Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 69
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
life
Barking Foxes
Mistletoe
Spurge Laurel
Foxes communicate in many ways, facial
expressions, body language and more
commonly heard, barking or screaming.
Vixens come onto heat throughout
December and January, for only a very short
period, one to six days. During this time a
loud courtship takes place between them. It
can be described as a loud screeching and
often wakes the dog up during the night!
Famous for many works party’s indiscretions,
mistletoe is our only native white berry! It
is a plant parasite making its home on other
trees. To be correct, and without getting
too technical, they are only hemi-parasites
as most have green leaves and can
photosynthesise. Frequently spread by birds,
they will host on most tree species, the
commonest being apple, with poplar and
lime being next on the list.
A tropical looking plant, found growing in
dry woodlands and hedge banks, on chalk
and limestone. Flowering from January
to March, the flowers which are highly
scented are yellowish-green in tight clusters
just below the top of the stem. These are
followed by black, shiny berries, that are
edible to birds, such as green finches but
very POISONOUS to humans.
County Show
Following a successful Agricultural Show held at Northwood show ground in July this
year the Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society have granted bursaries to eight Island
students studying at Sparsholt Agricultural College. At a ceremony at Lynn Farm by
kind permission of Mr and Mrs Brown, John Reynolds, president and Sharon Peach,
chairman of the society handed over cheques to help the students with their ongoing
costs. The society, have run the bursary scheme for a number of years and during that
time have assisted numerous students from the Island. www.riwas.org.uk
Free farm slope maps for
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
Farmers need ‘risk maps’ of land steeper than 12° (about 21% or 1 in 5)
for the new Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations. IW Land Care can
provide a free, accurate slope map, thanks to software and data from the
Environment Agency. But hurry – funding runs out on New Year’s Eve! Send
a plan showing field boundaries to Rowan Adams, Island 2000, Venture
Quays, East Cowes, PO32 6EZ, or email [email protected]
What no Dormice?
In October, staff and volunteers, checked 480 dormouse nest
boxes in Briddlesford Woods. The total number of dormice recorded
was 27.
This is noticeably less than last year. After checking the National
Dormouse Monitoring Programme data, we realised it is markedly
higher than many other monitoring sites around the country, some of
which have failed to find any dormice in nest boxes probably due to
the wet summer we have had.
If you are interested in getting involved, please call Laura on 020 7498
4533 or email [email protected]
The Island's new funky radio station www.wightfm.com
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