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Alan Watson Featherstone

ECOLOGIST, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER AND INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
FOUNDER OF THE AWARD-WINNING CHARITY TREES FOR LIFE

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Findhorn Hinterland

A shieldbug extravaganza, part 2

Findhorn Hinterland: 11 September 2020 10 Comments

Teneral adult parent bugs (Elasmucha grisea), with one still emerging or moulting from its final instar exuvia on the left, on a leaf of a silver birch (Betula pendula) in the Findhorn Hinterland area.

After my two visits to the birch trees with an abundance of shieldbugs on them that I wrote about in Part 1 of this blog I went across to the west coast of Scotland for a few days, so it was over a week later before I returned to have another look for them. I didn’t know whether they would still be there, or if they would have all metamorphosed into adults and dispersed already, so I approached the trees without any great expectations of what I would find.

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A shieldbug extravaganza, part 1

Findhorn Hinterland: 28 August 2020 10 Comments

Final instar nymphs of parent bugs (Elasmucha grisea) on the leaf of a silver birch (Betula pendula) on the Findhorn Hinterland.

On 1st August 2020 I was making my monthly round of the Findhorn Hinterland area to check the series of 6 pitfall traps we’ve installed for an ongoing survey of spiders there. To reach the first couple of trap sites I had to pass a prominent cluster of three large, multi-trunked silver birch trees (Betula pendula) that have grown closely together, and I often stop to have a look at them, to see if there is anything of interest on their leaves.

[Read more…] about A shieldbug extravaganza, part 1

Tagged With: biodiversity, birch, Findhorn, insects, shieldbug

Life on a spear thistle

Findhorn Hinterland: 7 August 2020 4 Comments

Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) in flower in the Findhorn Hinterland area in the middle of July.

For just over two years now I’ve been a trustee of the Findhorn Hinterland Trust, a local charity that manages about 35 hectares of land surrounding the Findhorn Community, where I live. The site includes sand dunes and dune heath rich in lichens, dune scrub consisting mostly of gorse, species-rich grassland and an old pine plantation that is gradually being restored to native woodland.

[Read more…] about Life on a spear thistle

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My TEDx talk – Restoring the ancient Caledonian Forest.

TEDx TEDx – Restoring the Caledonian Forest

Recent posts

  • A shieldbug extravaganza, part 2
  • A shieldbug extravaganza, part 1
  • Life on a spear thistle
  • A twinflower day
  • Unseen biodiversity of Glen Affric, part 3

News

  • Beavers are still facing an uncertain future in Scotland
  • The Nature Talks: Reconnecting People and Planet Now More Than Ever
  • Trees and Bees Conference 19 March 2021
  • Forests Forever perpetual calendar – a perfect gift for Christmas
  • New podcast on Empowerment

I’m speaking at…

  • Climate Action North - Trees and Bees Online Conference to celebrate International Day of Forests 2021 – 19 March 2021
  • A Rewilding Journey: Rewilding the World and Ourselves – 22 May 2021–
    29 May 2021

Over on Twitter…

Alan Watson FeatherstoneFollow

Alan Watson Featherstone
AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
3h

This report is a harbinger of things to come everywhere - collapsing ecosystems threatening the very fabric of life on which we & all other species depend. What is particularly alarming is the diverse nature of these ecosystems & that they're all at risk. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/26/australian-scientists-warn-urgent-action-needed-to-save-19-collapsing-ecosystems

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AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
3h

This is the painful reality of early 21st century life on Earth - the accelerating 6th Mass Extinction event. It's a much bigger threat to the future than Covid or climate change, as once species are gone, it's forever. Radical change is required now! https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/03/australia-confirms-extinction-of-13-more-species-including-first-reptile-since-colonisation

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AlanWatsonFeat1Alan Watson Featherstone@AlanWatsonFeat1·
3h

It's great to read of this success story - it shows that concerted action can pull species back from the brink of extinction. However this is only feasible for a tiny proportion of species at risk - we need to drastically reduce human impacts to save more. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/03/how-the-pygmy-hog-was-saved-from-extinction-aoe

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