MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6108414.stm

http://www.naturenet.net/articles/congreve/index.html

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildflowers-bees.html#cr

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8125000/8125339.stm

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/news/news_archive/2009_news_item_14.html

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/05/10/biodiversity.loss.report/

A Skircoat-found chrysalis

Produced this.
I.d. anybody?
Closest I can get is a species of swift ?
It survived the attentions of the curious fingers of a four year-old granddaughter .

Rhododendron

We may have to get used to a new name for our out of control R. ponticum. A new study says that our 'wild' Rhodo in this country is such a mish mash of hybrids that it should be called Rhododendron x superponticum.

See article http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/RHS-Publications/Journals/Hanburyana/Hanburyan-issues/Volume-5--June-2011 and click on the 'naturalised rhododendrons' link.

Quote: "Differs from wild R. ponticum in that it is
extremely vigorous and invasive and has a wider range of corolla and
corolla-spot colour".

Soil Hill

A visit to Soil hill this morning produced just a few birds.
3 kestrel
1 Stock dove
3 Skylark, 1 singing
a few mipits. Jackdaw, Crow

Lots of swallow activity at Cock Hill Gate Farm (SE071304).

The top is becoming quite green now, lots of growth,
worth following its progress. The down side is its
becoming even more hazardous to walk over as the
bricks and wire are hidden.
I expected a pond or two, none seen on top, just
water in the ruts and on the path.

Geology Meeting

There will be a meeting of the YGS/WYGT Yorkshire Rock, Fossil and Mineral Day on Saturday September 24th at the National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield.

West Yorkshire Geology Trust Site link

and National Coal Mining Museum link

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on
September 24th.

Document link on this Blog http://calderdale-wildlife.blogspot.com/p/yorkshire-geological-society.html (YGS page)

Regards,

Alison Tymon
Yorkshire Geological Society
West Yorkshire Geology Trust

Walk This Saturday 20th August

SATURDAY AUGUST 20th 2011

Discover rural Lightcliffe and Till Carr with Miss B. Kirk. Meet top of Stoney Lane at 10:30am for a 10:45am start.

Meet at SE139253 Map

What's going on?

A scene in my shed.

Can anybody tell what is happening in this picture. Enlarge to see. A bit blurred - it was a hurried photo.

Amphibius Bistort

Amphibius Bistort (Persicaria amphibia) at Oats Royd NR, Holmfield.

Red Admirals and Peacocks

There were 2 Red admirals and 3 Peacock butterflies together on Buddleia in the garden today. They were all very fresh specimens.

Evening Walk to Highroad Well Moor, Thursday August 11th

There will be an evening walk this Thursday 11th August to Highroad Well Moor.
The walk is easy but uneven. 
Meet at the junction of Vicar Park Road and Paddock Lane, Norton Tower at 6:45 pm for a 7:00 pm start. Easy parking.   Map

Horse Chestnuts

I have seen the damage to Horse Chestnut leaves, caused by the leaf miner, in other parts of the country. The trees look drab as all the leaves turn papery yellow as they are eaten from the inside by the grub.

I can't say I have noticed any problems locally (have you?) until the other day when I noticed a Horse Chestnut in Todmorden with similar blotchy leaf symptoms.

The leaf miner doesn't kill the tree but can severly weaken it and make it more susceptible to the effects of Bleeding Canker, which is killing thousands of HC's in England.

We have lost many Horse Chestnut trees in Tod from this bleeding canker and it could soon become quite a rare species.

This Tuesday's Talk

A reminder that our next talk on AUGUST 9th at the Central Library, Halifax @ 7:15pm

Hugh Warwick, zoologist and author of "A Prickly Affair", recounts his life with hedgehogs. (Book signing session after).

This is a special meeting of the Scientific Society and we expect this to be a well attended evening. Hugh is a national expert on hedgehogs and he is travelling from Oxford to give this talk.