ewwww creepy crawly’ category and are viewed as the ‘sexy’ ambassadors, along with bees and butterflies. Adding to the arsenal of contenders to attract interest in the world of invertebrates is no bad thing.

Glow-worms, as with most invertebrates, are the canaries in the mine. If something isn’t right in a habitat, the invertebrates will soon let us know. So, it may follow that thriving glow-worm populations on a site indicates healthier biodiversity.

Where to see Glow-worms

The research continues this year as it will for the rest of my life. My first glowing female was a sight I will take to my grave. The almost spiritual feeling of observing this tiny creature glowing away, not giving a hoot that I was there, was the humblest moment of my life so far (and coming from a hardened ex shepherd, that’s something I am extremely grateful for).

If like me, you find the world of nocturnal creatures to be a fascinating one, take yourself off to a spot you think may have potential and walk slowly, keeping your eyes to the ground. You may get lucky and see jewels in the grass. But stay safe! Let someone know your intentions, get permission from landowners, look at the site in daylight to assess the terrain and carry a charged torch and mobile - or better still, don’t go alone. Unlit verges and disused railway lines can be a good place to start.
There are also many known glow-worm sites in England that conduct public glow-worm walks, raising much-needed funds for conservation work; this could also be applied to sites in Scotland in the future.

Future Work

The next stages of my research will include studying the adaptations Scottish populations may have in response to lower temperatures (early data suggests glowing can occur at lower temperatures than in England), plus a future population genetics study. As I am self-funded, efforts to raise money for field and research equipment continues. For example, I recently purchased a drone through crowd funding, which will be used as a habitat mapping tool, saving my poor old legs and speeding up the lonely process of searching for them.

Part of my work is also to champion industries that typically get some flak for being responsible for biodiversity losses. That is farming and commercial forestry. Mistakes have been made, but I am finding glow-worms on these sites, suggesting this type of land use on marginal ground may actually be helping the species.

Get Involved

If you would like to find out more about glow-worms in the UK I have an online event coming up that is free to attend, so please do join me and some great guests for an evening of illumination. You can view the event and book tickets here.

For anyone in the West Midlands, FSC BioLinks have a 'Glow-worm Field Recorder Day' at Knapp and Papermill in Worcester. It is a free event but must be booked in advance. Book here.

If you cannot venture out at night, you can follow along with my surveys on YouTube (I will be posting these once we start surveying in 2022).

You can follow my journey over on Twitter and I am also in the process of creating a blog and Facebook page. But please feel free to contact me at scottishglowworms@gmail.com for any other information or if you are based in Scotland and would like to join me for surveys.

Every bit of support helps, as once we know where they are, in what abundance and which habitats they prefer, the job of protecting them can begin.

Useful Links

Charlottes Go Fund Me
UK Glow Worm Survey Website
Scotish Glow-worms Twitter
Free event ‘Scotland’s Glow-worms. An Evening of Illumination!’
Charlottes YouTube

Habitat Management for Invertebrates

Olivia Watts — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 09:57:14 +0000

Habitat management is a vast, varied subject and should not be approached as ‘one size fits all’, though unfortunatley this can often be the case. This blog includes an introduction to why management is needed for wildlife and a talk by Pete Boardman that delves into some specific examples of habitat management in the UK, primarily focused on invertebrates species.

Why do we need to manage sites for wildlife?

For centuries humans have managed land seeking a desired outcome. It is often used for agriculture, residency, commercial gain, and recreation. However, we are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental damage and species declines that have occurred as a consequence of land development. Therefore, it is essential that land is managed to promote biodiversity and conserve species wherever possible.

Considerations for invertebrates

If you are managing land, taking the time to understand the habitat types and species that are already present is the best place to start. By using this information, a plan can be made that ensures minimal damage to the wildlife that is already established and incorporates your own goals.
If you are managing land for invertebrates, it should be noted that they can have highly complex life cycles. Some species, such as dragonflies, will live in various habitats during different life stages and change their diet as they develop. The duration of their lifecycles should also be considered as they can vary between several years, once a year or several times a year. There will also be differences in how each species deals with winter - some will hibernate, some will take shelter, and others will persist through the harsh conditions.

An Introduction to Habitat Management for Invertebrates with Pete Boardman

As part of our Invertebrate Conservation series, we were joined by Pete Boardman for an Introduction to Habitat Management for Invertebrates.

Pete introduces some of the key invertebrate and habitat characteristics that should be taken into consideration when managing a site, as it is easy to adopt simple general-purpose or species-specific policies and to miss opportunities. Making the best use of a site is easier with a good understanding of the needs of invertebrates and the different habitat requirements. When making decisions, it is worth considering the characteristics of invertebrates and of their life histories and lifestyles which affect their habitat requirements; broad habitat structures, mosaics, transitions, and complexity; specific niches, small habitat features and very specific requirements; continuity and catastrophe; examples of opportunities and niches provided by people, machinery, livestock, and chance.

As it is such a vast subject, Pete has focused on and discussed a few specific habitat types, including lowland heathland, woodland rides, and brownfield sites, all with specific invertebrate case studies. You can watch the whole talk below on our YouTube video.

Q & A with Pete Boardman

How do you answer the question of scale in habitat mosaics - are we looking for a mosaic of lots of tiny patches within a small area or a mosaic of larger areas of habitat across a landscape?
Ideally, you are looking for both. Obviously, it depends on the size of your site, the size of your landscape, and the features you are managing. Start small and look at the area you are managing, look at the most important features and prioritise them. Bring in different types of management and see where you are.
It's a really interesting question, but it isn't easy to answer without looking at sites as it depends on many different factors.

What's the name of the second machine in the video, the one which collects the clippings up?
I think they fall under the category of 'out front mowers with collection', it looks very similar to this model.

What are Aculeates?
Aculeates are the group of stinging insects - bees, wasps and ants.

What if your substrate is clay or heavier than sand, will bare earth be as useful?
It's still useful. You see aculeate holes in some seemingly solid clay/sand areas. The more friable the substrate, the better, but still do create some south-facing bare ground in less perfect conditions because something will use it. If not for nesting, it will likely still be used for basking as it will still raise the temperature higher than the surrounding ground.

Does creating bare ground on heathland not just create a perfect seedbed for birch? That's been my experience.
One of the issues with creating bare ground is that things want to grow in it as you are creating a substrate. It comes down to follow up management. Ultimately, it depends on the type of substrate you have and how you manage it.

I manage small green spaces in urban areas, and I am keen to improve habitats for invertebrates. However, most are close to roads and have public access. What are the best things that I can do for invertebrates?
Some of the heathlands I have worked on in the more urban areas of the West Midlands are in a similar situation. There's a whole host of things you can do- create bare ground, stack deadwood, leave as much standing deadwood as you can when felling trees. Have a play around with grasslands and create different areas, such as areas that don't get cut as often at the back to allow for tussocks. Depending on the vegetation present, you can have areas that are managed regularly, like low growing areas, so different species can thrive. There's a whole range of stuff you can do.

Given that many insects have limited ability to disperse, should we be doing more translocations of insect species to newly created or significantly changed habitat types?
That is sort of happening probably a bit more than it used to, but really you have to ensure that the habitat is right. It's worth approaching it in the opposite way and turning attention to habitats first. Some species will struggle to reach new habitats naturally, but once the habitat is proven to be in good enough condition that it can support the species, then translocations can be discussed. It opens up a whole can of worms when we talk about species translocations, but it certainly has its place.

How come cattle and rabbits are considered good for conservation, but deer are damaging? Is it just numbers?
It is absolutely the numbers. Again, at a site in Shropshire where I have been involved, they undertook some deer survey work a few years back, and they assumed they had 20-50 deer, but the results of the survey showed numbers in the high hundreds. This means there is little regeneration in the woodlands due to the deer taking all of the samplings out, and the less palatable species start to take over, like holly. It's all down to numbers, small deer interaction is fine, but generally, there are large numbers around.

I've read Peter Kirby's guide, which is wonderful...any other suggested texts?
Buglife have some free Habitat management data sheets, which may be of interest.

Useful Resources

Crane Recording Scheme
Information on pot beetles
Buglifes free habitat management data sheets
'Habitat Management for Invertebrates: A Practical Handbook' by Peter Kirby

Surveying Invertebrates: Sampling Sites and Methods

Olivia Watts — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 12:28:32 +0000

There is a diverse array of invertebrates across the UK, and there are many reasons why you may need to survey them. Join FSC BioLinks and Pete Boardman to learn more about the 'why' and 'how' of invertebrate surveying...

Why Survey Invertebrates?

Surveying invertebrates is an essential practice that helps inform conservation decisions and land management practices that are best for wildlife.
Where possible, species are identified in the field or from photographs, although this is only an option for a small selection of taxa. Many invertebrates are so small, or have very microscopic features between species, that it makes microscope use essential for identification. Unfortunately, this does mean that specimens have to be taken, killed, and preserved. However, once they have been identified and recorded, they become vital data for scientists and conservationists to evidence wildlife and environmental trends. In addition to this, preserved specimens are used as a reference to aid the identification of future samples.
It is important to remember that ethical guidelines and laws must be followed with any surveying or collecting. You can find the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 here, which details any species that are protected by law. You can also find 'A Code of Conduct for Collecting Insects and Other Invertebrates' by JCCBI, the Joint Committee for the Conservation of British Invertebrates here.

Selecting a Site to Survey

The site you are surveying will depend on the reason for a survey, permissions and target species. Sampling for a range of invertebrates would require sampling in as many different habitats as possible over a considerable period of time and using different methods. Invertebrates have complex life cycles, and things such as time of year, time of day, temperature, weather, and sampling method will affect the species you collect – even the colour of traps can alter the species you find.

Invertebrate Sampling Methods

Much like site selection, the sampling method used will also be determined by the reason for the survey and any focus taxa. Some techniques you may encounter are listed and described below, alongside the taxa that can generally be collected from them.

Sweep Netting – This method involves waving a sweep net through vegetation. Invertebrates can then be removed from the net using collection pots or pooters. It's a great method for collecting sheild bugs, leaf hoppers, hoverflies, spiders and flies - to name a few.

Direct Searching – This is more than likely a technique every entomologist has used, especially when we spot something that sparks our curiosity. It is one of the easiest surveying methods, as when the desired habitat is identified, it can be investigated. This can include looking under shelters such as rocks and logs, or searching through vegetation- just remember to put logs and stones back where they were. A pooter can also be useful to aid capturing invertebrates as you find them. Using this method, you can find a huge variety of invertebrate species, from earthworms to harvestmen and millipedes to beetles.

Sieving – Comparable to direct searching, sieving can help extract invertebrates from small debris such as leaf litter and rotting wood. This is another method that can pick up a vast range of invertebrates. For example, it can be useful to find larvae of flies or beetles, plus adult organisms such as worms, pseudoscorpions and earwigs.

Pitfall Traps – These traps are set to capture surface-living invertebrates in areas with low vegetation or bare ground. Containers are dug into the ground, with the top becoming level with the ground's surface which invertebrates will fall into. However, we discourage pitfall trapping unless it's essential, as it is an indirect trapping method resulting in lots of by-catches. If you use this method, please ensure that any by-catch is identified and recorded either by yourself or pass specimens onto someone else. Pitfall Traps typically collect taxa such as spiders and harvestmen, millipedes, centipedes and woodlice. However, it is particularly useful for surveying ground beetles and their larvae.

Light Traps – The use of light will attract many night-flying insects. These traps can range in complexity, but essentially they emit white/blueish light, and the insects it attracts can then be temporarily or permanently trapped. This method is perfect for monitoring moths; although you can find surprises in the traps, read more about the other species you may encounter here.

Sampling Sites for Invertebrates - by Pete Boardman

This webinar continues to cover why invertebrate sampling is a valuable method of site assessment when looking to improve or manage sites for biodiversity. Pete discusses what sort of surveys are needed to find invertebrates, how to undertake or commission these surveys, and what kind of outputs are needed to analyse the survey results. It also looks at sampling invertebrates in local site-based and larger landscape-scale surveys.

Q & A with Pete Boardman

Can you poot specimens out of water?
Pete hasn't tried it but expects it would be difficult. Care would need to be taken to not ingest the water due to potential illness.

Are there any publications that have used Pantheon to compare habitats or habitat types?
Lots of consultant survey reports will highlight this. There are some publications in the Dipterists Forum, and some others are listed on the Pantheon website.
Some examples of Reports include:

'Heteroptera and Diptera surveys on the Manchester Mosses with Pantheon analysis' by Phil Brighton
'An application of Pantheon to a Windsor Forest dataset’ by Allan L. Drewitt and Jon Webb

Where can we find the lists of high-fidelity species for each habitat type? Are they available online anywhere?
It is a matter of interrogating the Pantheon website, with some examples at the bottom of this page.

How granular can Pantheon be? e.g. Comparing different grassland assemblages vs areas within one grassland habitat?
It depends upon the habitat type; different types of grassland are less well represented in Patheon than other habitat types such as heathland (open structured heathland v scrubby heathland).

Are there any alternatives to Pantheon?
There is nothing directly comparable with Pantheon. Instead, it uses some of the previous habitat and species quality indicators within it [in Patheon – click “Glossary” and then “quality index” from the tags column on the right-hand side for a list].

Can Pantheon be used to assess or compare habitat quality?
Yes- but it is only ever as good as the information you put into it.

Does the use of a net, e.g. sweep net, without the collection of specimens, count as a damaging activity and therefore require permission from Natural England if on an SSSI?
The vast majority of entomological work that might be carried out on SSSI’s and other protected sites will be useful for informing NE and their work, and it should be approved. It may need more thought if the target species are rare or protected, but generally, it shouldn’t be classed as a damaging activity as long as NE know about it and landowner permission has been granted.

Is there a good book or reference guide that lists invertebrate sampling methods and the pros/cons to help decide what would be best?
George McGavin’s book, Essential Entomology, is highly recommended. Pete is putting together a list to share. (ISBN 9780198500025)

Useful Resources

Pete Boardmans previous Invertebrate Conservation Webinar 'Protected Invertebrate Species in the UK'
JCBBI Code of Conduct for Invertebrate collecting and other relevant documents
UK Parliament article on insect declines
Targeting Revisits Projects
The Bug Splatter recording scheme from earlier in 2021
A helpful book that covers surveying techniques of different taxa. Thorough coverage of invertebrate surveying methods: Ecological Census Techniques. A Handbook. William J, Sutherland 1996.

Surveying Methods Literature:

DIY Guide to Vane Traps
Saproxylic Beetles by Ross Piper
A paper on pitfall preservatives: ‘Effects of pitfall trap preservative on collections of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae).’
Another paper on pitfall traps: ‘Effects of pitfall trap preservatives on specimen condition in carabid beetles’
Comparison of two methods for sampling invertebrates: Vacuum and sweep-net sampling.
Suction sampling of grassland invertebrates using the G-vac: Quantifying and avoiding peripheral suction effects.
Making Space for Nature Blog