Hoopoe – A blog by nhbs – Page 45 – The NHBS Conservation Hub

The Big Butterfly Count: NHBS Staff Results

We have reached the end of the Big Butterfly Count 2021, which took place between Friday 16th July and Sunday 8th August. It’s the world’s biggest survey of butterflies and is aimed at assessing the health of our environment by recording the number of our most common butterflies and day-flying moths.

But don’t worry if you didn’t get to take part this year; it is an annual event, so make sure to look out for it next year! To take part, all you need to do is spend 15 minutes counting butterflies on a sunny day. You can count from anywhere you like, such as in the garden or park, in the woods or fields or wherever you find yourself outdoors. You can submit your results online on the Big Butterfly Count website. For a list of handy butterfly ID guides as well as some tips on how to distinguish certain species, take a look at our previous blog post here.

This count is extremely important as butterflies are vital to the ecosystem, as pollinators and within the food chain. Populations have decreased significantly since the 1970s, therefore monitoring butterfly numbers is crucial. We hope that more people have taken part this year, and, as always, many of our staff got involved. Scroll down to see what we found.

We’d also love to see what you’ve spotted if you took part – why not let us know in the comments below.

Results

Catherine spotted all of these butterflies during her lunch break:

Small White: 10

Meadow Brown: 5

Gatekeeper: 9

Gemma found:

Large white: 2

Meadow brown: 2

Ringlet: 1

Red admiral: 1

Tonie did the butterfly count by the coast:

Meadow browns: 5

Red admiral: 2

Large white: 2

Small skipper: 2

Marbled white: 1

I managed to complete a butterfly count at the end of a hike on Dartmoor:

Small white: 1

Meadow brown: 4

Gatekeeper: 1

Red admiral: 1

Angeline completed her big butterfly count in Plymouth:

Ringlet: 3

Small skipper: 2

Silver-Washed Fritillary – by A. Rietveld

Oli spotted:

Gatekeeper: 2

Small tortoiseshell: 1

Red admiral: 1

Peacock: 1

Ringlet: 1

Meadow brown: 1

Butterfly Conservation

For more information on UK butterflies and how you can help them, please visit Butterfly Conservation.org. Here you will find a wealth of information to help you find and identify butterflies and moths.

The NHBS Guide to UK Ladybird Beetle Identification

Colloquially known as ladybugs or ladybirds, these species are a well-known part of UK wildlife. Appearing in the nursery rhyme ‘Ladybird ladybird’, as the symbol for Ladybird Books, and in arts and crafts activities at school, they are a familiar sight for most of us from a young age.

Ladybirds are beetles and belong to the family Coccinellidae. There are 26 species in the UK and they can be found in a variety of habitats such as grassland, woodland, and even your garden. There are several ways to survey ladybirds, for instance a sweep net or beating tray can be used to collect ladybirds, or you can fashion your own ladybird catcher by cutting off the top of an old plastic bottle. Holding the bottle upside down, a stick can be used to tap bushes and trees so that ladybirds can fall in the bottle. Please remember to be gentle and to return them to where you found them, or instead search for ladybirds by eye.

Other useful equipment include a hand lens, a field guide that also includes larval stages, and a pen and some paper to note your identifications. You can help broaden our knowledge of populations and distributions by recording your sightings through iRecord or by using the iRecord Ladybird apps.

Identifying ladybirds is usually based on colouration and the number and pattern of spots, although these can sometimes vary between individuals of the same species. In this article, we’ll show several species you may encounter when looking for ladybirds.

7-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

Distribution: Widespread, common

What to look for: This species has a bright red wing case with seven black spots, and a black and white pronotum (the hard plate behind the head). There is a very similar species named the scarce 7-spot ladybird (Coccinella magnifica). It is difficult to tell the two apart but the 7-spot has slightly smaller and rounder spots.

7-spot ladybird by Martin Cooper via Flickr

22-spot ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)

Distribution: Widespread across England but rarer in Scotland and Wales.

What to look for: The 22-spot ladybird is one of the smaller UK species. It has a bright yellow wing case with 22 black spots, plus a yellow pronotum with 4 black spots.

22-spot ladybird by hedera.baltica via Flickr

Adonis ladybird (Hippodamia variegata)

Distribution: Scattered populations across Britain, numbers are increasing and can be quite frequent in suitable habitats

What to look for: This species has a more orange-red wing case, with several black spots and two white markings at the front. The number of black spots varies between individuals and can be between 3-15. Their pronotum is black and white, and they have either black or brown legs.

Adonis ladybird by Lucas Large via Flickr

14-spot ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata)

Distribution: Widespread

What to look for: This species is yellow, with black, rectangular spots that meet each other, giving it an almost chequered appearance. They can, however, vary greatly in colour and pattern. Their wing cases can have a background colour of cream all the way to a lighter orange. Despite its name, it can have anywhere from 4-14 spots.

14-spot ladybird by gailhampshire via Flickr

Larch ladybird (Aphidecta obliterata)

Distribution: Widespread in Britain

What to look for: The larch ladybird is a light tan brown, with muted patterning. There is occasionally a dark line along the back of the wing case where the two sides meet, and the occasional speckling of spots. The pronotum is usually a lighter, beige colour with an M-shaped mark in darker brown.

Kidney-spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus)

Distribution: Found across England and Wales, but only in some parts of Scotland.

What to look for: The kidney-spot ladybird is black, with two large red spots, one on each wing casing. There is a distinctly flattened rim around the edge of the wing casing. This species is usually found in well-wooded areas – look on tree trunks!

Kidney-spot ladybird by S. Rae via Flickr

Water ladybird (Anisosticta novemdecimpunctata)

Distribution: Widespread and frequent across England and Wales, but not in Scotland or Ireland.

What to look for: This species changes colour throughout the year! It has a more beige colouring, except in April-June when it turns a reddish colour. It is an elongated and flattish ladybird, with between 15-21 black spots. As its name suggests, it is usually found by the water, living in reedbeds and wetlands.

Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

Distribution: Widespread in England, spreading in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

What to look for: There is a large variation in the appearance of this species. They have brown legs and can have a red, orange, yellow, or black wing casing with up to 21 spots. The black forms usually have between 2-4 spots. Their pronotum may have several spots fused in an M or solid trapezoid shape. They are a large species, at approximately 7-8mm in length.

Did you know? This is an introduced species and is considered invasive, as it outcompetes our native species, such as the 7-spot ladybird, for resources. It even eats other ladybirds’ eggs and larvae!

Harlequin ladybird by hedera.baltica via Flickr

16-spot ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata)

Distribution: Widespread in southern England, occasionally found in parts of Wales.

What to look for: It has a beige colouration, although there are darker forms that appear more yellow or even slightly orange. It can have between 13-18 spots, with three to four fused together forming a line on either side of the wing case. It also has a solid black line down the middle of the wing case, and some spots on its pronotum.

16-spot ladybird by gailhampshire via Flickr

Useful resources

Ladybirds
Paperback | May 2013

This revised and updated edition of Ladybirds provides a succinct but comprehensive and accessible overview of the biology of ladybirds and their parasites, focusing on ecology in an evolutionary context.

Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Britain and Ireland
Paperback | November 2018

This illustrated field guide covers all 47 species of ladybird occurring in Britain and Ireland in a handy and easy-to-use format. Each species account includes a description of field characters, similar species, life-cycle, food source, habitat and distribution.

A Field Guide to Harlequins and Other Common Ladybirds of Britain and Ireland
Paperback | March 2021

The invasive Harlequin ladybird can be very difficult to identify, with huge variation in colouration and pattern. This comprehensive photographic field guide is the first complete guide to identifying Harlequin ladybirds found in Britain and Ireland. It also covers all the other 25 conspicuous ladybird species that occur.

Guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles
Unbound | April 2006

In Britain, some 46 species belong to this family, although only 26 of these are recognisable as ladybirds, all of which are featured in the guide. The guide features clear colour illustrations grouped by appearance to help with identification, with information on colour pattern, habitat and distribution and hints to aid identification provided in a comprehensive table.

Guide to the Ladybird Larvae of the British Isles Unbound | August 2012

Ladybird Larvae are often found, but not well known, as they look so different from adult ladybirds. This 8-panel fold-out chart with illustrations of the larvae of the 26 ladybird species featured on the earlier Guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles and a selection of photographs of pupae.

RSPB ID Spotlight: Ladybirds Unbound | May 2023

This reliable fold-out chart presents illustrations of 27 of our most widespread and familiar ladybirds by renowned artist Richard Lewington. This ID chart is grouped by family with artworks shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference. The reverse of the chart details the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of ladybirds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how we can support them.

Insect Survey Equipment

Standard Sweep Net

This simple and well-designed sweep net is ideal for students and those new to entomology. It is made from durable fabric and is designed for sweeping through grass or other foliage to catch ladybirds and other bugs. The sweep net is easy to use, the frame is lightweight aluminium, and the soft calico bag attaches to this using strong velcro.

Opticron Hand Lens 23mm 10x Magnification

The Opticron Hand Lens contains a high quality 23 mm doublet lens and provides excellent distortion-free magnification. The 10x magnification gives great detail when examining insects and would be perfect for general observations. To use a hand lens, hold it close to your eye then bring the specimen up to the lens until the point where it is in focus.

The NHBS Guide to UK Spider Identification

There are over 650 species of spider within the UK, and although many may find spiders unappealing or even frightening, they are fascinating in their own right. While many spiders are present throughout the year, autumn is the best time to see them outdoors.

Identifying spiders can often be difficult, as they are very small, elusive, and many species resemble one another. The colouration and pattern of a spider can be a useful way to identify them, as well as other key features such as the structure of their webs. In some cases, it is necessary to take a closer look at the genitalia under a microscope, as this can be the only way to confidently identify certain species. You can also use your location as a clue, as some species are more likely to be found in certain parts of the UK.

To survey for spiders, you can search by eye or you can use equipment such as a sweep net or a sampling tray, and a hand lens can help you pick out features on smaller species. There are also lots of field guides and books available for more information on different types of spiders.

In this article, we’ll show you several fairly common species that you may find in your garden or local green space.

**Garden Spider or Cross Orbweaver (Araneus diadematus)**

Distribution: Common and widespread

What to look for: These spiders are greyish-brown or reddish-brown with a white pattern across their back that resembles a cross. They can also sometimes be bright orange. They have striped legs, and females are twice the size of males.

Garden spider (left and right) by xulescu_g via Flickr

**Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)**

Distribution: Widespread across southern England, with their range increasing northwards

What to look for: This species can be confused with many other UK species. Their body is dark brown, with variable patterns on their abdomen. Usually cream and dark brown marks that can sometimes resemble a skull.

Did you know? This is a non-native species in the UK and was thought to be introduced in the late 1800s. Despite many rumours, bites from this species are rare, usually occurring when the spider is disturbed. The bites have been compared to a wasp sting, however guidance should be sort if you are concerned about a bite.

Noble false widow by Martin Cooper via Flickr

**Common Candy-Striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)**

Distribution: Occurs throughout the UK

What to look for: The common candy-striped spider has several colour variations. Their abdomen usually has a pale creamish-white background. The pattern on it can be bright pinkish-purple in a V shape pointing towards the head, a solid pinkish-purple triangle, black lines that can be either thick or thin, or a variation of black marks and spots. Their cephalothorax (fused head and thorax) is a pale yellow colour, with a dark line down the middle, and their legs are also a similar pale yellow. In the field, it is incredibly difficult to distinguish this species from a similar species, the scarce candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha latimana). Confirmation of the species usually requires examination under a microscope.

Common candy-striped spider by Judy Gallagher via Flickr

**Goldenrod (Flower) Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)**

Distribution: Common in southern UK

What to look for: The goldenrod crab spider has some colour variation, appearing white, yellow or green, They often have red lines on either side of their abdomen. Their abdomen is bulbous and their front legs have a crab-like appearance, hence their name. The female is much larger than the male.

Did you know? This species can change its body colour to match its background! It takes a few days to occur, but it helps to disguise the spider as they sit and wait for their prey to land near them.

Goldenrod crab spider by hedera.baltica via Flickr

**Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus)**

Distribution: Widespread

What to look for: The zebra jumping spider can grow up to 8mm, which is surprisingly large for a jumping spider, and they can jump an impressive 10cm. As their name suggests, they have a black and white striped pattern, but it can be hard to tell them apart from similar species of jumping spider. They are usually found on walls, rocks, or tree trunks.

Zebra jumping spider by Chris via Flickr

**Cucumber Green Spider (Araniella cucurbitina)**

Distribution: Occur throughout the UK

What to look for: Around 4-6mm long, this small spider has a bright yellowish-green abdomen and a pinkish cephalothorax. They also have small black spots along their abdomen. They are very similar to another cucumber spider A. opisthographa, but it can be difficult to tell them apart in the field.

Cucumber green spider by Pavel Kirillov via Flickr

**Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica)**

Distribution: Widespread in southern England, as well as in Wales

What to look for: The labyrinth spider can grow quite large, up to 18mm long. They create long, funnel-shaped webs in long grass and hedgerows. Their abdomen has a pale brown stripe with darker bands on either side, and these bands have several paler chevron markings through them. Their cephalothorax also has a pale brown stripe, with an orange-brown band on either side, and their legs are orange-brown with paler hairs.

Labyrinth spider by gailhampshire via Flickr

**Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)**

Distribution: Widespread across most of the UK, although less frequent in the north

What to look for: The nursery web spider is quite variable in colour, and can have a grey, dark brown, or yellow-orange body. They have a slender, pointed abdomen, with two dark brown lines running from the spinnerets (silk-spinning organs) all the way to the front of the cephalothorax. They also have pale tear-shaped marks next to their eyes.

Useful books and equipment

Britain’s Spiders: A Field Guide

Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain’s Spiders is a guide to all 38 British families, focussing on spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with photographs, it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including those new to spider identification.

Pocket Guide to British Spiders

Featuring 130 of the most common and readily identifiable species, this illustrated pocket book is the ideal comparison for anyone interested in the naturally occurring spiders found in the British Isles.

Collins Field Guide to the Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe

This major identification guide to 450 species of spider is designed for easy use. Each species is described in detail and illustrated in colour, including common colour variants and differences between the sexes.

A Guide to House and Garden Spiders

Of the 33 spider families represented in Britain, 21 are featured in this chart. The guide includes colour illustrations and a table with identification features, habitat and methods of prey capture for the 40 spiders featured in the chart.

Harvestman of the British Isles

A fully up to date second edition, covering all 34 species that have been recorded in the wild in Britain and Ireland. There are photographs of each species, with separate photos for males and females, and a comprehensive identification table.

Bug Box Magnifying Pot

A clear plastic pot with a snap on magnifying lid with x3.5 magnification, ideal for viewing pond life and terrestrial invertebrates up close.

Insect Pooter

The pooter is a classic piece of entomological equipment, enabling the capture of small or delicate invertebrates without the risk of damaging them or losing them in the undergrowth. It consists of a transparent plastic collecting jar with a lid containing two holes, one of which has a fine mesh covering.

Bug Tongs

These scissor action Bug Tongs are the perfect way for children to collect larger insects and bugs which cannot easily be caught using a pooter.

Opticron Hand Lens 23mm 10x Magnification

This Opticron Hand Lens contains a high quality 23mm doublet lens, made of glass and provides excellent distortion-free magnification. The 10x magnification is recommended for general observations and this magnifier is the one most commonly recommended for all types of fieldwork.

Author Interview: The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection

Acoustic detection is a popular and widespread method of environmental assessment, and its use is increasing, driven by the development of increasingly accessible and sophisticated detection devices. The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection provides an in-depth understanding of the principles of acoustic detection, study planning, data handling, properties of bat calls, analysis of results, and the manual identification of species. It also includes information on quality assurance, the benefits and drawbacks of automatic species recognition, and the background physics of sound.

We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to ask the authors some questions.

The applications of data derived from acoustic bat detection are diverse and wide-ranging. What motivated you to write The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection and what impact do you hope the book has in this field?

In our daily work, we have seen a lot of improper use of acoustic data. Mainly driven by misconceptions regarding the interpretation of acoustic data and quite often due to missing basic knowledge on bioacoustics and signal analysis. With the easy availability of acoustic detectors and the relative simple usage, these problems became more common, especially in consulting activities. Many new “bat experts” appeared in the field basing their work on automatic detection and identification systems. We hope to help such users to gain a basic understanding of bioacoustics and give more experienced users new information to further improve their work. Thus overall we hope to improve the quality of projects based on acoustic data and increase the evidence level.

This book discusses some of the different methods for processing acoustic data, such as zero-crossing. What are the benefits of this method versus full-spectrum analysis?

The main benefit of zero-crossing is the much smaller amount of data produced and the possibility of listening to the recorded sounds directly. Full-spectrum detectors produce much larger amounts of data and do not allow direct listening to the bat calls. Yet, the benefits of zero-crossing are decreasing with cheaper data storage and higher processing power. Thus today one can nearly instantaneously listen to full-spectrum sound resampled to zero-crossing or heterodyne representation in real-time. In our opinion, the real-time data gives more insights into the calls on a much easier-to-understand level, yet we accept that experts can do powerful analysis with zero-crossing data as well.

You have all had many years of experience in this field; how has bat detection and acoustic analysis developed and changed since you first started?

We started working on bat acoustics in the field when only heterodyne or zero-crossing detectors were available. So in our early days, we walked through the field listening for bats. We were already interested in better and more reliable species ID back then. Then the time-expansion system was available as well as the Anabat system. We used time-expansion a lot, but both didn’t work well for our scientific research interests. So we developed with the batcorder a real-time detector that completely changed bat work in Germany within a few years. Back in the beginning, sound analysis of bat calls was something only a few were able to do. Now with fully automated systems, the whole process changed. Surveys can run for multiple months nearly everywhere – not only ground-based but also on wind turbines or off-shore. We collect billions of bat calls a year with these systems and thus are able to learn more about their calls and ecology. Yet this is not always the best, since a lack of bat knowledge often prevents optimal solutions for bat-related landscape changes.

Bat acoustic recording visualised through the Anabat Insight Software

In chapter 11, ‘Quality assurance of reports’, you provide criteria to improve the quality of specialist reports used in impact assessments, such as which information should be included and the procedures that should be followed. How do you think the previous lack of clear guidelines has impacted bat surveying and, consequently, conservation?

In Germany, quite often surveys were conducted and it was later not possible to understand the low or high results since important information was missing. Also for legal complaints in planning processes, it was quite often impossible to understand how the data was actually sampled. If surveys and methods are well documented, it is much easier to evaluate the planning process and even more to work out optimal sampling schemes for following surveys in the new planning processes.

Now that this book is complete, do you have any future projects you would like to tell us about?

There are many projects – especially since we now face a major green-green dilemma with climate conservation often acting against biodiversity conservation. This especially is visible in the renewable energy sector. So currently some of us are investigating chances to further identify the possibilities of improving bat conservation for planning wind parks and other sources of renewables.

Another project is the ongoing improvement of species identification based on bat calls. We are working on new solutions to give better results.

The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection

Available for pre-order: Due September 2021

Paperback | £39.99

All prices correct at the time of this article’s publication.

July Top 10

NHBS’s Top 10 bestsellers July 2021

We love looking back at our bestsellers from the month before and are very excited to share our second Top 10 list, featuring the best of July.

This month, highlights include recent works such as Sphagnum Mosses and Seabirds, as well as some you may recognise from last month’s Top 10, Secrets of a Devon Wood and Insectinside, as recently featured on BBC’s SpringWatch.

seabirds: The New Identification Guide | Peter Harrison, et al.
Hardback | June 2021

In top place this month is Seabirds: The New Identification Guide, a 600-page treatment to all know seabird species. It’s the first comprehensive guide to the world’s seabirds to be published since Harrison’s Seabirds in 1983. This guide contains 239 brilliant, full-colour plates, along with detailed text covering status, conservation, geographic range and more.

Seabirds Publisher, Lynx Edicions, is also our publisher of the month for August!

a field guide to grasses, sedges, and rushes | Dominic price
Spiralbound | April 2016

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges and Rushes has moved up the list this month from the 7th spot and is a consistent bestseller for NHBS. This guide aims to simplify the identification of this fascinating group of plants, using characters that are both easy to spot in the field and simple to remember. Over 100 species are described, focusing on key features of both their genus and species.

Read our interview with Dominic Price here.

Sphagnum Mosses: FIeld Key to the Mosses of Britain and Ireland | Martin Godfrey and Karen Rogers
Paperback | July 2021

Brand new last month, Sphagnum Mosses: Field Key to the Mosses of Britain and Ireland is proving to be popular. This short handbook is intended to provide an accessible key for identifying Sphagnum species in the field.

It contains brief descriptions of the more important identification features, plus a guide to the vegetation types that the individual species occupy. As some individual specimens can be problematic, short keys based on microscopic characters are also provided.

Britain’s insects: A Field guide to the insects of Great Britain and Ireland | Paul brock
Flexibound | May 2021

Britain’s Insects remains just as popular this month! This field guide is an innovative, up-to-date, carefully designed and beautifully illustrated field guide to Britain and Ireland’s 25 insect orders, concentrating on popular groups and species that can be identified in the field.

Featuring superb photographs of live insects, Britain’s Insects covers the key aspects of identification and provides information on status, distribution, seasonality, habitat, food plants and behaviour.

Insectinside: Life in the Bushes of a Small Peckham Park | Penny Metal
Paperback | October 2017

As recently featured on BBC’s Springwatch, Insectinside is a fantastic book featuring hundreds of species of insect that have all been found in Warwick Gardens in Peckham by author, Penny Metal.

We caught up with Penny to ask her some questions about her book – read the full interview here.

Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland | Paul Waring, Et al.
Paperback | November 2018

The third edition of the Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland is a fully revised and updated version.

This field guide includes beautiful illustrations displaying key features to help with identification. It covers flight season, life cycle, larval foodplants, habitat and more, along with maps presenting distribution information.

The revised edition also contains an introduction explaining how the methods of identifying and recording moths have evolved over recent years.

Ecology and Natural history | David Wilkinson
Paperback | June 2021

The latest addition to the New Naturalist Series, Ecology and Natural History, makes it into the top ten again this month.

Ecology is the science of ecosystems, of habitats, of our world and its future. In the latest New Naturalist, ecologist David M. Wilkinson explains key ideas of this crucial branch of science, using Britain’s ecosystems to illustrate each point.

Read our Q&A with David M. Wilkinson here.

We have a limited number of signed bookplates for the hardback edition, available while stocks last.

secrets of a devon wood: my nature journal | jo brown
Hardback | October 2020

Another repeat occurrence in this months Top 10, Secrets of a Devon Wood is still high up on NHBS’s list. Artist and illustrator Jo Brown started keeping her nature diary in a bid to document the small wonders of the wood behind her home in Devon. This book is an exact replica of her original black Moleskin journal, a rich illustrated memory of Jo’s discoveries in the order in which she found them.

Jo very kindly agreed to answer some of our questions for a Q&A. Read the full interview here.

A Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain & Ireland | Paul D. Brock
Flexibound | October 2019

A Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain & Ireland is a complete, photographic field guide to over 2,300 species of insects in Britain and Ireland – including beetles, flies, ants, bees, and wasps. The clear photograph will assist in the identification of the majority of insects likely to be encountered.

This guide also contains concise text on behaviour, present-day conservation status, and pointers on species of similar appearance. Serious naturalists will welcome notes on areas to look for rarities and information on where to look for additional information on particular insect groups

All the Birds of the World | Josep Del Hoyo Hardback | August 2020

Another title from our publisher of the month, Lynx Edicions, is All the Birds of the World. With the completion of the famed Handbook of the Birds of the World, this book lists all the birds of the world, allowing readers to browse and compare Earth’s amazing avian diversity between the covers of one volume.

Book Review: Silent Earth by Dave Goulson

On the 27th of September, 1962, marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson saw her book, Silent Spring, published. A powerful examination of the effect that humans have on the natural world, with a particular emphasis on the use of pesticides, Silent Spring met with rapid success and soon became a landmark text on the subject. Despite fearsome opposition it became a rallying point for the environmental movement, fuelling discussions that would result in the widespread re-evaluation of the damage that pesticides can cause and the banning of some of the most damaging chemicals, such as DDT.

Dave Goulson’s new book, Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse, is at once a tribute to Carson’s masterpiece and an innovative new work in its own right. Building upon Carson’s inspirational text, Silent Earth provides an up-to-date analysis of our impact upon the natural world over the last sixty years and beyond. The message is simple: despite the advances we’ve made, the warnings of Silent Spring have gone terrifyingly unheeded and without action we might soon find ourselves in a situation that we cannot reverse.

Goulson is a biology lecturer and leading expert in insect ecology, particularly bumblebees, as well as a highly respected scientific writer with several books and hundreds of published papers in his portfolio – it comes as no surprise that Silent Earth is both supremely well researched and beautifully written. It is written in five parts. The first, “Why Insects Matter”, is a fascinating delve into the significance of insects both to the natural world and to human society. With an expert eye, Goulson skillfully guides the reader through different aspects of their importance, from the multi-million pound service that dung beetles provide the farming industry each year in the UK alone to the vital role that pollinators play in underpinning ecosystems across the planet, and the value that insects have in their own right as beautiful, vibrant denizens of our planet. The author’s passion is infectious; it is difficult to read this section without becoming invested in the wondrous ranks of the planet’s invertebrates, making the threat of their decline feel all the more personal.

In the next two parts, “Insect Declines” and “Causes of Insect Declines”, Goulson introduces the sources of evidence that can be drawn on to track insect declines and explores some of the reasons why society seems oblivious to our dwindling invertebrate fauna. He then moves on to explore in detail the various pressures upon their populations, examining and evidencing each before moving on to the next. Goulson writes with respect for the reader, never over-simplifying his prose while providing ample detail to engage any reader, be they a newcomer to the field, amateur enthusiast, ecology professional or academic. Particularly notable is the way in which Goulson details his own work, which has at times proved controversial among some parties. He consistently highlights the arguments of his critics, treating them with respect and validation. At some points he provides his rebuttal while at others he admits to the shortcomings of the relevant research, explaining why a different approach was impossible at the time. This is indicative of an attitude that permeates the book – the issues that he writes about are bigger than minor gripes with experimental methodologies, bigger than business margins or political leanings. He presents with a neutral eye the irrefutable reality that insects are vanishing at a terrifying rate, and unless action is taken the world is heading towards a very real disaster within generations. Though frequently distressing and at times heartbreaking, Goulson writes with a voice compelling and just witty enough to prevent the reader from becoming despondent. This book is not intended to drive us to despair, but to action.

Part Four – “Where Are We Headed?” – is a brief but poignant exploration of the author’s vision of the future. From another writer, this might seem like a flight of fancy, but from Goulson it comes across as a warning every bit as earnest and necessary as the hard science of the preceding chapters. It acts as a kind of crescendo, a snapshot of the future that the author is trying to warn us about, as well as a perfect segway into the final part. Perhaps most importantly after the relentlessly grim picture painted in “Causes of Insect Declines”, it ends with a ray of hope.

The fifth and final part of the book is simply titled “What Can We Do?”. It lists from the point of view of the author – a researcher, educator, and father – the actions that should be undertaken by everyone in society, from members of the public to researchers, farmers and politicians, among others, to begin to turn the tide. Various key actions are explored in detail – the importance of instilling an environmental ethos in young people, of encouraging native plants in our towns and cities and overhauling the way in which we view farming. Finally, there is an extensive list of actions, large and small, that people can take, listed by occupation. This section is what the book has been building to, and it is worth reading for this alone. As usual, respect is paid to all viewpoints and all members of society. It doesn’t matter whether the reader is in a position where a free-range organic, locally sourced diet is financially viable or not – there will be other actions that they can take regardless of financial matters. Nor does it matter if they have beliefs, political or economic, that might conflict with the author’s. It is a call for society to overlook such matters which are, in the face of such a crisis, trivial.

Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of popular science writing. It is a feat to present such dire information in a way that is not only readable, but also engaging and compelling – Goulson’s prose manages never to lose the reader for a moment. It is a stark, hard-hitting warning, but one that must be heard by as many people as will listen. Moreover, it goes far beyond the reactionary doomsayings sometimes written on the subject to provide an inspiring manifesto for change. It equips the reader with the knowledge that they need to understand the problem, and the actions they can take to enact this change. It leaves you with the impression that, if the message can get through to enough readers across the world, we might just be able to turn the tide and preserve the buzzing of bees, the chirping of crickets and the droning of cicadas to prevent the silence falling for good.

Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse
By: Dave Goulson

Climate Challenges: 2. Forest Fires

In the lead up to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November of this year, we are writing a series of articles looking at some of the toughest global climate crisis challenges that we are currently facing. This post looks at the increase in the prevalence and intensity of forest fires, and how they can be both exacerbated by and contribute to climate change.

Forest fire in Lassen Volcanic Park, California. Image by Lukas Schlagenhauf via Flickr.

How and why do forest fires occur?

In many ecosystems forest fires are a natural event and, particularly in high-latitude forests, can help to maintain a healthy ecosystem, release nutrients into the soil and help with seed dispersal. Fossil charcoal remains suggest that natural fires have occurred since the appearance of terrestrial plants 420 million years ago and were caused by lightning or volcanic eruptions. While these factors are still responsible for a number of forest fires, human-ignited fires, such as those caused by discarded cigarettes, poorly controlled bonfires or cooking fires, sparks from electrical equipment and intentional arson, are now increasingly prevalent. Controlled fires are also used to manage farmland and pasture, and to clear natural vegetation. How quickly and efficiently a fire will spread depends largely on the amount and type of flammable material present, along with the local topography, moisture levels and weather conditions.

When and why are forest fires a problem?

A combination of climate change and poor land management mean that many areas are now much more prone to forest fires than they have been historically. In particular, hotter and dryer conditions, combined with ecosystems that are degraded by logging and disease means that fire seasons are becoming much more extreme and widespread. This is especially worrying in tropical rainforests, where forest fires would previously have been rare.

Increased occurrences of forest fires pose a number of environmental, social and economic problems. As well as damaging forest ecosystems, large-scale fires release copious amounts of CO₂ and pollutants into the atmosphere, which are problematic both from an environmental standpoint and as a significant human health concern. Over the past century, wildfires have accounted for 20-25% of global carbon emissions – a worrying statistic that illustrates the environmental significance of the problem. In addition to this, the economic impact of fires can be considerable, with damage to property and tourist attractions, pollution of water supplies and the cost of evacuating local residents being some of the main problems.

11-mile fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho. Image by Intermountain Forest Service via Flickr.

Are forest fires ever a good thing?

As mentioned previously, wildfires have occurred throughout the history of terrestrial life, and many species have evolved to cope with or thrive under the conditions that they produce. Particularly in areas such as the vegetated regions of Australia, the celd in southern Africa, the fynbos in South Africa and the forested areas of the US and Canada, forest fires are common and help to create what is known as ‘snag forest habitat’. These areas feature higher species richness and diversity when compared to unburned forest, and their soils are rich from the plant nutrients that the fires help to return. Furthermore, many of the native plants that thrive in these areas rely on fire for successful germination of their seeds. Some of these ecosystems, however, are now suffering from too much fire, which has upset natural cycles and altered the previously well-balanced plant communities.

What can be done to prevent and control forest fires?

1996 poster from Rotorua Forest Service. Image by Archives NZ via Flickr.

Forest fire prevention attempts to reduce the risk of fires, as well as minimising their intensity and spread. One of the key methods is to educate and raise public awareness of the human-involvement in forest fires. In Europe, more than 95% of fires are caused by humans, and so addressing this is considered to be the most effective means of reducing unplanned forest fires. Closely controlling the use of planned burning is also important, as fires that are conducted under less dangerous weather conditions are much more likely to be successfully contained. The intentional igniting of small areas of vegetation is also used to minimise the amount of flammable material available for future forest fires and, when conducted carefully, can also help to maintain high local species diversity. However, this method is often unpopular due to the economic losses associated with burning potentially usable timber. Another method, particularly popular in the US, involves a fuel reduction strategy that involves logging and thinning overstocked trees.

Summary

• Although forest fires have occurred naturally since the evolution of terrestrial vegetation, climate change and changes in land management have produced conditions that are much more favourable for long, intense fire seasons.
• Forest fires make a significant contribution to global carbon emissions, destroy important habitat and can cause local widespread desertification.
• Current methods of controlling and preventing forest fires include widespread education to minimise the unintentional starting of fires by the public, as well as controlled small-scale burning of vegetation and clearing overstocked trees.
• Despite this, forest fires continue to be a significant challenge. They contribute to the climate crisis and pose a significant risk to wildlife and human life and health.

Useful resources

• This global map, available on NASA’s Earth Observatory website, shows the location of active fires around the world on a monthly basis.
• Forest Fires – Sparking Firesmart Policies in the EU: This EU commissioned report is aimed at scientists, land-managers and policy-makers and offers a wide portfolio of solutions to prevent and combat forest fires.
• Watch incredible footage of forest fires and learn more about their impacts in this excellent episode of David Attenborough’s ‘Our Planet’.

Author Interview with James Aldred: Goshawk Summer

James Aldred is an award-winning documentary wildlife cameraman and filmmaker. James has collaborated on numerous high-profile projects with Sir David Attenborough, including Life of Mammals, Planet Earth and Our Planet, resulting in several BAFTA/RTS nominations. He is also the author of The Man Who Climbs Trees.

In his latest book, Goshawk Summer, James details his extraordinary and unique experience documenting a family of goshawks in the New Forest during the national lockdown of 2020. We have had the very fortunate opportunity to ask James some questions

Could you tell us about how you first came to be interested in the natural world?

Through time spent outdoors in the New Forest, where I spent much of my childhood. My teenage obsession was tracking deer, particularly Red, which were quite scarce in the Forest during the 1980s. I also got into tree climbing at an early age. Many of my friends were training to be foresters and tree surgeons and they showed me how to use ropes to access the forest canopy. I immediately fell in love with this hard-to-reach, but wildlife-rich environment and regularly took my stills camera up with me to try and capture images of the New Forest from this unique perspective.

Travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity to document nature with very little human interference. Do you think this period of time will have had any lasting impacts on the country’s wildlife?

Yes, but in a rather unforeseen way. The space provided by the initial lockdown period definitely helped those birds and animals with a shorter breeding cycle, but ultimately the lockdown period was too short to be of much lasting benefit to a lot of the larger wildlife, including large ground-nesting birds such as curlew. The levels of disturbance in the post-lockdown period were very high in some places and this had the unfortunate effect of causing problems for those species that had not yet completed their breeding season. Ironically though, these high levels of disturbance in the countryside in the immediate aftermath of lockdown may yet provide useful data in terms of how best to manage large visitor numbers in the future as our population increases to grow and national parks are placed under increased pressure.

To capture footage of the goshawks required time, patience and understanding, but your efforts were clearly rewarded. Do you have any particular highlights from your goshawk summer?

There were so many, but I think the nesting dynamics between an adult male and female were particularly fascinating. Their relationship was surprisingly complex, subtle and even-keeled for such a fiery bird. The male often covered the clutch to keep the eggs warm whilst the female fed off site, and was even allowed to feed the chicks himself on several occasions whilst the female stood by and looked on. Very unusual for Goshawk females to tolerate their mate being so close to the chicks like this.

For a young aspiring naturalist, a career as a wildlife photographer would seem to be an ideal choice, especially since our collective experience and knowledge is usually limited to what we see on film/television or on paper. Could you tell us a bit about the reality of what it’s like to be a wildlife cameraman?

The reality is very anti-social working hours, high levels of frustration and a huge impact on home life! But I wouldn’t change it for the world as it is undoubtedly one of the most soul-nourishing jobs you could ever hope to do, in my opinion. It’s a tough, highly competitive industry, but this doesn’t mean you can’t get in through gentle persistence and dedication. Knowledge is everything: read, watch and learn everything you possibly can about your chosen wildlife subject before even attempting to film it.

What’s next for you? Do you have any current or future projects planned?

I’m currently working on a large project commissioned by a popular US-based video-on-demand provider. I’ve just been filming in the Congo for them and due to head out to Borneo soon. I’m also working on an exciting UK-based project about rewilding, which is a subject I find particularly compelling and relevant. All the more so since it is UK based and has the potential to inspire the next generation of naturalists.

Goshawk Summer
By: James Aldred
Hardback | July 2021

Lynx: Publisher of the Month

Lynx Edicions is a Barcelona-based publishing house known for their fantastic ornithology titles, alongside a varied collection of general natural history. Originally founded in 1989 to create the Handbook of the Birds of the World series, they have since expanded to over 150 titles, including field guides, monographs, and bird checklists. They continually produce exciting works, such as their most recent publication Seabirds: The New Identification Guide, a full, 600-page treatment of all known seabird species. NHBS is delighted to announce Lynx Edicions as our Publisher of the Month for August.

Throughout August we will have special offers on a selection of titles, giving you the perfect opportunity to explore their books. Browse a selection of highlights below, or Lynx’s entire range here.

Handbook of the Birds of the World (16-Volume Set + Special Volume)
Josep Del Hoyo (editor) et al.
SERIES: Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW)
Hardback | £1,999.00 ~~£3,375.00~~

Handbook of the Birds of the World (16-Volume Set + Special Volume) comprises all volumes of HBW, illustrating and describing in detail every species of bird in the world. This is the first work ever to illustrate and describe in detail every species of bird in the world, and also the first to verbally and visually portray each member of an entire Class of the Animal Kingdom.

All the Birds of the World
Josep Del Hoyo (editor)
Hardback | £64.99 ~~£84.99~~

An easy-to-use, fully-illustrated volume of all the birds of the world. Created for a broad audience, from novice birders to expert ornithologists and anyone interested in the spectacular diversity of birds, this fascinating book has something for everyone to discover.

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2
Verena Keller et al.
Hardback | £69.99 ~~£84.99~~

This book represents the most up-to-date source of information on bird distribution and change in Europe, and is a great contribution to the global aim of understanding biodiversity to ensure its conservation.

Handbook of the Mammals of the World
Don E Wilson et al.
SERIES: Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW)
Hardback | £140.00 ~~£155.00~~

Volume 9 completes the Handbook of Mammals of the World series, and it deals with the bats, order Chiroptera.

Read our interview with the series creators

Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World
Connor J Burgin (editor) et al.
SERIES: Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW)
Hardback | £180.00 ~~£200.00~~

This series of 9 large-format volumes describes and illustrates every currently recognised mammal species, and gives a detailed overview of each mammalian family. It provides up-to-date information on the evolutionary relationships, natural history, ecology, and current conservation status for all mammals.

Birds and Mammals of the Galapagos
Dušan M Brinkhuizen (Author), Jonas Nilsson (Author)
SERIES: Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides
Flexibound | £22.99 ~~£29.99~~

This comprehensive field guide covers all of the birds and mammals known to occur in the Galapagos archipelago, providing the latest insights on field identification and taxonomy for challenging groups such as pelagic birds, Darwin’s finches, and cetaceans.

Mammals of Madagascar
Russell A Mittermeier et al.
SERIES: Lynx Illustrated Checklists Collection
Paperback | £18.99 ~~£22.99~~

The first book to describe and illustrate every mammal species found in Madagascar. Also includes those of the nearby islands of Comoros, the Seychelles, Réunion and Mauritius.

All prices correct at the time of this article’s publication.

Book Review: A Trillion Trees by Fred Pearce

A Trillion Trees is an optimistic take on the future of the world’s forests, with Fred Pearce believing that the damage humanity has inflicted can be undone, so long as nature is allowed space to recover. The book opens with an introduction to the myth and magic of forests. Through describing a botanical explorer’s conservation of orchids in the rainforests of Ecuador, recounting one of the author’s most memorable forest experiences (getting lost in a wood on the North Downs as a child), and presenting the varied reactions of early European explorers to the rainforests of the tropics, Pearce laments the loss of ‘primaeval wildness’ and the untouched forests of those times.

Since 1992, Pearce has been writing for New Scientist magazine on the importance of trees, as well as their ownership, uses, protection, and destruction. He has spent his career contributing to multiple well-known publications, writing a range of books, and speaking on environmental issues such as carbon emissions, invasive species, and climate change. Despite forty years of continued reporting on global environmental issues, he maintains optimism for the future and for forest regrowth.

Pearce’s enthusiasm and respect for trees is clear throughout. This book celebrates trees, exploring their importance and the impact they have on the climate, the history of how our relationship with forests has changed, the recovery that is already taking place, and the future role of trees in an emerging community-centred approach to the land. Pearce intersperses topics on the politicisation of forest and climate research, the impacts of deforestation, and the damage of acid rain. He also includes some of his personal adventures, such as his visit to the ATTO, a 325m tall tower in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, and the exploits of others, such as a bush pilot’s flight along the ‘flying river’ above the Amazon.

A Trillion Trees champions the role of trees in more than just the fight against climate change, but also in the daily lives of everyday people. The tales of forest regeneration tell of the economic value of trees, through tourism, increased resources, and even ‘inspiration for artists’. Pearce presents the debate of rewilding versus replanting forests, asking who should be responsible for the regeneration of our forests and whether we should be taking an active role at all. The ‘great forest restoration’, as Pearce puts it, is occurring less due to the many government plans and promises of replanting, and more through the process of rewilding. Where farmers and landowners have stepped back, Pearce notes that nature seems to move in, allowing much of the fields and pastures to revert to shrubland and then to woodland. The return of wildlife soon follows.

In a world scrambling for solutions to combat climate change, the notion of stepping back and taking a passive role in regeneration may be a daunting one. However, it is not the only solution Pearce suggests. In the final section, Forest Commons, the author advocates for the rights of indigenous people to own and manage the land and forests within their traditional/ancestral territories. The rate of deforestation is far less in areas owned and managed by indigenous people than in other areas, even nature reserves, with communities seeming more resilient against threats such as illegal logging than government-owned parks.

This book closes by paying homage to the wild spaces near the author’s home in London, their ability to filter out noise and pollution, and the calming, cooling effects trees can have in otherwise overheated cities. After a book full of adventure and debate, the postscript acts almost like the ‘forest bathing’ it discusses, ending the book in a calmer tone that calls for more woods full of darkness and gnarled, twisted yew trees and forests that harken back to the lost primaeval wilderness.