In complete contrast to last year, this desperately dry autumn and winter continued throughout December, with only nine days producing measurable rainfall. Much heralded in the media, two named storms were little more than damp squibs, producing an hour or two of light rain and a fresh breeze.
Friday, 20 January 2017 between 10:30 and 12:00.
Contact greatbritishbeachcleanformby@yahoo.com for further detail.
After an exceptionally dry early autumn, it was expected, even hoped, that the heavens would open during November. In the event, there was significant rainfall on 12 days during the first three weeks, though in no great quantity, high pressure then returning, with dry conditions and frosty mornings.
October is traditionally the wettest month of the year but this one was the driest in living memory with measurable rainfall on only three days. It was also milder than usual with no frost. This was caused by persistent high pressure over Scandinavia, a pattern that in the recent past has often switched in winter to low pressure with westerly winds and high rainfall, as in 2015/16. We shall see.
Thanasimus formicarius, also known as the ‘Ant Beetle’ or ‘European red-bellied clerid’ (fancy!), is a small but striking species of Beetle native to the UK. It is not un-common but being small and selective in its choice of habitat it is rarely seen in even more rarely reported!
The Beetle is typically found in coniferous woodland where it is a predator of Bark Beetles and is considered to be a natural control against infestation and damage caused by those species.
A small-flowered Evenint-primrose from a population found at Crosby Coastal Park was collected and sent to Rosemary Murphy, the national referee for Oenothera, earlier this year. Rosemary has now carried out a detailed examination of the plant material and has concluded that it is most likely the 'triple hybrid' Oenothera glazioviana x O. biennis x O.cambrica an identification which had previously been suspected.
My name is Andy Laverick; I am a local Marine Conservation Society Sea Champion
There is a big beach clean event at on Monday 19th of September from 09.45 am. It will be at Freshfield beach again (on the national trust property).
The previous national event in June this year 91 kg of waste was collected by 86 volunteers in 90 minutes. This total included 648 separate items of plastic and unfortunately, a sizeable number of wet wipes and cotton bud sticks were found.
A rather unremarkable month for weather, August had average rainfall and a couple of short warm spells but was largely characterised by cool windy conditions. My frequent visits to the dunes revealed a surprising lack of large insects, especially dragonflies and butterflies. Thus, after a gale the previous day, I called in at our premier dragonfly site in the Birkdale dunes on 8th and was horrified to find not a single dragonfly or damselfly. This seems to have been a widespread phenomenon, local moth trappers also reporting a poor season.
Philip H. Smith, August 2016
Introduction
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