Science & Nature

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DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria Gillian Nash

Astriking moth with an exotic look, the Jersey tiger can be seen any time from July through to September. Although at first sight similar to other tiger moths, a closer look will show cream chevron markings on the forewings, rather than the blotches and spots of other species. It has a wingspan of up to 65mm and in flight the usually bright orange black spotted hindwings are revealed – sometimes much paler, red or less frequently yellow.

Formerly recorded mainly only in the Channel Islands, in recent years colonies have become well established in our south western counties. Its range and status is rapidly expanding eastwards to the London area and north to south Wales. Locally, you are very likely to see individuals as they suddenly appear and settle into foliage, where their jagged wing pattern makes then surprisingly difficult to locate. The flight is strong, rapid and often high, but the moth is eyecatching enough to draw attention. Active by day and night throughout the flight season, it is attracted to nectar-rich flowers, in particular buddleia and may be found in varied habitats such as gardens, parks and wild, undisturbed places.

The newly hatched, tiny, night-feeding larvae feed on food-plants where eggs were laid, overwintering whilst small and feeding when temperatures allow. Attaining a length of around 50mm by late spring, the smart black, orange/yellow larva pupates at ground level prior to the emergence of the adult moth a few weeks later, when conditions are favourable.

Jersey tiger larvae feed on a wide range of wild and garden herbaceous plants: nettles, honeysuckle, groundsel, roses, bramble, dandelion, hemp agrimony and plantains – illustrating clearly the benefit to nature of allowing and encouraging such plants within garden planting schemes. Wild set-aside areas in gardens where what might be regarded as weeds flourish can provide the essential food-plants for nationally scarce species such as this to become a success story, so rare in these times.

LEARNING TO LIVE WITH LESS

Peter Littlewood, Director, Young People’s Trust for the Environment

It’s amazing just how many possessions we accumulate in our daily lives. We amass so much stuff, without intending to or even realising it. I write this at the end of a mammoth task we set ourselves at home this summer. We knew we had a lot of things in the house that we didn’t need or use anymore and that a clear-out was long overdue. It has been quite a therapeutic experience but at times quite a stressful one and utterly exhausting too!

After twenty years of marriage, three house moves, three children and a dog, the number of things we found that were once well-loved and well-used, but are now surplus to requirements was staggering.

We realised how much stuff had simply been moved from one house to the next over the years, not because we had thought we still wanted or needed it, but because with work and family life, we had never got round to doing the big clear-out exercise before the removal men arrived. So it was simply put up in the loft in case one day we needed it. We should really have done the clear-out years ago, but it’s one of those things that’s easy to put off and hard to find the will, time, or energy to do.

We’ve tried to use the greenest options wherever we could when getting rid of things. Outgrown clothes, shoes, and toys went to charity shops along with pictures and books. Items we thought were in too worn a state to be sold at charity shops went to the recycling centre, along with lots of electronic waste like old digital devices and TVs - some of which were decades old. Still more was sold on eBay or given away to friends and family.

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There were so many things we once thought we wanted or needed – and in many cases, they really were needed at some stage in our lives – but that over the course of time had been rendered redundant. We took some comfort from the fact that we weren’t alone. A survey from Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP) found that in the summer of 2020, after the Covid lockdown, around 184 million items of clothing were cleared from people’s homes. Being shut indoors for weeks on end clearly focused some people on the need to streamline their wardrobes. Not so for us though. The combination of keeping three sets of home learning on track for our boys, whilst both of us were working from home, limited our capacity for wardrobe editing!

A more recent survey by Student Beans has found that the average Briton is keeping hold of unused items that could net them over £2,000 if they chose to sell them. Unwanted bikes, TVs and furniture topped the list of high-value items, but Lego, video games and clothes also figured.

Our big clear-out has really made me think about the things we acquire in the course of our lives. We are all conditioned and encouraged on a daily basis to consume more and more. Making unnecessary items seem essential is a key part of making consumerism work. Globally, millions of people are employed making various widgets, whilst many more create advertising for those same widgets to make them seem more desirable and encourage people to buy them. This generates the money to pay the workers who make the widgets and for them to be able to buy different widgets made by others.

Of course, things like food, drink, somewhere to live, light and heat really are essentials and for many, so is access to the internet and TV. But reducing that need to consume more of life’s (in reality, non-essential) ‘essentials’ is a really positive step and one that helps to reduce your impact on the environment.

A couple of years ago, I set myself the challenge of not buying anything new, except for groceries. I did allow myself to buy used items and I could have digital subscriptions for things like music and audiobooks. But I was not allowed to buy any new items. I wanted to know how long I could last and I originally set out to keep it up for a whole year. In the event, I lasted for about six months, which was ok, but obviously could have been better. It has made me think more about every purchase I make and ask myself questions like: will it make a difference to my life? Do I really need it? Does it provide something I’m really going to enjoy or appreciate? Could I get it secondhand instead?

Living with less is a really appealing concept. And once you’ve tried it for a while, it gets easier to actually achieve too. Why not set yourself a challenge: try to buy nothing new for three to six months. See how it goes. If you find you’re able to do it, try to keep it going for another few months. Maybe allow yourself a couple of new purchases as a reward if you achieve your goal. Then challenge yourself again. Hopefully, with time the challenge will start to become more like a habit and you’ll start to realise how life without the clutter can be better!

LARGE-HEADED RESIN BEE

Heriades truncorum Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker

It did raise a smile discovering the name of this bee after spotting it in a calendula flower in the spa garden at The Newt in Somerset last week. Bee audits are an important aspect of my work with all clients as a way of measuring the impacts of their, and my, work. This species was considered rare although now increasingly frequent across the south east of England. There are several aspects of this bee that make it uncharacteristic for Brits. Firstly, it’s most favoured floral source is ragwort, almost public enemy No.1 in the wildflower categories. This in itself explains why such a bee could be endangered. In the past ragwort was used in folk medicine to treat painful arms and legs, as well as treating throat inflammation in humans, as well as, interestingly, horses. To confirm my belief that bees connect everything, it was also said to be good to ease the pain of bee stings. Now, ragwort is the enemy of horses but not when left growing in a field as horses and other livestock naturally avoid it. If it’s cut and dried in hay, it then causes problems as animals can’t easily identify it. The plant contains toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, found in up to 3% of plants.

At my annual herbal medicine summer school this year, an excellent speaker, Peter Yeo, presented a talk on the relationship between plants and the land they grow on. I was particularly excited about this following on from my bee research showing how bees favour wildly sown plants over their cultivated alternatives. Yeo offered the idea that plants and trees act as a ‘skin’ covering the earth with the purpose of protection and healing. Bees use propolis as their ‘skin’ and I loved this idea of plants appearing to rectify ‘scars’ on the land. Indigenous people have often spoken of the most medicinal plants being found on the ‘edges’ of the landscape. If we look at the edges of forests, new plants appear to heal the damage from the felling of trees. Ragwort can usually be found in nutrient-poor soil in cultivated fields and grazing pastures, ditches and roadsides. Looking at its

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specific medicinal qualities, it’s antipyretic, purifying and sudorific. It is also said to have an astringent and a cooling effect. Antipyretic is something that reduces fever or quells it. When we look across our landscape, barren fields once bursting with lush wildflowers or trees, are now home to an abundance of ragwort. Globally we see the planet suffering from ‘inflammation’ – over-heating. Could it be that ragwort is here to help to cool the planet, hence its abundance currently?

Back to bees, the confidently named ‘large-headed resin bee’ loves ragworts, common fleabane, tansy and sowthistles. I spotted it on calendula which ties in with the yellow composite and heleniums that it also enjoys. They have also adapted from living in hollow bramble stems to garden bee hotels, so could be far more common than we thought. She makes her nest using pine resin, mixed with fragments of wood and plant material. Meanwhile, the males can be found ‘sleeping’ inside flowers! In case you hadn’t already guessed, this bee is easily identified by its large head. A bright orange brush under the female’s abdomen along with the male’s tail curving under and backwards makes identification easier than many other bee species.

Big-headedness, is an attribute frowned upon in British culture, always eager to bring back to the ground anyone seemingly growing one. As a business owner, being conscious of appearing big-headed is contrary to what is needed to share your services and products. I often am so busy serving my clients and bee-ing myself, sharing the wisdom of the bees that I forget to inform people how they can work with me. In between skep workshops, bee safaris and honey tastings at The Newt, as well as bee audits for clients in Dorset, Wales and Lebanon, I have been putting together a new online course.

Almost daily I am asked how people can ‘save the bees’, how they can incorporate bees into their business, or start beekeeping in a more natural way. To answer these questions and meet the ongoing demand for sustainability, I have been busy creating services to assist bee-conscious businesses and bee lovers that want to make a difference on the planet. I have designed new consultancy packages and a new online training course – ‘Begin Your Journey to Sustainable Beekeeping – Kinder Keeping Foundation Course’ this is suitable for anyone worried about bees and what they can do to help ‘save the bees’. It covers complex issues about which bees are endangered, why you should, or shouldn’t have a beehive in your garden, which type of hive and if so where to position it. If you decide not to have honeybees then I cover what you can do to support bees of all species in your environment, which now includes loving ragwort as well as dandelions! This course will join my main naturopathic beekeeping course which has been running for almost 3 years now, which I have updated to ‘How to be a Sustainable Beekeeper – Kinder Keeping a Naturopathic Approach’.

Hopefully this course will mean I am required to answer fewer questions on social media and email. I am realising that to support my growing business, sometimes I need to have a large head! My team of 8 plus my contracted-in beekeepers are funded by my customers and so I need to ensure that I have enough consultancy clients and students on my courses! I am extremely grateful to all the support I’ve had over the years and acceptance that every now and again I need a large head, just like the bee!

GREEN LIGHT

ALANA THORBURN – ECO AMBASSADOR Katherine Massey, Director of External Affairs, Sherborne Girls

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Alana Thorburn as our first ever Ecology, Conservation and Sustainability Ambassador in Residence. Starting this month, Alana hopes to use her role to create a greater understanding of our school’s impact on the natural world and how we can change our behaviour for the better.

‘This is a unique opportunity to work within conservation and sustainability within a school setting,’ explains Alana. ‘I am inspired to be working with the next generation who will shape our future and am not aware of any other school which has adopted this approach,’

As part of her new role, Alana will continue the collaboration with Sherborne School and The Gryphon

School in taking forward the Operation Future Hope programme, a national rewilding and ecological initiative that involves young people in the restoration of nature. As part of the programme, the three schools have already completed the successful rewilding of large areas within their grounds.

As well as working with the Sherborne Girls Eco Council to drive forward the School’s plans to be carbon-neutral by 2030 (Let’s Go Zero), Alana will begin rolling out the educational elements of the Operation Future Hope programme across all three schools. Pupils will learn about vital conservation issues and acquire the knowledge needed to engage with and care for the natural world.

‘Data suggest that sustainability is often seen as a female movement,’ says Alana. ‘There is the perception that girls think more about their environmental impact, so it is great to be working with Sherborne School and The Gryphon to ensure that both message and practice are spread to as many pupils as possible.’

Alana has already met with Eco Prefects at Sherborne Girls and the Environmental Action Group at Sherborne School who have impressed her with their knowledge and enthusiasm. She is looking forward to working with these groups as well as The Gryphon EcoCouncil, helping to implement some of their ideas and to focus on key issues including fashion consumption, food waste, plastic use, recycling and other initiatives incorporating broader sustainability matters.

‘I will be encouraging the pupils to reflect on how much clothing they really need, to wear what is in their wardrobe or buy second-hand and choose items that will last. The Eco Prefects have come up with some great solutions to this huge environmental problem, including clothing swaps, jumble sales and sharing clothing.’

Alana’s approach to sustainability is distinctively pragmatic, influenced by her father’s work as a civil engineer. She learned early on that it is very hard to build essential infrastructure without environmental impact. ‘We will always need roads and bridges so we have to accept that there will always be some level of damage, but we should commit to minimising any negative impact, consider the longevity, calculate the true environmental cost-benefit analysis and sustainability of all projects moving forwards.’

Since there are no quick wins when it comes to climate change, Alana highlights the need to make the most of immediate opportunities to gain ground such as food waste, energy efficiency and transport. The real battleground, she argues, is culture change. ‘Changing behaviour is more challenging because there needs to be significant compromise when thinking about our own, as well as our collective, impact. There can be greater impact from many people making small changes than from one person making significant change.’

Alana is not shy of practicing what she preaches. At home, she strives to be an environmental role model and to educate her family, empowering them to step up to the challenge and make changes wherever they can: ‘I try and live by example and have educated my family on how to recycle properly, and we have all reduced our meat consumption.’

Inspired by David Attenborough, Alana believes that being positive rather than punitive is critical to achieving and sustaining real change: ‘I want to tackle sustainability in a similar way,’ she says. ‘Making the case softly, persuading people rather than alienating them.’

Alana was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore, later returning to the UK to attend Exeter University where she read Law, before studying Global Environmental Law and Governance at Strathclyde University. She points to the fully sustainable campus at United World College in Singapore as an example of what can be achieved. She acknowledges, however, that it is much harder to make old or listed buildings sustainable than those built from scratch, but equally understands the significant carbon impact replacing old with new often has.

Historic buildings notwithstanding, Alana says she is very excited about starting her career in Sherborne. ‘I am looking forward to getting to know the girls and the wider Sherborne community. It feels like a strong community where everyone looks out for one another.’

"There is the perception that girls think more about their environmental impact, so it is great to be working with Sherborne School and The Gryphon to ensure that both message and practice are spread to as many pupils as possible."