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g with compost heaps or to clear it out and hope that blue tits will nest again i decided on the latter and within a week a pair of blue tits were scouting for a new home result interestingly but alarmingly i read in the guardian earlier in the year that pesticides have been found in great tit and blue tit nests i wanted to know more so signed up to a talk ran by the buzz club sussex university s citizen science club titled from pets to nests exploring the impact of flea treatment on birds cannelle tassin de montaigu shared her research funded by songbird survival and the results were truly shocking in all the nests that were tested 100 contained the insecticide fipronil which was said to no longer work on fleas in addition to that the neonicotinoid imidacloprid was found in 89 of nests these are so toxic just one month s dose for a large dog is enough to kill 25 million bees both substances are banned in agriculture but still used in domestic flea treatments it s been known for some time they ve leached into our waterways and harm aquatic life and it now it seems our garden birds are at risk as the study highlighted the higher the concentration of these chemicals the higher the mortality rate in nests be it unhatched eggs chicks or adults so how are they getting into bird s nests you can see from the previous photograph not only do nests contain moss lichens grasses and feathers but also pet fur not all birds use fur to line their nests but many do and cannelle s report mentions a previous study of woodland birds in central europe which discovered 74 of bird species used fur in their nests cannelle explained the research safely took place at the end of the nesting season and you can read the full paper here located in the buzzclub co uk publications i believe they are liaising with the government on this and calling for tighter restrictions the aim being to not have these flea treatments readily available to buy over the counter but instead only by prescription from a vet and to be used when needed and not as a preventative measure it s such a complex thing because we love our pets and want to do the best for them but we also love garden birds i think it s a case of watch this space for more developments but i m so grateful to scientists and academics that put these findings together in the meantime i ll keep my eye on our blue tit family enjoy the birdlife wherever you are and i hope there s some blue skies sitting quietly doing nothing spring comes and the grass grows by itself matsuo basho all photographs by the back garden naturalist unless otherwise stated references https www thebuzzclub uk https www thebuzzclub uk publications cannelle tassin de montaigu from pets to nests exploring the impact of flea treatments on birds the buzz club 27 03 25 webinar https www songbird survival org uk categories veterinary drugs https www theguardian com environment 2025 jan 27 pet fur found in songbird nests contains high levels of pesticides study finds https www theguardian com environment 2025 mar 25 call pets toxic flea treatments tightly restricted uk wisdom of the east calendar 2025 carousel calendars share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook more email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading the need for trees 22nd nov 2024 6th feb 2025 the back garden naturalist 12 comments with shorter days largely being at home and the impact of cold damp weather i ve felt the need for trees nature is my go to place a sacred space the belief connection and love for mother nature reward me with something restorative there s a shift and it s that reset that i often seek it starts with the senses progresses to the mind and when that slowly empties and my head is in a more positive place i find the physical pain all be it still there isn t so consuming it s transient of course but just for a while i can be comforted by the natural world focussing on an oak tree s bud scales reminds me spring will come again nature is a sonnet writer scientist and therapist a provider of poetry mysteries and antidotes to despair free at the point of use jonathan tulloch the miniature cabbage like flakes of lichen have so much texture and detail since limited mobility hit i ve found myself absorbed in the close up world more given that we re in quite an urban area i m guessing this species is physcia adscendens due to its appearance and because it s described as tolerant of nitrogen since reading up on lichens with the woodland trust i ve discovered in short they re a cross between fungus and algae the fungus part needs carbohydrates for food and the algae want shelter this works well as the algae goes through the chemical process of photosynthesis forming carbohydrates in exchange for shelter a perfect relationship lichens are indicator species meaning they tell us much about the environment we live in for instance bushy lichens require clean air leafy ones such as the one above can tolerate some air pollution and crusty ones can endure much more so the splodges that cover the pavements where i live now make sense i learnt if there are no lichens it s likely the air is highly polluted with sulphur dioxide i read the world health organisation say 90 of people on the planet live with poor or dangerous air quality here in the uk traffic pollution is the biggest risk to clean air the tiny unseen particles we inhale not only affect us with dreadful illnesses but plants and fungi are impacted too woodlands end up with more grasses than flowers which change the woodland s habitat and the woodland trust says nitrogen air pollution strips trees of their protective lichens but here s the amazing thing trees have the ability to clear some of the polluting particles in the air my understanding is leaves have tiny pores stomata that open and close and during this process there s an exchange of gases between the leaf and the air around it trees shrubs and plants can become barriers to pollution and it s said smaller evergreen leaves are the best at removing pollutants from the air in rhs studies the evergreen hedging plant cotoneaster franchetii was shown to trap up to 20 more emissions than other shrubs the rhs s planting plan is interesting if you want to know more about the best barrier plants but back to the trees in summer they provide shade cool us off and provide homes and food for much wildlife including mammals birds invertebrates fungi mosses and lichens and just one oak tree can support more than 2 300 species the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago the second best time is now chinese proverb i think of november as a tree ish time of year the colours leaf fall and national tree week which this year runs from 23 rd november 1 st december it s a celebration of trees and was created in 1973 in the wake of dutch elm disease initially called plant a tree in 73 things took off and the following year the tree council was formed trees indeed have hearts henry david thoreau we re lucky enough to have a silver birch and poplar tree in the garden but somehow looking out at them from the confinements of the house wasn t enough so i ventured out to a nearby park this time of year a silver birch s canopy reminds me of golden filigree i think of trees as majestic wise giants and the hidden life of trees by peter wohlleben states one of the oldest trees on earth a spruce in sweden is more than 9 500 years old i can t imagine the things that tree must have seen and that s another reason why i love trees they allow me to feel connected to my ancestors and all that s gone before until next time wherever you are in the world enjoy your trees society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in greek proverb photographs by the back garden naturalist unless otherwise stated references https airqualitynews com health small leaves rather than rough and hairy may be the best at removing pollution from the air https www bbc co uk bitesize guides z83qcj6 revision 5 https www bbc co uk bitesize guides zyqrng8 revision 8 glimpses of eden by jonathan tulloch https www goodreads com quotes 666987 society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade https www rhs org uk garden design sustainable planting combinations problem solving pollution filtering the hidden life of trees by peter wohlleben https treesgroup org tree quotes https www treeguideuk co uk oak identification in winter https www twinkl co uk event national tree week 2024 https www woodlandtrust org uk blog 2019 04 what is lichen seven types of lichen found on trees https www woodlandtrust org uk trees woods and wildlife british trees oak tree wildlife https www woodlandtrust org uk trees woods and wildlife british trees tackling air pollution with trees share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook more email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading celebrating apples 29th oct 2024 29th oct 2024 the back garden naturalist 9 comments i find october and autumn an apple ish time of year october 21 st was apple day a celebration of apples and orchards which started in 1990 it highlights the importance of traceable food and our link with the natural world and its produce then there s halloween october 31 st when traditionally bobbing for apples would take place from the smallest crab apple to the largest cooker apples are something to celebrate i discovered in my collins tree guide there are around 30 species of apple and many thousands of hybrid cultivars the little apple book says all varieties originated from the crab apple a smaller tree with gnarled bark and spines it s also the host tree to mistletoe crab apples are found in copses and hedgerows have white and pink blossom and the fruits can be quite tart but great for cooking the woodland trust has three recipes using crab apples should you fancy foraging crab apple liqueur jelly and toffee crab apples i discovered due to crab apples tasting so tart and sharp north american indians buried them in the ground after picking then once spring arrived they d dig them up and the tartness had gone here in the uk it s said country folk stored them in haystacks for six weeks this was thought to make them more palatable and sweeter to eat the apple tree belongs to the rose family and grows well in temperate regions around the globe pretty blossom in spring is enjoyed by pollinators and when the fruits mature from late summer into autumn depending on variety they re a great food source for birds mammals and us the sap is full of vitamins and minerals sugars and acids apples pigmentation can vary and they can be an array of reds and greens should you see a roadside apple tree chances are it s grown from the pips of an apple dropped by a bird or passerby i like a sweet cox s orange pippin light green with an orange reddish colour it s an english variety that came to be in the mid 1800s thanks to richard cox first growing it in his orchard some of the world s favourite apples though are australia s granny smith america s golden delicious new zealand s gala and japan s fuji which is known after the town where it first grew in 1930 image s hunter over recent weeks we ve received many apples from family members that are lucky enough to have the trees in their garden cooked together with a little sugar and cinnamon they re delicious especially in a crumble my favourite though is mixing the apples with stewed damsons again in a crumble sharp and sweet just watch out for those stones both of course should be served with custard biblical fruit apples are thought of as the forbidden fruit they tempted eve in the garden of eden although it doesn t exactly state it s an apple tree in the bible eve took a bite first then adam but the piece got stuck and gave him a lump in his throat thus the adam s apple folklore apples and love should you peel an apple and throw the skin over your left shoulder it s thought the peelings would spell the initials of your true love love predictions were decided when single girls sat round the fire and dangled an apple from some string whoever s apple fell first meant they would marry first in european lore it s said if girls threw apple pips into a fire and recited the names of their admirers the pips that popped on a particular name would signify that person had undying love for them should nothing happen with the pips then there d be no love if a girl is to eat a crab apple without screwing up her face due to it being so sour it s said she will marry the man of her choice other lore myths there s a belief in folklore that should an apple tree have blossom out of season it foretells of misfortune in some areas of the uk at harvest time it was thought one apple should be left on the tree for the pixies to eat many moons ago on twelfth night in the west of england farmers and country folk took to the orchards to make a toast to the trees their tipple of course was cider the oldest apple tree of the orchard was known as apple tree man and it was thought this tree contained the spirit of the whole orchard cider dregs would be thrown and gunshots fired to wake up the trees halloween and apple antics i remember apple bobbing as a kid several apples floating about in a large bowl of water as children using only their mouths tried to pick one up many halloween treats include this fruit such as toffee apples they were plentiful during the celtic festival of samhain pronounced sow ain the celebration welcomes in the harvest season and the winter and it was thought that this was the day when the shield between the spirit world and ours was at its thinnest apples were offered on samhain as it was thought to unlock the veil between the living and dead girls in the west country once believed by placing an apple under their pillow on halloween would result in them dreaming of their lover if your hubby s name you wish to know over your left shoulder an apple peel throw it will wriggle and coil and you will see the first initial of who it will be for the witches plot and the hexes scheme on the mystic night of halloween whilst looking up apples and folklore i ve come across a scottish belief that i find rather creepy but i guess it s perfect for halloween it s said if a girl is to eat an apple whilst brushing her hair three times at midnight in front of a mirror on halloween then the face of her husband would appear in the reflection lastly following on from my previous post i discovered should you go in search of unicorns they favour hanging out below the boughs of apple trees go quietly and carefully on a misty morning and it s said you just may see one good luck all photographs by the back garden naturalist unless otherwise stated references an encyclopaedia of plants in myth legend magic and lore by stuart phillips collins tree guide by owen johnson and david more https www commonground org u...