Category Archives: Animals

Breaking Ground

Posted on 2015/03/13 by Chris Foster

Behind the greenhouses in the Experimental Grounds is a patch of mostly bare ground that has clearly been well-trodden by naturalists over the past year or so. It’s the site where mousetail was rediscovered on campus last spring, and perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Beetles, Insects | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Bird Tracking

Posted on 2015/01/14 by Chris Foster

On December 12th a colour-ringed black-headed gull, white 26L1, was spotted on Whiteknights Lake by dedicated campus birdwatcher Peter Gipson. Pleasingly, it proved to have been ringed as part of the Berkshire gull scheme run by Tim Ball’s Reading and … Continue reading →

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Christmas in Bloom

Posted on 2014/12/16 by Chris Foster

The warmest year on record seems to be allowing a number of plants to cling on in flower. Perhaps they’re limbering up for the BSBI’s New Year Plant Hunt, which this year is being coordinated with assistance from Reading graduate Ryan Clark. Both Scentless … Continue reading →

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Clearance in the Wilderness

Posted on 2014/12/08 by Chris Foster

Anyone who frequents the part of the Wilderness woodland closest to the Lyle building entrance will have noticed a dramatic change over the last week. A big swathe of invasive rhododendron and laurel has been taken out and chipped, leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Plants | 5 Comments

Looking down 2

Posted on 2014/11/17 by Fay Newbery

Under some of the oak trees on campus, as well as the fallen leaves, tiny pale discs are appearing. Sometimes these are present in large numbers. They show up particularly well on tarmac pavements. These are button galls which were … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Fagaceae, Galls, Insects, Plant Pathology Research Group | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A 9th for Berkshire

Posted on 2014/10/28 by Chris Foster

We have a new addition to the campus bird list following the exciting discovery by David Flack from the Meteorology department of Berkshire’s ninth recorded yellow-browed warbler. He kindly sent me the following account of his find: “I got into … Continue reading →

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Birds On The Move

Posted on 2014/10/20 by Chris Foster

hough Whiteknights is perhaps not the best spot to observe bird migration, a few species have been on the move in the last couple of weeks. Our most abundant summer visitor, the chiffchaff, is still around (though in declining numbers), … Continue reading →

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Whiteknights Flower Rich Campus

Posted on 2014/10/10 by Alastair Culham

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Victoria Wickens from the Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER) has kindly provided a series of photos taken on campus over the summer.

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Ideal home or revolting distortion?

Posted on 2014/10/07 by Fay Newbery

If you need a safe place to live, why not get a home built to your own specifications? That’s what the larvae of Dasineura sisymbrii, a kind of gall midge do. The presence of the larvae amongst the developing flower buds … Continue reading →

Posted in Brassicaceae, Flowering Plants, Galls, Insects, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Harris garden honey

Posted on 2014/09/29 by Alastair Culham

A beautful sunny September morning set the scene for the culmination of the first season of honey production in the School of Biological Sciences Walled garden at the west end of the Harris Garden.

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