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British Plant Gall Society
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May 8, 2:39am
2 reviews
nature, plant-galls
•http://www.british-galls.org.uk/
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British Plant Gall Society
Oak apple galls
Plant galls are fascinating things. A gall is an abnormal growth produced by a plant or other host under the influence of another organism. These causal organisms are usually fungi or invertebrates, but may also be bacteria, viruses or phytoplasmas.
Some galls are very noticeable, such as the oak apple (see pic); others are so insignificant looking that they are easily overlooked.
My dad has been a long-time gall enthusiast and recently gave me membership to the society. This website isn't extensive, but I find it very useful.
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BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Jazz legend Lyttelton dies at 86
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Apr 25, 3:23pm
10 reviews
jazz, radio, entertainment
•http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainm...
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'Humph' dies at 86
Sad news. Humphrey Lyttelton, the veteran jazz musician and radio host, has died aged 86.
I know very little of his jazz prowess - it not being a form of music that I like - but he's always been a part of my life in his role as chairman of the Radio 4 antidote to panel games, 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'.
I'll miss his sharp wit and awful double entendres.
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Picture Post: Is it art? Only Smarties have the answer - Features, Art &Architec…
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Apr 16, 3:03am
1 review
arts, chocolate, smarties
•http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
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Is it art? Only Smarties have the answer
Banksy's Clean Streets Maid, made up of Smarties, by food artist Prudence Emma Staite
An exhibition of some of the world's most famous artworks recreated using Smarties is to go on show at a London museum, the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.
The exhibition is being held to mark the return of Nestle's blue Smarties (so is it art or just publicity?).
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Great British Wildlife - Home
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Apr 14, 1:56am
1 review
ecology, nature, photography, wildlife
•http://www.gbwildlife.co.uk/themes/GB...
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GB Wildlife
"The site is dedicated to the fantastic array of wildlife and natural history that our diverse islands have to offer."
A very new wildlife site - still under development, but looks promising.
Quite flash-heavy.
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Orchids sexual deception triggers ejaculation - sex - 10 April 2008 - Ne…
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Apr 10, 9:52am
1 review
biology
•http://www.newscientist.com/article/d...
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Orchid's sexual deception triggers ejaculation
Male orchid dupe wasp
(Image: Esther Beaton)
"Few can resist the allure of a beautiful rose, but some wasps outdo even the most ardent flower lover. Presented with the right specimen, a male orchid dupe wasp ejaculates right on the petals."
"The orchids that caused the most extreme behaviour - pollination with ejaculation - have the highest pollination rate of any known sexually deceptive orchid. I think ejaculation is just a side effect of having an extremely compelling orchid." ~ Anne Gaskett, Macquarie University, Sydney.
These wasps and orchids have a fascinating relationship - visit the article to discover more (including the interesting fact that the female wasps can produce offspring without mating... but only males). There's a video there too, showing the male being fooled by the orchid.
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BBC NEWS | UK | Finches buck trend in UK gardens
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Apr 3, 10:47pm
1 review
bird-watching
•http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7313871...
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Finches buck trend in UK gardens
A siskin - but not one I photographed in my garden (Photo: nutmeg)
A follow up to my RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch post (see below, 25 Jan 08).
"Sightings of finches in UK gardens hit their highest level for five years this winter, an annual RSPB survey shows.
It said milder winters meant the goldfinch in particular was spending winters here in larger numbers. However, the overall number of birds counted in the survey - held in January - has dropped by 20% since 2004"
Reasons for the decrease in garden bird numbers overall could be milder winters reducing the need for birds to use gardens, or a decline in the numbers of some species.
In my own garden I haven't noticed an increase in finch numbers - apart from my usual few chaffinches and greenfinches, I have seen a solitary goldfinch and no siskins at all.
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Bugs Britannica
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Mar 9, 4:22am
4 reviews
nature, books, insects
•http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/bugsbrit...
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"Bugs Britannica will be a nationwide chronicle of bug life in the 21st century. It will look at why bugs matter to us and why we care about them. It will record our continuing love-hate relationship with small life and how it influences our life and times, in a word, our culture. We want to find out what meaning we attach to bugs, what uses and entertainments we have made of them, how they inspire us whether in poetry, prose, film or song, and what we do to attract and conserve them."
Contributions towards this publication are being requested form anyone with an interest in bugs (that'll be bugs in the sense of common usage of the term, rather than the true bugs, Hemiptera, specifically...). The page gives ideas of the kind of things they would like people to share.
I might even have a go myself.
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Mar 2, 9:09am
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Happy Mothering Sunday
I've had a lovely day. My daughter gave me this sweet little teddy and my son made pancakes for breakfast. We've spent some time in the garden and even went out for lunch. Now I just have to persuade my son to clean the kitchen after his pancake making!
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Feb 26, 5:16pm
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The earth moved!
I was woken up a few minutes ago by what I can only assume was an earth tremor - the whole house was being shaken.
This is nothing compared to what some of you experience in other parts of the world, but it's way out of the ordinary for me!
I've just put the news on and apparently it measured 4.7 on the Richter Scale and the epicentre was in Lincolnshire, about 15 mile NE of Lincoln... just a few miles from where I live - so no wonder I felt it!
Update: The scale has been upped to 5.2, which is the biggest one in Britain since one of 5.4 in North Wales in 1984.
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Folia
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Feb 24, 1:20am
8 reviews
gardening, gardening-community, gardening-forums
•http://www.myfolia.com/
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Folia is a new site for gardeners designed to let you 'organise, track and share your gardening adventures'. It's also a good community - with forums and groups for gardening-related topics and a gardening buddy system, which allows you to follow the progress of gardens you take an interest in.
I've been using Folia as a beta tester since October and I like it a lot. I've gradually been cataloguing the different areas of my garden... if you want to see some of what can be done, then feel free to check out nutmeg's Folia page (not all features are visible to non-members). It's a work in progress - just like my garden!
The site is now in public beta, so can still be a bit glitchy occasionally - but new features are being added all the time and staff are excellent at providing feedback.
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