Rosie's UEA Ecology Blog

This blog is about a recent trip to Lower Wood Ashwellthorpe, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve, to look at ancient woodland indicators. One of these is Wild Garlic or Ramsons ( Allium ursinum ). Wild Garlic interspersed with English Bluebells (another ancient woodland indicator species). These beautiful white flowers coat the woodland floor during spring, and have a strong garlic scent, making them difficult to miss. Each flower has 6 bright white petals and cluster in groups of around 25 on the end of the stems, appearing like pompoms. Flowering early in the spring allows the plants to make the most of the sunlight reaching the forest floor before the canopy emerges and it is much shadier. Wild Garlic is in the same family (Alliaceae) as onions, chives, leeks, daffodils, and other garlics. It reproduces by bulb division and occasionally seeds. It provides an important nectar source for early pollinators and the bulbs are eaten by Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ), though these are not found at...

A brief note- this blog is again about a field trip, and not about wildlife that can be found on campus. However, this was a field trip to Winterton Dunes, an incredible acidic dune system on the East Norfolk coast. It is home to lots of rare and unusual wildlife, for example a Little Tern colony, Natterjack toads, and Grayling butterflies, but this blog is about the exciting Cladonia lichens. A picture of the landscape at Winterton, showing the sea in the background, and the grey dune system in the foreground. The sand dunes at Winterton are carpeted in nationally-significant numbers of these amazing lichens. They are indicator species for grey dune habitat, which is a rare and protected habitat. These dunes are particularly interesting as they are acidic, rather than calcareous like those found on the North coast. This is more similar to the habitat types found in the Baltic region. Embryo dunes at Winterton: embryo dunes forming around tufts of grass (L), the dune system looking in...

Round and fluffy, this is Phasia hemiptera , a parasitic Tachinid fly. This individual is a female, with clear, unpatterned wings. The species is strongly sexually dimorphic, and the males have amazing metallic blue patterns on their wings. The species is also easily recognisable from other similar species by the tufts of ginger hairs on each side of the thorax. Tachinid flies are parasitoids and parasites, preying on other invertebrates, including other Dipterans (flies). Parasites are species that live in association with another species, causing it harm, and parasitoids are parasites that ultimately kill their host. P. hemiptera  is a endoparasitoid of shield bug species, for example the Green Shield Bug ( Palomena prasina ). The larvae live inside shield bugs (hence endo-) and ultimately kill their host (hence -parasitoid). The species name hemiptera  apparently alludes to the wing shape of the fly appearing like that of the true bugs, not its taste for Hemipteran flesh as...

A Common Plume moth resting on a bench. At first glance this might appear to be a small twig, but it is in fact a moth! This is the Common Plume moth ( Emmelina monodactyla ), which has some of the most amazing camouflage. Despite this particular individual resting on a bench where it stands out, it still took me quite a while to notice it! Perhaps I can be forgiven however, as it is very small too (so much that it is classified as a micro moth)- only up to 3 cm across in fact! The caterpillars of this moth feed on Bindweeds ( Convolvulus and Calystegia spp.) and Morning Glory ( Ipomoea ). It is a widespread species, found in a wide range of habitats across the UK. The caterpillars feed in two overlapping generations from September to May, and the adults can be seen year-round. A photo of the top of the moth, where you can see its head. Although it initially appears to be cross-shaped, the wings actually fold out when it flies into feathery structures, which is where it gets the name ...

Bright and cheerful, Snowdrops ( Galanthus nivalis ) bring excitement to the earliest days of spring. Whilst they are a non-native species, they act as a well-known indicator of warmer days to come when they flower in January to March. Snowdrops on campus, there was a good display this year! Growing to 15cm tall, the straight stems have drooping white flowers at the ends, leading to the name Snowdrop- drooping and white, like snow. They are found across the UK, favouring damp soils so are often found in woodlands and along riverbanks, but can also be seen in parks, gardens and meadows. They normally flower at the start of the year, but increasing numbers of sightings have been reported in December, and even some in November. Therefore they are being used to monitor climate change and its impacts on wildlife. You can report Snowdrop sightings here:  Nature's Calendar (woodlandtrust.org.uk)  . The Woodland Trust are monitoring changing climate and have a range of indicator speci...

This dinnerplate-sized monster of a mushroom is a Parasol mushroom ( Macrolepiota procera ). So named for being so broad that it appears like a small parasol! The cap can reach 25cm across and the mushroom can grow as tall as 30cm. Its height is even reflected in its species name, procera , meaning tall. This species is also the type species for Macrolepiota , meaning it was used to describe the genus. A Parasol mushroom, with my hand for a size comparison. A common mushroom around the UK, this mushroom has a habit of growing in rings, known as fairy rings in folklore. These were believed to act as a portal between the human and fairy world, and people were warned against stepping into them for fear of being transported to the fairy world and not being able to return. But some people believed that they were just places for fairies to dance. Growing in rings is actually a phenomenon mimicking the growth pattern of the mycelium (underground part of the fungus). When the first mushroom (f...

This interesting patterning on the leaves of the Holly tree ( Ilex aquifolium ) is caused by the Holly Leaf Miner ( Phytomyza ilicis ), a parasitic leaf-mining fly in the Agromyzidae family. Its larvae burrow between the cuticles of Holly leaves, leaving a distinctive trail behind. The adult female fly lays eggs inside the soft, young leaves using her ovipositor in spring. A maximum of 5 eggs are laid per leaf, although no more than 2 become larvae, so as to avoid competition for food between individual larvae. The species is univolitine, meaning it only has one brood of young each year. This mining seemingly has no great negative effect on the host plant, presumably because not many larvae are in each leaf, and there is a high mortality rate in larvae. Old mines provide habitats for algae and mites, sheltered from predation by the leaf. A P. ilicis  mine that has been predated by a blue tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus ). Holly Leaf Miners are quite vulnerable to predation, largely by bl...

A Jelly Ear Fungus growing on a rotting branch. This peculiar-looking organism is a Jelly Ear fungus ( Auricularia auricula-judae ). This fungus grows on decaying wood year-round and looks suspiciously like a velvety human ear. They have a preference for Elder, Sycamore, Ash and Beech wood and like damp and shady habitats. Jelly Ears can freeze completely during cold spells, then thaw and continue growing when it warms up, which is pretty amazing! This gelatinous fungus is actually edible and can grow up to 10cm in width. Though it has no distinct flavour of its own, it can absorb flavours well and so acts similarly to tofu.  Jelly Ears are similar in appearance to Bay Cup fungus, which grows on the ground instead, and should not be eaten as it is poisonous. It also appears similar to species in the genus Peziza , but these grow with the ear facing upwards, whereas Jelly Ears face down. It was used traditionally in medicine to treat various conditions of body parts that it was said...

Tiny and adorable, ladybirds are awesome minibeasts. They belong to the insect order Coleoptera, or beetles, and have hard shell-like wing cases known as elytra. Ladybirds are a family of beetles called Coccinellidae, which contains over 6000 described species, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are mostly carnivorous, eating other insects such as aphids. This makes them a crucial ally when it comes to growing plants, and they are used in some cases as a natural pest control by farmers. A close-up of a Harlequin ladybird ( Harmonia axyridis ), an invasive ladybird species in the UK. Some ladybirds can be more destructive than beneficial, like the Harlequin ladybird which arrived in the UK from Asia in 2004, and is now widespread. It has been outcompeting our native species of ladybirds for resources such as food, and has can also predate their eggs and larvae. It is faster at reproducing than our native ladybirds too, meaning the population can grow rapidly and ov...

A Peacock butterfly basking on a bench. The Peacock butterfly ( Alagis io ) is certainly one that can't be missed! It is bright red with amazing lilac-blue eyespots on both the fore and hind wings, when freshly emerged, they are truly pristine and look incredible. A large habitat range means that the Peacock is widespread across the UK, they only really have one foodplant, the nettle, but this species is also widespread. Peacocks defend their territories fiercely, diving at other butterflies (both other Peacocks and other species) and even people! They definitely have unrealistic egos. A Peacock butterfly, with eyespot highlighted. The Peacock overwinters as an adult, often seeking out dark, sheltered spots such as sheds and garages to snooze in. Emerging again in early spring, they mate and lay eggs, with the caterpillars hatching in late spring to early summer and the next generation of adults emerging in mid to late summer, ready to restart the cycle. The caterpillars are a deep...