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- On la remarque sur cet anisodontea … – Jaccueillelanature on The Hornet Hoverfly- Volucella zonaria
- Campus Wildlife Champions – T&L Exchange on Campus Species Lists
- Powdery Mildew Survey 2016 | Culham Research Group on Powdery mildew – 2014
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Category Archives: Animals
Harris garden honey
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.
Posted in Animals, Bees, Insects, Meetings/Events
Tagged apiarist, Bees, Local Honey
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Rusts affect weeds as well as crops!
A species of plant that is present on campus in greater numbers this year is Black bindweed, Fallopia convolulus. It has appeared in quite large numbers behind the Agriculture Buildings and also around the Harborne Building.
Marble galls on oak
Early autumn is a great time to go looking for galls. Most have had time to develop but those on leaves are still on the trees for easy spotting. Two of the larger galls on oak are Knopper galls and … Continue reading
Posted in Fagaceae, Flowering Plants, Galls, Insects, Plant Pathology Research Group
Tagged Andricus kollari, Marble gall, Quercus robur, wasp
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Whiteknights Moths
Continuing the overhaul of our campus species lists, moths are the next group to have received a thorough treatment. More than 2400 species of moth have been recorded in the UK, so the current total of 113 for Whiteknights campus … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Lepidoptera, Moths
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Harlequin Ladybirds on Whiteknights Campus
Harlequin ladybirds arrived in the UK in 2004 and are spreading rapidly. This week I have noticed many mating pairs on campus – some in the traditional red-with-black-spots colours but also many that are predominantly black. The UK Ladybird Survey … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Beetles, Insects
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Campus 21st May 2014
Sometimes my walk in to work is so amazing I just have to take some photos. Today I wanted to check on the progress with the developing reed beds that will promote greater biodiversity around Whiteknights lake. The blue sky … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Birds, Fabaceae, Phenology, Plants, Poaceae, Ranunculaceae
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Miner Matters: Eric Carle revisited?
After reading Fay’s blog on the holm oak (Quercus ilex) under attack, I – like you – was in a better position to look for and recognise leaf-mining beasties on campus. What better way to follow her blog than to … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Fagaceae, Insects, Lepidoptera, Moths, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants
Tagged blotch, E. heringella, Ectoedemia heringella, entomology, frass, gallery, Holm oak, Identification, leaf miner, leaf-mine, lepidoptera, microscopy, Pathology, Quercus ilex, Waheed Arshad
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Under attack!
Holm oak (Quercus ilex) is a Mediterranean tree species that was introduced to Britain in the 1500s. Unlike our native oak species, Holm oak is evergreen and holds its leaves all year round. It’s latin name, ilex, refers to the fact … Continue reading
Wings Over Whiteknights
Last week saw the completion of a landmark ornithological publication. That’s right, forget the national atlas project: we’re talking about a new and hopefully fairly complete list of birds that have occurred on (or over) Whiteknights Campus! Joking aside, our … Continue reading
Posted in Birds
Tagged Bird Conservation, birds, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Migration, Natural History, reading, Urban Ecology, whiteknights
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Spangle leaf-manglers: Neuroterus spp.
If you’ve spent any time admiring the variety of oaks (Quercus spp.) on campus, you may have noticed strange growths on various parts of the trees. During last week’s Vegetation Survey and Assessment session, I came across a badly affected … Continue reading