.
I’m ignoring most of the dire stories current this morning for my attention has been drawn to the wonders of Nature. Yes, even the Old Goat can wonder at some of the things going on around him.
The best story is that of the tiny robin that has befriended retired university physicist, John Crabb, in Somerset and which will happily perch on his outstretched hand to pick up a morsel of food. Mr Crabb is an amateur photographer who set up a simple system to capture amazing shots of the bird landing on his hand. The robins are the friendliest of birds and I love it when our resident robin comes down into our garden, but how wonderful to have one feeding from your hand - and to be able to take photos of it doing so.
Then there is the tale of Sydney the snail which beat off 200 competitors to win the World Snail Racing Championships in Congham, Norfolk. Sydney took three minutes and 41 seconds to complete the course by racing from the centre of a circle to the outer rim thirteen inches away. Sydney’s owner, Claire Lawrence, was delighted to win a silver tankard filled with lettuce, though there are no recorded comments from Sydney himself who, I assume, is now resting after his exertions.
There is good news also on the butterfly front where Large Blue butterflies have been successfully bred in secret locations in the West Country. The butterflies were driven to extinction over thirty years ago and two conservationists bought eggs back from Sweden in the 80s and have successfully been breeding them ever since. In one site, 135,000 eggs, virtually invisible to the naked eye and smaller than a pinhead, were laid this year. The eggs are placed on heads of thyme, the cannibalistic caterpillars are then separated from each other and, after they have shed their skin for the fourth time, they drop off the thyme. The conservationists have developed a way of placing the caterpillars in new sites just as they drop off the plants where ants, attracted by their sweet scent, drag them into their nests where they become food for the caterpillars which ultimately turn into butterflies. Ultimately, the plan is to extend the range of these rare creatures further north but, for the present, they are only found in very specific locations in Somerset and Devon, including Collard Hill, which is a National Trust nature reserve and open to the public.
Finally, it is well-known that grazing animals give off enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. There are, for example, said to be around thirty million sheep in the UK, each producing around 20 litres of methane a day, and over ten million cows each producing around 500 litres of methane a day. Now scientists at Newcastle University have discovered that coriander and turmeric in their diets can reduce the amount of methane produced by up to forty percent. It is an interesting development. Maybe it’s possible that our beef and lamb will in time come ready curry-flavoured!
‘Ain’t Nature wonderful - even when it’s given a helping hand?
.
I’m ignoring most of the dire stories current this morning for my attention has been drawn to the wonders of Nature. Yes, even the Old Goat can wonder at some of the things going on around him.
The best story is that of the tiny robin that has befriended retired university physicist, John Crabb, in Somerset and which will happily perch on his outstretched hand to pick up a morsel of food. Mr Crabb is an amateur photographer who set up a simple system to capture amazing shots of the bird landing on his hand. The robins are the friendliest of birds and I love it when our resident robin comes down into our garden, but how wonderful to have one feeding from your hand - and to be able to take photos of it doing so.
Then there is the tale of Sydney the snail which beat off 200 competitors to win the World Snail Racing Championships in Congham, Norfolk. Sydney took three minutes and 41 seconds to complete the course by racing from the centre of a circle to the outer rim thirteen inches away. Sydney’s owner, Claire Lawrence, was delighted to win a silver tankard filled with lettuce, though there are no recorded comments from Sydney himself who, I assume, is now resting after his exertions.
There is good news also on the butterfly front where Large Blue butterflies have been successfully bred in secret locations in the West Country. The butterflies were driven to extinction over thirty years ago and two conservationists bought eggs back from Sweden in the 80s and have successfully been breeding them ever since. In one site, 135,000 eggs, virtually invisible to the naked eye and smaller than a pinhead, were laid this year. The eggs are placed on heads of thyme, the cannibalistic caterpillars are then separated from each other and, after they have shed their skin for the fourth time, they drop off the thyme. The conservationists have developed a way of placing the caterpillars in new sites just as they drop off the plants where ants, attracted by their sweet scent, drag them into their nests where they become food for the caterpillars which ultimately turn into butterflies. Ultimately, the plan is to extend the range of these rare creatures further north but, for the present, they are only found in very specific locations in Somerset and Devon, including Collard Hill, which is a National Trust nature reserve and open to the public.
Finally, it is well-known that grazing animals give off enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. There are, for example, said to be around thirty million sheep in the UK, each producing around 20 litres of methane a day, and over ten million cows each producing around 500 litres of methane a day. Now scientists at Newcastle University have discovered that coriander and turmeric in their diets can reduce the amount of methane produced by up to forty percent. It is an interesting development. Maybe it’s possible that our beef and lamb will in time come ready curry-flavoured!
‘Ain’t Nature wonderful - even when it’s given a helping hand?
.
Thanks for today's post Brian, how wonderful it must be to have a Robin eating from your hand.
ReplyDeleteAs you rightly say 'Ain't Nature wonderful.
Eunice.
ps Also intersting to read more about St Swithun.