Tall Trees Short Stories by Gabriel Hemery

This is a selection of short stories and other pieces focussing on trees and their ecology from Dr Gabriel Hemery. There are fairy tales, mythical tales, short pieces of speculative fiction and even a couple of songs complete with musical notation.The stories cover a wide range of issues around trees and woodlands including sustainable forestry, green burials, conservation of endangered species and possible roles of technology in the future of woodlands. Stories are told from different perspectives too, including that of trees themselves and the wildlife they support.

Some of the pieces look at how technology could address issues around tree conservation. In Silvabytes, Major Emar and Odren are using computer science to try to recreate trees, while in Bionic Eleanor presents the ideas from her PhD thesis which addresss the fact that climate change is altering the liveable zones for particular species of trees.

A series of short pieces inspired by the controversial HS2 High Speed railway plans includes What Will We Do with the Veteran Oak Tree (a shanty song), The Letter which reimagines the destruction of trees deemed necessary for HS2 as being a proposal to cull people (scarily prescient of some political attitudes to older people during the current coronavirus pandemic) and The Root of All Evil, a disturbingly believable sketch of a speech by a fictional British MP to the House of Commons proposing a bill to basically desctroy trees because they cause so many problems, passed without dissent. Of course in real life the politicians wouldn't be so blatant but the effect of many policies is the same. The same series includes Rise Up, the treeorism response.

Eye to Eye is a wonderful story, made up of a number of flash fiction pieces told from the viewpoints of various characters - including a birdwatching human, a mouse, a goshawk and a birch tree. The pieces wind together to create a multidimensional view of the habitat and how all the characters interact.

Other stories worth a mention include:

Memoirs of a Bonsai is a compressed history of Japan seen through the imagination of an ancient bonsai tree

In DED Zone, a committee of elm trees discuss how to combat a disease (unnamed in the story, but clearly Dutch elm disease) that is spreading through their ranks

The Woodcutters Axe is a fairy tale about a woodcutter who discovers he has special powers, an engaging tale that also acts as an allegory about the role of forestry in environmental protection

Transylvania features a Goth research student who is sent to the forests of Transylvania, to study moths. Along the way she finds herself being drawn more and more into the spooky atmosphere of the area.

In The Great Forest Heist, PC Julie Fox, a police officer in Northern Ireland considers the correct police response to the unexplained loss of vast areas of forest.

What I love about this collection is how wide ranging the stories are, incorporating trees in so many different ways, reflecting the myriad of different ways in which real trees impact and affect our real lives. It's an enjoyable and thought provoking read.

Tall Trees Short Stories by Gabriel Hemery. 

Disclaimer: This review was  undertaken in exchange for a free advance review copy provided by the author

Thriving with Nature

We're living through very strange times at the moment and many people are finding solace in nature. Those who have gardens are spending more time in them and those who have access to nearby green spaces are exploring them for their #DailyExercise walks. We've enjoyed discovering how valuable our local cemeteries and park are for wildlife. Our latest discovery is the ringlet butterfly, which in previous years we've seen in various locations around Edinburgh, but were surprised to find today in both the local park and in North Merchiston Cemetery, it really is a lovely butterfly

Lockdown hasn't always been positive for the human nature relationship, but despite all the thoughtless people causing fires and littering in nature reserves and on beaches across the UK, I think it is true that many people have developed a stronger bond with nature than they previously had.

Spending time in nature is good for your physical and mental health and wellbeing.Nature offers a space for slowing down and focussing on things that can distract from problems in life. Learning about nature can offer an engrossing and interesting hobby that can keep you mentally alert and engaged. Walking in nature is great gentle exercise and any time spent in green spaces can lift your mood.

I was interested earlier today to discover that the World Wide Fund for Nature has collaborated with the Mental Health Foundation to produce the Thriving with Nature Guide.

This is an accessible, inspiring booklet to get people thinking more about nature, spending more time in nature and using it as inspiration for creative projects. The book is broken down on a seasonal basis, with plenty of ideas for enjoying and benefiting from nature whatever the time of year.

There are also some charities working specifically in the area of ecotherapy or the related area of horticultural therapy. Thrive is a charity that brings together horticultural therapy projects across England (Trellis being the equivalent in Scotland) while Scottish Association for Mental Health is just one of the mental health charities that offer horticultural therapy in some of its projects (though of course these projects are currently closed or working online during lockdown).

Take Part in Citizen Science for 30 Days Wild

According to some reports, the COVID-19 lockdown has encouraged people to become more interested in nature (though seeing the careless attitude to natural areas shown by many people who are littering more than ever, setting barbeque fires left right and centre and using beaches as a toilet, not everyone cares).

For those who are becoming more interested in nature, citizen science is a great way to learn more and get involved in conservation work.

Citizen science basically means research projects that include input from members of the general public. These can be field based natural history or online based projects such as those hosted by Zooniverse.

One of the most fundamental ways you can help citizen science is to record the wildlife you see and then send your records to one of the following:

an online recording scheme such as iRecord,

your local wildlife records centre (in the Lothians this is the The Wildlife Information Centre)

a specialist wildlife recording scheme (such as the UK Hoverfly Group, which collects records through its Facebook group).

The recording schemes then feed records into data that should inform the conservation of species and habitats - building up a picture of which species are thriving and which need special attention to protect them.

Theoretically all the various recording groups should share information, but that doesn't seem yet to always be the case, specially when it comes to controversial developments on greenspace when the 'ecologist' advising the developers often seems unable to come up with information that keen amateur naturalists in the area are almost certainly sharing with the recording schemes.

If you take part in citizen science, what is your favourite project to get involved with?

For 30 Days Wild.

National Insect Week

During Lockdown, we've walked round two local cemeteries almost every day. We've really come to appreciate what wildlife havens these graveyards are! Particularly for insect life. There are 20 or more species of hoverflies in the two cemeteries including the pellucid hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) which is particularly common just at the moment, it also has the advantage of being relatively easy to identify!

You can read more about the hoverflies in the cemeteries in this recent post.
At the moment, the bramble patch in Dalry cemetery is full of bees including tree bumblebees (below),

there are also buff tailed and white tailed bumblebees, common carder bees, and the occasional red tailed bumble bee and solitary bees. This is particularly good to see as bees are really in trouble these days and need all the good quality habitat they can get.
There are butterflies too, including speckled wood butterflies, which are becoming more common in Edinburgh these days as they are one of the few species to be benefiting from climate chaos as warming temperatures are allowing them to move north.

The most amazing insect we've seen in the cemeteries though is one that has finished its season now so is rarely seen at the moment, but a few weeks ago was present in the hundreds in North Merchiston Cemetery. It's the green longhorn moth, which we had never seen before lockdown, it's incredibly beautiful too, specially when gathering in large numbers to dance.

Just near Dalry Cemetery is Gorgie Dalry Community Park, where early in lockdown we discovered a real drama among the solitary bees and bee flies, which you can read about in this post here.
So, there's lots to celebrate in our local patch for National Insect Week, which encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects. The week is organised by the Royal Entomological Society, supported by partner organisations with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.

This year we are being encouraged to appreciate the ‘little things that run the world’ by doing some entomology at home. ideas for activities include:

Take a photo and enter the photography competition,

find out more about insects using the discover insect pages or the learning resources such as the Garden Entomology booklet to find out what kind of insect you have found.

Help scientists understand more by making a biological record of what species of insect you've seen and where and when you saw it. 

If you want to get creative you could create an artwork inspired by insects and contribute to the Insect Isles project.

**

Now is the ideal time to sign up to become an Insect Champion with People's Trust for Endangered Species!

For National Insect Week, Nature Notes and 30 Days Wild.

Beautiful Bunnies!

Today we decided to visit the golf course that we pass on the way to Corstorphine Hill as we had heard that lots of rabbits live around there!

The first bunny we saw was this little one

then a little further on, this much older bunny, who seemed to have made friends with a magpie and a jackdaw

Then we passed the grounds of a care home that borders onto the golf course and this is where the bunnies seem to gather

The golf course is a lovely area to walk round, whether or not the bunnies are out!

There's a path round the perimeter of the golfcourse, which for a large part of its length is separated from the course by trees.

Birds in a Cage by Derek Niemann (as recommended by Chris Packham)

Springwatch is always a great programme to watch on the BBC, as it follows the development of spring in the UK. This year, given the coronavirus pandemic, they had a very hard job putting the programme together in compliance with social distancing rules but the result was brilliant, a real feast of the country's best nature and how it can support people's mental health and welfare during a crisis. Hence, this book recommendation from Chris Packham, one of the programme's presenters. 

Once Chris mentioned it, I was keen to read it and I happened to have a copy on my bookshelves (never have I mean more glad of my habit of accumulating books more quickly than I read them). 

This is the true story of four British serviceman who were POWs in World War II, and found purpose and camaraderie in their love of birds. The men were Second Lieutenant Peter Conder, Second Lieutenant John Buxton, Second Lieutenant George Waterston and Squadron Leader John Barrett, all of whom later in life went on to influence nature conservation in the UK. Each of the prisoners found ways to explore the local nature around the prison camps and to keep meticulous notes on their findings (though not all the notes survived). They even met German prison guards who were willing to help them to some extent. 

The book also outlines how these wartime experiences informed the men's later lives, Peter Conder became the director of the RSPB (Rpyal Society for the Protection of Birds), John Buxton wrote The Redstart, which became a model for single species monograph books on birds, John Barrett ran a field studies centre in Pembrokeshre and wrote The Collins Guide to the Seashore and George Waterstone at various points founded the Fair Isle Bird Observatory, worked for the RSPB and the National Trust and was responsible for Operation Osprey, which successfully reintroduced ospreys to the UK. 

This is a fascinating story of how nature can help people get through extremely difficult times. 

Birds in a Cage by Derek Niemann  published by Short Books in collaboration with the RSPB. 

Latest from the Local Cemeteries

We met this adorable youg robin today in Dalry Cemetery

It will develop its traditional red breast as it grows older.

We seem to be seeing a lot of seven spot ladybirds in the two local cemeteries at the moment - here are two fully grown and normal coloured adults

Today we found, in one very small area, a young seven spot ladybird (it still hadn't developed its full red colour - seven spot ladybirds start off yellow without spots and become darker as their spots develop) and also a larva and two pupae. Here's a larva

and one of the pupae

and the young pale adult

We found this striking small fungi yesterday in Merchiston Cemetery

If anyone can identify the species, feel free to leave a comment!

Sadly not everyone appreciates the nature in the cemeteries. Dalry Cemetery now has a Friends Group, but alongside the people who wish to preserve the nature, there are a few who think that all the undergrowth should be removed as it prevents people from looking at the graves. In the past couple of days, someone (probably not a member of the group) has been hacking away at the ivy in an entirely random way, which is illegal at this time of year (as birds often nest in ivy) and is making a total mess of the cemetery, damaging both the wildlife and destabilising some of the graves. It's really sad to see this and hopefully something that won't happen again.

Mapping the Cemetery

Dalry Cemetery, one of the local cemeteries that we walk round as part of our #DailyExercise has now got it's own friends group! They are putting together a website and have an already thriving Facebook group.

The cemetery is a real haven for wildlife, as you may have noticed from my recent blogposts on the topic and that's something that the group really want to focus on, by conserving nature and cleaning up the litter that often plagues the site.

Recently, the shrubby area of the cemetery has seen lots of birds fledging, including wrens (see this post), long tailed tits

and blackcaps

As part of the attempt to help the group know what wildlife is in the site, I've made a list of everything I've been able to record (and invited other group members to add to it via the Facebook group) and I created a map (using an old council survey map as a basis)

It's very much a work in progress but the idea is to ultimately create a map of all the wildlife interest in the cemetery.

Dalry cemetery is a vital part of a green corridor that includes Gorgie Dalry Park, trees along nearby roads, Harrison Park and North Merchiston Cemetery. Together these areas offer a wonderful area for wildlife in an area that is one of the most built up areas of Edinburgh.

for 30 Days Wild.

Spotted for 30 Days Wild

Seen recently in our local cemeteries

raindrops on herb bennet (wood avens) 

 

7 spot ladybird in cocksfoot grass.

 

For 30 Days Wild. 

Corstorphine Hill in the Mist

It's been a dull and damp day today, with a thick see mist (or haar as we call it here) sitting around all day, which has often become rain, though never too hard!

It makes for a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere in the woodlands on Corstorphine Hill

but makes it impossible to see the hills that normally would be visible from the Rest and be Thankful at the top of the hill

We remembered today to take the route that passes by the common spotted orchids, which are beautifully in bloom at the moment

We could hear song thrushes singing despite the rain and we saw lots of thrush anvils, including this one

these anvils are where the thrushes smash snail shells so they can extract and eat the snail's body. The song thrush is declining in the UK and it was really nice to see so much evidence of them around the hill!

For My Corner of the World, Nature Notes and 30DaysWild.

Spiderlings!

Yesterday we were delighted to see a web of spiderlings in each of the local cemeteries that we visit for our #DailyExercise. (I think these are garden spiders Araneus diadematus).

In North Merchiston Cemetery there were two little connected webs on ivy, with a lot of movement  among the spiderlings.

Meanwhile, in Dalry Cemetery, the spiderlings were on a nettle plant

It's quite amazing to watch these tiny creatures as they rush around in their little webs. Later on they will use threads of sil to disperse throughout the nearby plants.

for 30 Days Wild.

Living on the Wind by Scott Weidensaul

 

Living on the Wind is a comprehensive overview of bird migration in the Western hemisphere. It delves into the evolution and mechanics of migration, looking at the journeys of some individual species and using these to investigate more overall patterns of migration.

The book looks at the history of the science around migration, the reasons behind migration and the perils faced by many migratory species. Of course long distance migration has always held perils but these have increased hugely as people have decimated habitats in the breeding and wintering zones and the stop-overs of many species. This means that many migratory birds are under a huge amount of pressure and the book (which is already 20 years out of date) contains some sobering examples.

This is a fascinating book, full of amazing facts and insights and written in an engaging and accessible style. It's a must read for anyone interested in bird migration and conservation and underlines just how interconnected the world's ecosystems are.

As a UK birder, I would love to read the same type of investigation into the migration of birds between Europe and Africa!

Living on the Wind by Scott Weidensaul, published (1999) by North Point Press, an imprint of Farrer, Straus and Giroux.

A book review for 30 Days Wild.

Crafting for #30DaysWild

I recently made this fabric collage of an imagined scene from Craiglockart Dell along the Water of Leith. It was very relaxing to make and as with all my crafts, the materials are all upcycled or were bought in second hand shops.

The base is a square of white felt (from a second hand shop), the green grass is a thin fabric upcycled from a failed attempt at a scarf I made from a long fabric scrap, the floral fabric is cut from a fabric scrap as are the pieces of brown tweed type fabric representing the tree trunks (these were already basically these shapes, I just needed to cut them off from the rest of the fabric.) The silver flowers are upcycled from a broken bracelet and the felt leaves and satin butterfly came from second hand craft kits. I've left some of the fabric edges rough to reflect that nature isn't about straight lines.

Crafting for #30DaysWild.

Fledgling Wrens for #30DaysWild

Dalry Cemetery, one of the cemeteries we visit on our #DailyExercise is at the moment full of fledgling birds! We haven't seen the young sparrowhawks yet (though I think we'll hear them before we see them, they are very noisy around fledging time). Yesterday we were almost surrounded by fledging birds, great tits on one side and wrens on the other. Crafty Green Boyfriend was able to get these amazing photos of some of the wrens

There were several more young wrens fluttering around in the undergrowth!

Dalry Cemetery now has a Friends group, which has set up a website and a Facebook group. 

For 30 Days Wild and Nature Notes. 

Hoverflies for 30 Days Wild

If you read this blog regularly, you may realise that I have a fondness for hoverflies, those patterned flies that mimic bees and other insects. Hoverflies are harmless, they don't sting or bite but they mimic insects that do sting and bite, to warn off predators. (This doesn't always stop their predators, I've seen gangs of wasps attacking and eating hoverflies - and of course the wasps need to eat and have youngsters to feed and kill pest insects as well as hoverflies.)

If you want to learn to identify insects beyond butterflies and larger moths, then hoverflies are a great place to start. Some of them are easy to identify to species level (eg the Marmalade hoverfly, see below) and others are easy to identify to a more general level (eg Syrphus sp, again see below) while there are yet others that offer the challenge of being difficult to identify at all, which gives you a range of levels of knowledge as you explore this fascinating group of insects.

There are 250 species of hoverflies in the UK and since lockdown, we have found that at least 20 of these species can be found in the local cemeteries that we walk round most days for our #DailyExercise. Here are photos of some of the most distinctive of these species:

Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Syrphus sp

Narcissus bulb fly (Meredon equestris)

Footballer hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)

Leucozonium leucorum.

Batman hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Epistrophe eligans.

pellucid fly (Volucella pellucens)

Resources about Hoverflies

The Nature Spot Guide to Hoverflies.
All About Hoverflies page.
Steven Falk's Flickr album of Hoverfly photos.

If you're on Facebook, you may be interested in the Hoverfly UK group, which can help you to identify the hoverflies you see.

For 30 Days Wild.

Tree following update for 30 Days Wild

 For Tree Following this year I've selected a beautiful horse chestnut tree in one of the cemeteries on our #DailyExercise route.You can see my first blogpost about this tree here and my second is here.

Here are some photos of the tree over the past few weeks:

I recently found out that the yellow in the centre of the horse chestnut flower changes to pink after the flower has been pollinated. You can see the two different coloured flowers in the photo below. Bees can't see pink apparently, so they ignore the flowers once they change colour.

And here you can see the conkers starting to form at the bottom of the infloresence

and in fact now, some of the inflorescences are almost entirely devoid of flowers and well on the way to becoming conkers

For Tree Following and 30 Days Wild.