Saving England's most threatened species from extinction
Archive:
7th April 2021
Last September we happened to chance upon Graeme Lyons at the Knepp Castle Estate with a film crew (as you do), while he was carrying out a saproxylic invertebrate survey on behalf of the Ancients of the Future project. Saproxylic invertebrates are dependent on dead or decaying wood for part of their lifecycle (or dependent...
Read more13th November 2020
One of the most important microhabitats of ancient and veteran trees are the rot holes and cavities used by everything from barn owls and bats roosting in the hollows to rare beetles burrowing through the fungi-infested dead wood. Rot holes form when heart-rot fungi begin to decompose the heartwood at the centre of the tree....
Read more5th November 2020
The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) had a fantastic response to the 2020 Great Stag Hunt, with more than double the usual number of records submitted. The Back from the Brink Ancients of the Future project was delighted to support the Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) citizen science campaign enabling PTES to reach a much...
Read more27th May 2020
#StagWeekend 5th – 7th June – Celebrate and save threatened Stag beetles On 5th – 7th June alongside the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) we will be launching a Stag Weekend with a difference – and one that you can take part in during lockdown too! Guest blogger Laura Bower, Conservation Officer at PTES,...
Read more16th April 2020
Life in and around and ancient tree As a tree ages parts might become damaged, slowly decay or hollow out. These natural processes help to protect and nourish the tree and develop valuable habitat features known as micro-habitats. These smaller discrete habitats are perfect for specialist species to colonise. Cracks and crevices, dead branches, hollow...
Read more2nd April 2020
Finding Some Tree Time At a time of great uncertainty and anxiety I was asked recently to talk to the listeners of Radio Gloucestershire about the benefits we can all enjoy from spending time around trees and how it is good for our wellbeing. It is not so long ago that previous generations lived and...
Read more27th March 2020
We Are A Many-Bodied Singing Thing is a new anthology of speculative poetry and fiction, inspired by endangered species and the people saving them. Download it for free and watch the virtual launch below! Anthology: WEB VERSION - We are a many-bodied singing thing Virtual Launch: watch it here. The things that give me the...
Read more24th March 2020
Tree cribs at Moccas Park, Herefordshire As part of this project we are supporting the planting of a range of tree species in this park to broaden the diversity of species and to establish new habitats that will support the lichen and rare insects that are already found on surrounding old trees. It is vital...
Read more14th February 2020
Sherwood Forest has one of Europe’s biggest collection of ancient oaks – that is, aged 400 years and above – which is really important for the life of the forest as these trees provide homes for more species than any other native trees. Each is capable of supporting hundreds of different creatures, from bats and...
Read more25th November 2019
The days are shortening and the temperature is falling. This is a signal to deciduous (broadleaf) trees that it is time to close down for the winter, conserve energy and prevent it from losing precious nutrients. A tree is sensitive to its surrounding environment and responds to changes by hormones which in autumn switch from...
Read more