Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2013 | Page 48
COUNTRY LIFE
Countryside news
with Tony Ridd
What to look out for...
Let's get outdoors and
explore the season's nature
Children and their parents
across the Isle of Wight are
being urged by the RSPB to
get outdoors this autumn and
explore the season’s nature
with a ‘Changes through
autumn’ Wildsquare survey.
Families are asked to look for
and record fungi, leaves that
have changed colour and the
wildlife that you might come
across at this time of year.
The seasonal survey is one of
several that the RSPB runs
each year and can be done
wherever there is nature - in
a garden, park, woodland or
playground, or even while
out on a walk with the
family.
Samantha Stokes, from
RSPB South East, said:
“Getting children inspired by
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nature at an early age is really
important if we want them to
care about the environment
and conservation in the
future.
“Taking part is simple. All
parents need to do is register
at rspb.org.uk/wildsquare.
Once the children have
done the survey, which takes
between 30 minutes to an
hour, their results can be
entered through the website.”
Miss Stokes added:
“Without the opportunity
and encouragement to get
outdoors and connect with
nature, children are missing
out on so many benefits that
previous generations have
enjoyed.”
Small Tortoisehell
This is one of our more common
butterflies and can be seen all
year round. It has been busy
feeding on nectar to build up
essential fats in preparation for
its hibernation. If temperatures
are high enough, they can wake
from their hibernation at any
time. Found almost anywhere
they lay their eggs on nettles and
will hibernate in garages, sheds
and barns.
Bramblings
Similar in appearance to the
chaffinch, with the male having
a black head during the summer
months. They enjoy the company
of others, often forming large
flocks, sometimes in the many
thousands and often joining
forces with chaffinches. They
like beech woods and adjacent
farmland, eating insects in the
summer and seeds during the
winter..
Cuckoo-pint berries
Known to many as ‘Lords and
Ladies’. This curious plant has
almost more names than any
other. Most are humorous,
such as ‘Kitty come down the
lane, jump up and kiss me’.
It’s unusual and attractiveness
aside, the red berries are highly
poisonous. The starch found
in the rhizomes were used as a
thickening agent for laundry in
the Elizabethan era.
Shrews
One of our most abundant
mammals, living almost
everywhere, but rarely seen.
They have a distinctive narrow
pointed snout, with brown
fur on their back and whitish
underneath. After a summer’s
breeding their numbers are at
their highest now. They are often
found abandoned by predators,
as a liquid produced from glands
on the skin is foul tasting.