David Beeson, May 2023 While it is photosynthesis that captures the sunlight energy and converts it into chemical energy in sugars, the flowers drive reproduction and evolution. There are a few variants of photosynthesis (CAM etc – see previous articles) but huge numbers of flower design variations. Some flower stems hold a single flower andContinue reading “Flower Power”
Author Archives: johnanddavid
Green Corridors
David Beeson, May 2023 If you visit the French city of Nice you may see that they are ripping up large chunks of their urban roads and derelict sites … and replacing them with green corridors – trees and shrubs. And they are very proud of that fact with huge posters proclaiming the policy. BelieveContinue reading “Green Corridors”
Dorset in late April
David Beeson Just east of Charmouth is a swathe of coastline owned by the National Trust. It is rich in wildlife and the farming is closely controlled. Wonderful walking country.
Southwest Dorset – KINGCOMBE NNR and beyond.
David Beeson, May 2023 If you were to progress from Southampton, on the south coast of England, westwards through the New Forest and to the up-market resort of Bournemouth, you would now be in the mostly rural county of Dorset. This is Thomas Hardy country. If you read my regular posts you will already knowContinue reading “Southwest Dorset – KINGCOMBE NNR and beyond.”
Tulipa sylvestris and friends
David Beeson April 19th 2023 Tulipa sylvestris is a delightful species that is distributed across much of Europe. It does occur wild in the UK, but they are from garden escapes or deliberate wild plantings. However, I’m content for it to grace my own meadows, and as seed is produced, some insects must be enjoyingContinue reading “Tulipa sylvestris and friends”
Blackthorn Days
April 2023 David Beeson In South England, January and February were bone dry, quickly followed by a hyper-wet March that has filled our local aquifers to overflowing. The ‘bournes’ (seasonal rivers) have found more vigour than usual, gushing along as if hurrying to reach the sea. They have crystal-clear water, as does our garden pond.Continue reading “Blackthorn Days”
Ecogarden in Early March, 2023.
David Beeson With good rainfall in the autumn and the pre-Christmas period, the local rivers are full and the chalk aquifers should last us until summer for our drinking water. Andover is surrounded by gentle hills and those are dotted with covered reservoirs. Irrigation is almost unknown in this part of the UK, with theContinue reading “Ecogarden in Early March, 2023.”
Lifestyles and amazing organisms
David Beeson, March 2023 Being omnivorous mammals, we can be forgiven for thinking that most animals act in a similar way. But even the slightest thought ensures alternative thinking. Some mammals are fully carnivorous, and some of those feed off decaying meat that would be inaccessible to us without huge risks. Yet, vultures and kitesContinue reading “Lifestyles and amazing organisms”
Winter-green Orchids
David Beeson We have a wide variety of UK orchids in our garden. Most have arrived quite naturally and have increased in number. Others have been introduced by seed or with tubers. Not all those species thrived, as one might expect as the soil or climate was perhaps not ideal. For example, we had aContinue reading “Winter-green Orchids”
Woodpeckers and their hammer
David Beeson, with thanks to Julian Vincent’s article in Professional Engineering magazine (Issue 6, 2022). http://www.imeche.org We have all three British woodpeckers living here. The green woodpecker patrols the lawn seeking out ants, the great spotted woodpecker hammers our trees after woodboring beetle larvae, while the lesser spotted woodpecker attacks the finer decaying branches ofContinue reading “Woodpeckers and their hammer”
The Andover Sewage Treatment Works
David Beeson, February 2023 When one of my granddaughters arrived for a half-term stay she brought along a homework project – to make a webpage of the biological processes of cleaning waste water. So, what is a grandfather to do? Take the 13-year-old (and her 11-year-old sister) to the local treatment works! Fullerton Works isContinue reading “The Andover Sewage Treatment Works”
The Ecology of Spring
David Beeson, February 2023 Our chunk of rock we call Earth and it sits in space, some lucky distance away from our star. We neither freeze nor fry at this distance. Our planet had a minuscule chance not to rotate and a near 100% chance to turn on its axis and this rotation gives usContinue reading “The Ecology of Spring”
Madeira’s Laurel Forests
David Beeson, February 2023 Many people visit the Portuguese island of Madeira for winter sun or summer lounging, yet the island has an interesting geology and some important conservation areas. Madeira is located off the West African coast in the Atlantic, level with Moroccan Agadir. It is 800 square kilometres in size and of volcanicContinue reading “Madeira’s Laurel Forests”
An Andover Badger Set
David Beeson, 25th January 2023 Several people locally have asked about badger sets and badger watching, so I today explored one I first saw 40 years ago … it is still modestly active. Grid ref of starting point: SU413 429 – A footpath and start of a part of the Test Way. It is onContinue reading “An Andover Badger Set”
The Climate Book created by Greta Thunberg
David Beeson, January 2023 I continue to be shocked at how little some folks understand about the world around them. You will be the exception, or you’d not be linked to this site. A neighbour recently admitted he had no idea where rivers came from. He thought rain immediately flowed over the surface and madeContinue reading “The Climate Book created by Greta Thunberg”
Some Flowers of South-west South Africa
David Beeson, January 2023 We toured from Cape Town, via Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, up the west coast beyond Lambert’s Bay, Cederberg and further east into the Karoo, eventually to Prince Albert and via the Swartberg Mountains back to the south coast at Arniston. Later, we flew to Durban to touch on theContinue reading “Some Flowers of South-west South Africa”
Our Approach to Eco-gardening / Wildlife Gardening
David Beeson, Winter 2022 / 2023 Annette and I believe that wild organisms have a right to exist. As such, they need places to live – a home range, some might say. We have just over an acre of land, so have space to share. In addition, we have big positives – we dwell onContinue reading “Our Approach to Eco-gardening / Wildlife Gardening”
An Eco-garden in Mid-Winter
David Beeson, 28th December 2022 A few hard touches of frost have killed off any tender non-native plants and the pond became a potential ice-skating rink for a while. The wild plants have ignored the weather and will be none the worse. The winter-green orchids, such as pyramidal and bee, have been above ground forContinue reading “An Eco-garden in Mid-Winter”
Harewood Ancient Forest in Winter
David Beeson, December 2022 There is usually a good reason for any current land use. In Harewood’s case, it is the underlying geology. A view of the geology map will indicate the current woodland is an exact copy of the areas of clay and gravel, and the 1810 OS map will show that the currentContinue reading “Harewood Ancient Forest in Winter”
Dormouse nests – now is the time to search – December.
David Beeson, December 2022 WHEN? Finding the nests of dormice is difficult. However, December is the very best month as the leaves will have fallen from the shrubs in which they nest, and the flimsy nests will not yet have been destroyed by the winter weather. WHERE? Here, in Northern Hampshire (UK) the dormice areContinue reading “Dormouse nests – now is the time to search – December.”
Wildlife and Ecology, the Wildlife Encyclopaedia 