Monthly Archives: July 2012

Bird of Interest – Sparrowhawk and recent research

As an homage to all the interesting bird species which I find on my bird surveys through Reading, I have decided to make a sort of fact sheet of the most interesting species which can be spotted right here in Reading. … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest – Sparrowhawk

As an homage to all the interesting bird species which I find on my bird surveys through Reading, I have decided to make a sort of fact sheet of the most interesting species which can be spotted right here in Reading.

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Day 1 – Campus Woodland

Hello! My frist data collection trip was undertaken yesterday on the 12 acre campus woodland behind the Harbourne building, and I managed to identify 19 different species, which isn’t too bad for a first effort! 13 species I managed to identify … Continue reading

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A Common Wave

If you are going to see any moth this month (July), it is likely to be the Riband Wave (Idaea aversata), in the Geometridae family. The species is found throughout the British Isles, including a few migrants to the Scottish … Continue reading

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Another New Face

I am Samantha Bedry, currently working at the University developing a module to be taught in the Autumn term with the focus of phenology. I am very keen in exploring the impacts of climate change on the world around us, be it … Continue reading

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Welcome Entry

I’m Tom and I am currently undertaking my dissertation studying Zoology. I have a wide interest in biodiversity, and would much like to incorporate that into a future career, so I see this blog as a major stepping stone in … Continue reading

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The Lover of Nettles

Two species, ubiquitous to the UK countryside, are the Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) and the Peacock (Inachis io) and they were once extremely common. The larvae of both species, feed almost exclusively on the Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) see image … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Butterflies, Insects, Lepidoptera, Plants, Urticaceae | 2 Comments

Is it a moth is it a butterfly? Part 3 – The Large Skipper

The Large Skipper (Ochlodes faunus) see image 1, the final skipper that has been recorded on campus, is again orange, but is much larger than both the Small and Essex Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris and T. lineola) with a wingspan up to … Continue reading

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The Brassica ravagers

There are two species on campus which drive the gardener mad! The Large White (Pieris brassicae) and the Small White (Pieris rapae). These species feed on the Brassicales order, especially the Brassicaceae family, the Cabbages and Mustards, to most of … Continue reading

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The Pink Pyramid of Whiteknights

The Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), see image 1, has been found on campus (2012), near the NNE end of the Chemistry building. This is a rare sight on the Whiteknights campus, of what is one of the more visible, common and identifiable orchids found in the … Continue reading

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