Writtle Wildlife Watch (April 2014)

Writtle conservation expert, Alan Roscoe, has once again been observing the wildlife on campus at Writtle. Here, Alan reviews his April findings.

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"Now come on, this just isn’t playing fair. One second you think the rain has gone and we are in for another scorching summer like last year, the next you are gazing out of the window, whilst reaching for the thermostat.

But did you notice the slightest warming of the days a few weeks back when things started waking up? We certainly did here at the College as we are interested in annual changes in seasonal events (’phenological indicators’) and our students keep an eye open for us on the first appearance of certain key species, especially butterflies.

Orange Tip, College estate, April 2014, Copyright Noah Greaves

So, what was the first butterfly out of the blocks this year? The Brimstone was the first species, spotted in late February by our student Fiona basking on bricks near the student restaurant (the butterfly that is, not Fiona). This sulphur yellow insect was closely followed by Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. But for me the acme of spring is the Orange Tip. This small butterfly says that spring is in full swing and its appearance is all the more special for it being so fleeting.

Thanks to our student Noah for this great picture of a female Orange Tip on the College estate. Roll on summer."

Writtle Wildlife Watch (December 2013)

Writtle conservation expert, Alan Roscoe, has once again been observing the wildlife on campus at Writtle. Here, Alan reviews his December findings.

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"I am sure you have seen the recent pictures from around the country of the devastation caused by high winds, surge tides and heavy rain. Our human infrastructure can seem very frail when confronted with these challenges.

But have you ever thought about the impact on wildlife – and do you always assume it will be bad…?

One of the things which has been lacking in the British countryside in recent decades is dead wood – a great habitat for numerous species, especially beetles. But because we are such a tidy nation, we have been obsessed with clearing up any tree which falls over in high wind. Consequently there has not been much dead wood around, until recently, that is. But now we have plenty of it!

Stag Beetle pit creation. Copyright Tina Carter.

One of the insects which needs dead wood is the Stag Beetle. This wonderful creature is found in parts of Essex and to help it out, some of students this year used buried dead wood to create ‘Stag Beetle Pits’ on the Writtle College estate.

I see there is more rough weather to come but, as far as nature is concerned, it might not all be bad news."