Wildlife March 2012

[Maggi Young]

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/Pests/FungusGnatLarvae.php

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedbank/seedgermguide.htm

The beasties in these pages from the two links above are around 3mm long.... but on this next link they are shown as up to 6mm which is more the size "ours" are...... [perhaps the Aberdeen ones are a little older and better fed......

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Insects/O&T/flowers/note29/note29.html

[ronm]

Anthony &Lesley et al., have you ever visited the Fungus Gnat, Arachnocampa ? It must be quite a sight!

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony &Lesley et al., have you ever visited the Fungus Gnat, Arachnocampa ? It must be quite a sight!

Oh yes. The glowworm caves are spectacular.  I suppose, if I went out after dark, I could find them not far away as any damp, dark gully will be suitable?

[ronm]

Amazing. I find the flora and fauna of caves absolutely fascinating, . Another world!

[fermi de Sousa]

This is one of our local finches, Neochmia temporalis, a red-browed firetail or "red bum", 


I don't always read the Wildlife threads so someone may've already put in this link to the Eagle owl in "slow-mo" - I found it amazing!
http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

Pukekos can only be described as moorhens on steroids. We have a superabundance of them around here and they are quite tame. Spot the youngster.

[fermi de Sousa]

Pukekos can only be described as moorhens on steroids. We have a superabundance of them around here and they are quite tame. Spot the youngster.

"Spot" seems a silly name for a young bird
Clue - look for the shadow!
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

There was a couple, with their granddaughter, feeding the pukekoes and ducks with bread (fortunately brown bread) and it was interesting to see one of the adult pukekoes slowly walk away with a piece in its beak. A couple of young pukekoes would then spot this and frantically swim across to get fed.

[Anthony Darby]

Things are starting to hot up in the butterfly world as the arrival of spring awakens many species who have spent the winter months hidden away.

Butterfly Conservation is giving away FREE membership to celebrate the start of the butterfly season.

Join free for a whole year* and discover more about butterflies, moths and why their presence in the countryside is so important for the environment.

Join today and we will send you a welcome pack containing a set of collectable postcards, a car sticker and our in-house magazine, Butterfly.

All new members also receive species identification and gardening information, to help you attract and enjoy butterflies all summer long.

Your local branch will welcome you to join in with events and activities in your area, introducing you to some of the species beyond your garden fence.

When you sign up you will need to set up a direct debit. No payment will be taken until the end of your free year. We will write to you a month before your renewal is due to remind you and if you don't want to continue your membership at that time just let us know.
 
Join now
using the promotional code BBCFREE1

*Offer valid until 30 March 2012 for new members only on completion of a direct debit

https://butterfly-conservation.org/membership/283/membership.html?promo=BBCFREE1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Butterfly+Conservation&utm_campaign=1210746_Copy+of+Spring+membership+offer+for+BBC+participants&dm_i=DGT,PY7U,2MVZF0,23C76,1

[Hoy]

A little bigger than a butterfly -

At least one wild wolf has been visiting Oslo (Norway) and taken a dog! It is not the first time however, that wolves visit the capital although I never saw any when I lived there


Here's the unfortunate dog: (Norwegian elkhound)


from http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10061395

[Anthony Darby]

My goodness. Mean wolf! No mercy shown!

Here's my third monarch tagged, just before release. The next pic is of the Chinese paper wasp Polistes chinensis, which arrived in Auckland in 1979. What it has in its mandibles are the remains of a small monarch caterpillar. The wasp just leaves the gut and its contents behind! Once the caterpillar reaches full size it is safe from the wasp, but not the springbok mantis. Birds do not touch them. That's not because there are no birds. They are distasteful and potentially lethal. Birds in the garden go for mantids and cicadas. I watched this caterpillar cut through the main vein of the leaf to stem the flow of sap into the leaf (Monarch pics 1 & 2). The sap is like latex and would gum up its mandibles, interfering with its ability to eat, and perhaps giving it too big a dose of the toxins found in the food plant. Once it has finished cutting the leaf droops and the caterpillar turns round and eats the leaf in less than an hour (Monarch pics 3 & 4). Half and hour later it's on its next leaf (Monarch pic 5).

[Olga Bondareva]

Trond, OMG, wolfs!  Poor dog! 

[Hoy]

Trond, OMG, wolfs!  Poor dog! 

The owner said he was sorry for the dog but it was of old age and had a heroic death! He also said he hoped the wolf could live and that he would be happy to see it some day!

[ronm]

Do you breed the Monarchs yourself Anthony?

[annew]

Trond, OMG, wolfs!  Poor dog! 

The owner said he was sorry for the dog but it was of old age and had a heroic death! He also said he hoped the wolf could live and that he would be happy to see it some day!

I admire him very much.