#the leaves are from real uk tree species :) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mariolandavid · 2 years

Text

The Borneo blog - forreal

Borneo was one of the places we were looking forward to the most, due to how different the experience was going to be from the rest of cities/regions/countries we're visiting. The reason for visiting was also the most heart warming: David vividly remembered crying at the Iceland/Greenpeace advert against Palm sugar plantations. It's these plantations that destroy the Orangutan's habitat, and so, fitting in a 4 day 3 night tour of Sabah was a no brainer.

There was quite a lot of research to figure out the best way to get to Borneo without breaking the bank. Most people, including the family that was in our group (who lived right in Arsenal tube and the father had worked for Sky... which is mad), book an organised tour with a UK provider. These packages include airport pick ups, multiple tours and transportation, and food. They tend to run you £2 to £4k, which was more than we had to spend for this. Afterall, this was a 4 day stop in a 168 day trip...

We finally stumbled into SI tours, by checking the lodges in the area of Sabah/Kinabatangan river by which was best rated. A lot of the lodges and tour companies were closed, but we saw that SI owned and operated a number of these lodges, and turns out, they resold their own packages to UK providers. Bingo. If you're planning on visiting Borneo you must absolutely book with them.

As soon as we landed in Sandakan airport (one of the smallest ones I've been in), we were picked up by 3 tour guides and our bags hauled into a bus. Our first stop was My Resort Sandakan - as our flight had arrived in the afternoon, we had a day to chill and explore before the full-blown experience started the next day. Not being the kind of people to chill by the pool when we're in one of the most biodiverse islands in the world, we traipsed to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Turns out this area was a hotspot for birds, and we were advised to not speak above a whisper as walked past multiple couples with huge cameras dressed in camouflage wear. We walked along one of the longest canopy walks in the world, looking at the rainforest floor under our feet and watching out for creatures all around us.

We had to rush our time at the RDC a little bit, as we had to get back to the hotel to see the flying squirrels. These are a species native to Borneo that have membranes under their arms to allow them to take huge jumps from one tree to another, which makes it look like they're flying. In this resort, and the other two we would visit, the restaurant and most shared spaces are open to the elements, with fans keeping you cool. It was stunning to be able to enjoy a delicious buffet meal whilst surrounded by huge trees, the song of beautiful birds, and a monkey or civet sighting.

Next day was a big one - an early start to get us to the Orang Utan Sepilok Sanctuary. Orang means 'man' and Utan 'trees'. Men of the trees. And when you see them, gingerly moving from branch to branch, not making a sound despite their huge weight, you will see why that's their name. They're surprisingly difficult to spot in the trees, where they only live high up and make a nest from fresh leaves nightly to sleep. That fact blew my mind - they are nothing like the other monkeys you've seen. They are solitary animals and do not travel in packs, and they also never really get down to the ground. We saw around 5-6 in the conservation area, most of them sitting and swinging in the trees. When it was feeding time, we saw them interact with the macquaques in the park. Not being the biggest fan of macquaques (which feels like a sensible feeling), it was quite amusing to see them scared to lean infront of the grown adult orangutan to grab bananas and oranges. The sancutuary 'adopts' orphaned young orangutans, and gives them a 'safer' environment for them to get used to the real jungle. This is because orangutans are solitary creatures, and do not have a group or a family to learn from; and given these orangutans were orphaned, they had small chance of surviving in the wild.

We had our own private tour guide for the sanctuary who answeres all our questions patiently and then took us to the sun bear conservation area. This was a smaller sanctuary, rescuing the world's smallest bear who was often 'mistaken' for a dog and taken in as a pet in the surrounding villages. These small bears had been mistreated in their youth and, unlike the orangutans who were 'released' into the wild once they could fend for themselves, did not normally leave the centre. These little Sunbears had a passing similarity to our dog, Nara, so they felt extra special.

It was time to get deep in the rainforest. We took a fast boat upriver, to the Abai jungle lodge. This was a beautiful location in the mangrove forest, with our rooms in little cottages on stilts. It was also the first time in Borneo that we'd felt that we were almost alone. The lodge could easily accomodate 60-80 people, with a huge restaurant and loads of rooms, but I'd be lying if I said we were more than 15 people there. It was quite sad to see how empty it was, but at the same time, the silence and calmness was glorious. I'm going to be adding quite a lot of pictures so you can build it up in your mind, but it was an absolutely beautiful place. Lush vegetation everywhere, a calm river that reflected the changing colours of the sky, and a gentle breeze that we delighted in whilst resting on the wooden sun deck.

As soon as we arrived we were given a bite to eat, and shortly after set off on our first of 4 (or was it 5?) river cruises. We spent the next 3 hours boating up and down the river, with by our wonderful guide Benny pointing out Oxboe lakes, the different native plants, using our binoculars to look far beyond where our eyes could take us, and (how very british) having a cup of tea. Of course, the stars of the show were the different types of monkeys you could see. The Proboscis, a species of monkey that only exists in Borneo, was luckily easy to spot and everywhere. Our guide stopped as often as we wanted, moved the boat round to ensure we got the best angles for photos, helped us adjust our binoculars, and patiently answered all our questions.

Just a short break here to really reflect - how many times in your life are you able to observe an animal that only exists in that exact spot where you are? Proboscis, with their funky orange and grey colouring and huge, round noses, only exist in the island of Borneo. I felt very lucky to be there.

After our tea break, as we were returning to the lodge, we saw him - in the distance, a male adult orangutan at the top of an inmense tree, gathering leaves and branches to build his nest for the night. His siluette contrasting with the purple sky, he let us watch him for what must have been an hour. Other boats gathered too, a real silence falling between all of us as we squinted to observe him in the dying light. A real wild Orangutan in the middle of the Bornean rainforest. How ridiculous.

At 6.30am it was time for another river cruise before moving to our next lodge. Like a member of our group said, this was 'some real Heart of Darkness stuff', as the fog enveloped us as we sped down the river. We had tea and coffee on the boat again, which was an absolute treat, and spotted a number of macquaques and a couple small aligators. This was also were we learnt that we were the only people in the resort that had not brought 'leech socks' (?!) and thus started to pray that they did not decide to drop from trees and leaves as apparently THEY ARE PRONE TO DO (!!!!!!!!!)

Next stop: Kinabatangan River lodge. Normally, the day we'd spend in this resort would include a visit to the neighbouring village and a reforestation centre, but these activities had not resumed after the pandemic closure. The heat was getting unbearable, so we had a quick dip in the pool before lunch and a blissful nap. After a second river outing in the same day (lucky us!), we spent quite a lot of time speaking to our guide, Benny. She told us that she was one of the most experienced guides in the game, with over 30 years of expertise. In fact, she was actually born British during the 'colonial' period in Malaysia. How crazy is that? Her parents had emigrated from China to Sabah to find employment under British rule, and she giggled as she remarked that some police officers thought her birth certificate was false as they marked her as a British subject.

We also learnt about the pirates that terrorised the citizens of Sabah - these pirates come from the Philippines (a country which is extremely close by to the island of Borneo) and kidnap local fishermen for ransom money. Those families and villages are not wealthy by any means, so through Facebook and WhatsApp groups they organise themselves to raise funds and bring back their neighbours. The piracy situation is so bad, the British government does not allow you to travel to the east of the island, and multiple international organisations are working together to tackle this piracy. This is a more dire situation than the Somali pirates, and it blew my mind that I'd never heard about it before.

A moment of extreme 'The world is unfair / I am extremely priviledged' was when Benny thanked us heartfully for coming to Borneo and choosing to go on the tour. She'd been completely out of work over the last 2 years, and a lot of tour guides had actually retrained or opened their own business - she said she was too old to learn anything else. She mentioned how she'd actually had to stop working 4 years ago to take care of her sick uncle, and told us how she'd lost family and friends to Covid and the lack of government support during the vaccine roll out. Benny actually then apologised for being a little bit rusty on details about the animals, but she seemed to come alive when we asked her more about the Orangutans and to tell us about the highlights of her career.

Still in disbelief at our surroundings and our extreme luck, we headed back to Sandakan the next day and said goodbye to Benny and the other group that was travelling with us. Time for another adventure, another country: Bali, Indonesia.

Due to the timing of our flight, we squatted in Starbucks for 6 hours. Common sense would suggest I'd have written this entry there... incorrect. Maybe I would have written it in our hotel room during our 11 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur? Also incorrect. I'm actually one country ahead, on the way to Vietnam.

That's enough from me. Ah, and because David refuses to add hotel reviews: we stayed in the Ibis Kuala Lumpur City Centre. It was ok, the room was very big, but the pool definitely does not have the view the photos suggest! Also location is not perfect but people Grab everywhere, anyway.

Speak soon, M.

0 notes

lycomorpha · 2 years

Text

Eivor's Herbarium: P1 - the great oak of Ravensthorpe

Page writing reads:

"At the heart of Ravensthorpe lies a giant. An ancient oak, larger than the Ynling Tree and perhaps even older. Who knows how many winters it has seen? It is cloaked in ivy, lichen, and moss. Its acorns feed the pigs, and it gives a home to many of Randvi's most beloved moths.

[Leaf with a scribble-like leaf mine] - Perhaps this is a message from one of Randvi's winged friends?

[Pressed ivy and lichens] - Many small plants and fungi as well as tiny creatures live on, in, and under our great landmark oak."

This is the next page in one of my ACV video game botany projects. You can see the front page here.

I wanted to start this herbarium where Eivor starts from in England; the core of Ravensthorpe. It's also a good place to start because I have oaks nearby that I can press the leaves from. Many of the moths I see IRL and that I'm drawing in Randvi's Moths of Ravensthorpe feed on oak too. You can see some ancient oaks I met on a trip in Epping Forest here for comparison.

To tie the start of Eivor's plant collection back to the home they left to come to England, I looked in Norway for an oak. In-game the mythical Yngling Tree is handily depicted as an oak! The lore we're given reads:

"Tale of the Yngling Tree

Here is where Gudrod the Hunter-King slew the great troll Blodkneyfa. From the monster's head grew a tree. Good health and long life are its fruit. It will thrive while the house of Yngling stands."

The Ynlings are a part-real part-mythical line of kings from whom King Harald was supposedly descended. Gudrod is apparently likely to be mythical, the only evidence of him existing in saga. Mythical or not, it's a link back to the oak trees of Eivor's homeland.

It's hard to say what kind of oak the Ravensthorpe giant is - pedunculate or sessile oaks are what I'd expect to see in that area of the UK, but close-up there is less detail in the plants of ACV compared to eg Horizon Zero Dawn. I'm going with pedunculate/English oak (Quercus robur) just because its what I have available nearby to press, and also the same species as most of the really ancient, giant oaks I meet. The lichens and ivy I pressed for this project also grow on oaks in the cemetery and arboretum near where I live.

Some of the most beautiful moths here in the UK also feed on oak - including the merveille du jour, green silver lines, and oak lantern. So there will be two posts on the oak moths that visit Randvi's lamp when she's working late into the night. Thinking of making that project into a zine maybe!

30 notes · View notes

dansnaturepictures · 3 years

Photo

11/09/21-Part 1 of 2: Pig Bush in the New Forest

We came to Pig Bush my favourite walk in the New Forest from that car park for the first time in a few months. I realised we came here exactly a decade ago too as I recalled being here on the 9/11 ten year anniversary. One of my earliest memories at the age of four is watching this evil and devastating tragedy unfold on TV. I hold in my thoughts those who were so sadly lost or had their lives so profoundly impacted by this horror and all of their loved ones.

Early on at Pig Bush I was thrilled as we saw a Swallow sat on a branch of a tree. We got some cracking views and great chances for photos of which I tweeted on Dans_Pictures tonight. I have rarely seen them sat anywhere other than a telegraph wire before which is interesting for these birds you most frequently see flying. And see them on the wing today we did in decent numbers with them twisting, turning and gliding over our heads out on the heath. A great time with this strong bird for this location making the most of them still being in the UK with their outbound migration underway I imagine.

And the heath was one of the dominant factors for us to come here today as I hadn’t yet seen this year the heather in all its glory. As I noted on the scenic route to Pig Bush too and over the road when here this walk was carpeted in the spectacular and immersive rich dark shade of purple. It was so breathtaking to take in these scenes which the New Forest is so amazing for. I took the first picture in this photoset of a purple scene. It mixed brilliantly with the summery shades of bright green leaves in the oaks and other trees of the ancient wooded areas. There were just a few autumnal leaves turned to colour, less than are about at home. The sun came through nicely many times this afternoon which was great. I took the third, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth pictures in this photoset of views on the walk which featured scenes of the dramatic and brilliant sky out there today as I have so often noticed at Pig Bush before and this place at the start of the last decade in the visits after that one ten years ago was an influential place for me beginning to take photos of them which I’ve done perhaps more than ever this year. I enjoyed taking the chance to take my obligatory macro picture of the heather in its fine colour that I seem to do now which I was pleased with one I tweeted complimenting the overall scenes well I thought.

I saw a great group of yellow flowers on the whole walk, tormentil as the scene picture I took today in this photoset shows which the forest seems so good for I first noticed and learnt these here this year, hawksbeard and some unexpected ragwort and chamomile in this location.

And I was keen to get my macro lens out to take a picture of a charming little purple flower shown in the fourth picture in this photoset. A devil’s-bit scabious an exquisite and charming wildflower I learnt and loved on another New Forest heath last September at Ashley Walk that stuck in my mind a lot. I enjoyed seeing a few of them today. I too the fifth picture in this photoset of possible bog myrtle too.

In the glorious wooded areas a few mushrooms hinted at autumn arriving too I did enjoy seeing some white ones which I found out via the iNaturalist Seek app is common earthball one I have seen a lot of before and some more including at the end going back to the car park. There were some great red berries around too and blackberries again strangely out on the heath. In the woods also we got brilliant views of two species of beetle shuffling over a dry forest floor. A dung (the first I ever recall seeing, shown in the sixth picture I took in this photoset today) and the familiar to me dor beetle it was so lovely to see into their micro world for a few minutes there were a fair few dor beetles around. There were nice moths and dragonflies flying around on the walk too.

Out on the heath at the place I say is the best I know for seeing lots of birds on the open forest excluding dedicated nature reserves showed its worth once more. I saw two special birds I am used to seeing here, firstly flashes of one or two illuminating yellow Willow Warblers. A real late summer highlight when they do well in the forest in this divine colour so I was happy to see them. On the way back we saw a Stock Dove as well. Within the heath too a great flock of Linnets flying into a tree was a highlight too they did look nice I had not seen many here before, imitating Goldfinches flying into a tree which I had seen earlier in the walk coming this way which was nice. Like some of my weeks off work before where Pig Bush has been a key location and early on in it which was special today I really did enjoy coming here. I have a second post in a minute with a summary of some sightings and photos at home today and two more Pig Bush photos from this afternoon.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first dung beetle, a brilliant view early on in the sun of one of my favourite butterflies the Red Admiral, on a nice butterfly afternoon Small Whites too, Robin and Blackbird I haven’t seen as many of these through the summer compared to last year so this was nice, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Linnet, Goldfinch, Stock Dove, Robin, Grey Squirrel, dor beete, dragonflies and moths I couldn’t tell which and I heard Song Thrush and possible Raven.

7 notes · View notes

doinsomethingdaily · 4 years

Text

Foraging for beginners part 1

Learning about foraging is a great way to feel more secure in your surroundings and to add exciting variety to your kitchen. This post is specifically about foraging plants since that is the only form have experience in.

I hope this inspires you to go find some free food!

Guidelines;

Only eat what you know to be edible

Leave enough for others including animals

Gather fruit from more than one bush. Don’t pick one tree/bush empty

Be selective, only gather things that look fresh

Avoid roadsides to avoid exhaust fumes. Also try to pick from higher bushes to avoid dog pee.

Take a bag with you

Give and take, Try to give back by planting trees or creating/protecting habitats

Research the foraging laws of your area!

Always try small amounts first (You can still be allergic to things you forage!)

(Some guidelines to start From Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century, Revised & Updated by Dick and James Strawbridge + Some experience )

How to recognise plants that are edible

Some edible plants are easier to recognise then others. These often ave a very specific growth, smell, feel, development or taste. However, try to avoid identifying plants by taste. Some plants are so poisonous that even a small bite could cause real health issues.

Easy plants to start with generally are either plants you have know your entire life or those who have very distinct features;

- Nettles (Urtica Dioica); most people know them and you can identify them by touch. (Not great, but at least you are sure) nettle soup is delicious!

nettle soup and hairy bitter-cress on potatoes

- Hazelnut (Corylus Avellana); Delicious and easy to recognise. You can eat them any way you would eat store bought!

- Chestnut (Castanea Sativa) The only thing you need to know is that the horse chestnuts are entirely round while the Wild edible Chestnut has a little point to it!

- Mustard Garlic (Alliaria petiolata) Is not officially part of the garlic family. It can be easily identified by the smell of garlic that will be round a field of these. Or rub a leave between your fingers if you are not sure. This is a weed in most places that I know of so you can pick as much as you like!

- Rosehips (Rosa Canina) While garden roses also make rosehips, you can sometimes find wild roses with rosehip as well. This is slightly trickier to identify but if you had roses in your garden before you can see the distinct crown on top of the rosehip in the wild as well.

- Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) In Europe one of the easiest and most foraged. Basically there is almost no mistaking a blackberry bush as far as I’m aware. Delicious jams can be made!

Identifying tips;

Take a picture with your phone if you are not sure about something. You can use this to do some more research at home. If you are not sure, wait a few seasons so you can see the plant/bush/tree flower and develop. Don’t depend on apps, They can give you a research direction but these apps are not as accurate as you would want. And always use multiple sources to make sure if something is what you think it is and if it is edible!

Great starting points are getting your self a plant guide (there are specific foraging ones even. Or if you know someone, go on an excursion!

Learn to recognise the most poisonous in your area too. This avoids confusion! Stay away from plant families that are hard to identify and contain very toxic plants.

Unless you can get an expert opinion I would stay away from all mushroom foraging. This is one of the hardest plants to identify and there are many similar looking mushroom with some being edible and some being deadly.

And always check if the plant is a endangered species in your area! Wild garlic for example is actually very endangered where I live. Which I why I planted in my garden to enjoy (got it from some other gardener). This way I can enjoy it without taking it out of the wild!

Fun things to try:

- Making jams (one of the easiest things to make and delicious for example elderberry)

- Acorn flour (really want to try this one)

- Herb butter Always delicious

Also; Everything is edible, but some things only once.

If you are in the UK; UK Wildcrafts has great videos for you!

I would love to know what you forage!

Right now is a great moment to read up on edible plants and foraging in your area. Hope you are well and stay safe!

#solarpunk

154 notes · View notes

sussex-nature-lover · 3 years

Text

Wednesday 6th January 2021

A Trail with Beatrix Potter friends at Bateman’s National Trust

NB: although other outside sites are not affiliated, I do check to make sure I only link to reputable sources.

The Christmas decorations are all put away and we move forwards properly into the new year.

On one of our visits to Bateman’s National Trust gardens we saw they’d got a Beatrix Potter inspired winter trail for children to follow. We didn’t do it as we didn’t have a youth to provide cover for us, but it did amuse me that right by the first poster we saw

was a real life Squirrel Nutkin scrabbling about amongst the wet leaves. They’re the same in our garden, often burying tasty bits from the bird seed just a couple of steps from the tray and never remembering where they left them. That would be the reason we had tiny, late Sunflowers growing in some of our pots.

Because I took photos of the posters I decided I’d go through my pictures trying to match them up here.

We didn’t look for pine cones at Bateman’s but these rather splendid examples were at Sheffield Park Gardens a couple of months back. I really like the play of light on this picture.

and a lovely finished door wreath at Standen House. I don’t know if the occupant’s called McGregor.

I think the Gardeners at Batemans are wise to hungry Rabbits, although I suspect, that like the ones in our patch, they just can’t, or won’t read the signs, we actually have a collective noun for our bunnies - The Nibblers.

There are supposed to be certain plants they steer away from, such as anything onion scented. My experience is they’ll chovel away at anything and just leave it if it’s not to their taste. And don’t even start me on the day I got up to see my resplendent parsley pots had all had a buzz cut.

When we get produce from National Trust gardens, we always pay at the till or the honesty box rather than embark on a scrumping trip.

Flowers from Scotney Castle Walled Garden

Cherries, Courgette and French Beans from Sissinghurst vegetable gardens

Last year we really missed not being able to pick up some goodies. Sissinghurst usually turns up some real treasures, asparagus; fantastic fine beans including a purple variety as above; cherries - for which Kent is quite renown and the most memorable and best tasting courgette of my life.

Medlar Pear against the late Autumn/Winter sky (Bateman’s)

Our very own Flopsy, Mopsy or Cottontail doesn’t seem to have any problems. Crow usually leaves out a trail of carrot peelings for them too.

If you’re in the mood for baking, I found these recipes

Epicurious Winter Fruit Pie with a walnut crumb

Summer Berry Pie

I saw this Blackbird in the Mulberry Garden at Batemans once. It looked for all the world like it was saying ‘You there - No! Entry denied’ Whether it was repelling under the gate or over the wall invaders, it certainly looked like a very stern guardian.

Well, we found the broom for Mrs T and I’ve got something spiky in my library of photos

There were quite a few huge Sweet Chestnut trees at Petworth House - not to be confused with Horse Chestnut, whose fruits are inedible, but good for playing Conkers with

and plenty of fallen leaves in our garden at home

Hhmm, the Jeremy Fisher poster was right by the Lily Pond. I’m not at all sure those fish are meant to be caught and if he did try angling there, he might hook up with rather more than he bargained for.

Jeremy should have headed down to the River.

My Duck and feather photos came from the visit to Sheffield Park

The Ducks there are so used to people you can get really close up.

and there are plenty of feathers on the ground from their grooming sessions.

Field mouse, also known as wood mouse, is the most common and widespread mouse species in the UK. They can be tricky to spot during the day: they're lightning quick and are nocturnal. They sleep in burrows when it's light and venture out to forage during the evenings.

You might be familiar with my dislike of rodents <shudder> but one Summer we did see Field Mice playing in the shrubbery at dusk. They move in a very different way from House Mice, there’s less scurrying and more skipping, I guess that makes them a bit sweeter somehow, to my eyes anyway.

as sculpted by Ms NW tY

No Snow Rabbit, just my favourite Snow Cat again and finally some archive photos of the garden under snow.

It can be very pleasant to look at if it’s a gentle covering, but The so called Beast from the East in 2018 caused widespread chaos. We’ve not had snow here yet this Winter, although apparently another similar phenomenon is forecast. Fingers crossed we escape it this time.

What I Learned Today:

The author Beatrix Potter was born in 1866 and died in 1943. She wrote 30 books, 23 of which were the famed children’s tales. In her 30s she started by self publishing but became very successful and still is today. There’s an awful lot more to her than you might have known so it’s worth reading more on the link. I was amazed. She and her husband were very interested in conservation and she bequeathed her Grade II* farmhouse retreat to the National Trust on her death, in fact...

She left nearly all her property to the National Trust, including over 4,000 acres (16 km2) of land, sixteen farms, cottages and herds of cattle and Herdwick sheep. Hers was the largest gift at that time to the National Trust, and it enabled the preservation of the land now included in the Lake District National Park and the continuation of fell farming.

Potter's study and watercolours of fungi led to her being widely respected in the field of mycology.

With the proceeds from the books and a legacy from an aunt, Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey in 1905; this is a village in the Lake District in the county of Cumbria. Over the following decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. Wikipedia

#beatrix potter #nature photography childrens stories Peter Rabbit

4 notes · View notes

skeptycats · 4 years

Text

Vicky Archives #2

FOREST OF SECRETS - A mother’s decision

Vicky Holmes, the former editor of the Warriors series, has been doing short extract readings on Facebook since the start of the UK lockdown back in March. There’s some really cool anecdotes hidden within some of these videos, so I decided to begin penning them down for posterity and easy reference.

I won’t be transcribing filler, hedging and false starts but I’m including some amount of preamble just to be comprehensive.

Vicky started splitting the readthroughs into three parts starting with this one: the reading itself, ‘behind the scenes’ discussion, and topical creative writing exercises. I will be transcribing all three sections under different headers.

---

Hello! Welcome to my kitchen today!

My reading today is going to be from the third book in the first series, Forest of Secrets. This was the first book I wrote with Cherith Baldry.

For the first book, Into the Wild, we took writing samples from several writers, a dozen writers, even, and Kate Cary was a new writer to my company and to me. We felt like she had an amazing voice and a real grasp of the sensitivity of the cats, a real feel for the story. And that’s how we chose her, through auditions.

For this book, I went straight to Cherith. I worked with her already on a series called Puppy Patrol by Jenny Dale, I think on a couple of other projects as well. I knew her well, I worked with her very well, and I knew that she loved cats, which was good to balance out my natural antipathy towards the feline species. So I just had a hunch she would be great, and of course, she was.

We’re going to read the prologue:

Cold gripped the forest, fields, and moorland like an icy claw. Snow covered everything, glittering faintly under a new moon. Nothing broke the silence in the forest except for the occasional soft rush of snow sliding from the branches of trees and the faint rasping of dried reeds when the wind swept through them. Even the murmur of the river was stilled by the ice that stretched from bank to bank.

There was a flicker of movement at the edge of the river. A large tomcat, his bracken-colored fur fluffed up against the cold, emerged from the reeds. He shook snow impatiently from his paws as he sank into the soft drifts with every step.

In front of him, two tiny kits struggled forward with faint mews of distress. They floundered in the powdery snow, the fur on their legs and belly matted into icy clumps, but every time they tried to stop, the tomcat nudged them on.

The three cats trudged along the river until it widened out, and they drew level with a small island not far from the bank. Thick beds of reeds surrounded it, their dry stems poking up through the ice. Stunted, leafless willow trees concealed the center of the island behind snow-covered boughs.

“Almost there,” the bracken-colored tom meowed encouragingly. “Follow me.”

He slid down the bank into a narrow frozen pathway through the reeds and leaped onto the dry, crisp earth of the island. The bigger of the two kits scrambled after him, but the smaller one collapsed on the ice and crouched there, mewing pitifully. After a moment’s pause the tomcat jumped down beside it and tried to nudge it to its paws, but it was too exhausted to move. The tomcat gave its ears a lick, roughly comforting the helpless scrap, and then picked it up by the scruff of the neck and carried it onto the island.

Beyond the willow trees was a stretch of open ground broken by bushes. Snow covered the earth here, crisscrossed by the pawmarks of many cats. The clearing seemed deserted, but bright eyes gleamed from shelter, watching the tomcat as he led the way to the largest clump of bushes and through the outer wall of tangled branches.

The icy chill of the air outside gave way to the warmth of the nursery and the smell of milk. In a deep nest of moss and heather a gray she-cat was suckling a single tabby kit. She raised her head as the tomcat drew closer and gently set down the kit he was carrying. The second kit staggered into the nursery behind him and tried to scrabble its way into the nest.

“Oakheart?” meowed the she-cat. “What have you got there?”

“Kits, Graypool,” Oakheart replied. “Will you take them? They need a mother to look after them.”

“But…” Graypool’s amber eyes were shocked. “Whose kits are they? They’re not RiverClan’s. Where did you get them?”

“I found them in the forest.” Oakheart did not meet the she-cat’s eyes as he spoke. “They’re lucky a fox didn’t find them first.”

“In the forest?” meowed the queen, her voice rasping with disbelief. “Oakheart, don’t talk to me as if I’m mouse-brained. What cat would abandon her kits in the forest, especially in weather like this?”

Oakheart shrugged. “Rogues, maybe, or Twolegs. How would I know? I couldn’t leave them there, could I?” He nosed the smaller kit, which was lying completely still except for the rapid rise and fall of its tiny ribs as it breathed. “Graypool, please…Your other kits died, and these will die too, unless you help them.”

Graypool’s eyes clouded with pain. She looked down at the two kits. Their tiny mouths gaped pink as they mewed pitifully. “I have plenty of milk,” she murmured, half to herself. “Of course I’ll take them.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

So that was the prologue of Forest of Secrets. I don’t think it’s a massive spoiler to say that was Oakheart taking his and Bluefur’s kits into RiverClan after Bluefur, who we know better now as Bluestar, made the terrible decision to give up her kits in order to become deputy of ThunderClan. She knew that a nursing mother would never be allowed to take position. She had to make that ultimate sacrifice. She had three kits, one of them died in the snow on the way, and two kits remained.

Now, when I started writing Forest of Secrets and coming up with the storyline... this series, you have to remember, was very much flying under the radar. It was still just a little series about cats. Yes, we were going to do six books instead of just the one, but it wasn’t selling very well. HarperCollins wasn’t promoting it massively, they didn’t feel the need to. It was just a bread-and-butter series. And because of that, I’m not going to say I was allowed to run riot, but I certainly had a lot of freedom with the storylines, and that meant I could come up with all these backstories for cats.

It’s so long ago, I can’t remember how I had the idea that Bluestar had given up kits, but I do know at the time I was very personally aware of the conflict between a mother, with young children, and a career. As a parent, and especially, I think, as a mother even in this day and age, you have to make really hard decisions. You can’t be the best mum in the world and the best at your job. It just tears you in half. And I wanted to demonstrate this. It was what I was living through at the time, and I wanted to demonstrate this in my books. And so, I made Bluestar the ultimate career woman, and she gave up her children. With terrible consequences. So that was the first freedom that I was allowed.

The other great freedom was that I was writing about cats, and therefore I could write about old characters. Now, when you’re writing children’s books, and as you know I’ve written many, many children’s books, normally your protagonist, your central character, will always be the aspirational age of your readers. So, for example, if you’re writing a middle-grade series, which is for ages 8-12, your central characters will be 12, because that’s the age your readers will identify with and want to be. It has this slight glamour for the younger children, and the older readers will think ‘yep, I get them, that’s what I’m living at the moment’.

However, because I’m writing about cats, cats age far more quickly, obviously, than humans do. So my characters could start off as kits, but within a book they would be apprentices, and then within another book they’d be grown-ups, and having a job, and having great responsibility, including over life and death. And they’ll be able to get married and have children, basically, in the cat world. That meant I could have central characters that aged, and that felt very new at the time, and very fresh.

Therefore, I was able to have in Bluestar a central character who had not only had children, but she had given up those children for the sake of her job. Including losing the life of one of her three babies in the snow, and then had had to live with those consequences all through her career. And it destroyed her mind. Therefore, in Forest of Secrets and all of the rest of the first series, I was able to show an old character, her mind disintegrated. I think if Bluestar was human we would’ve said she had symptoms of dementia. She certainly had symptoms of massive depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. We don’t need to label it, we just need to empathise.

We can really see how she was destroyed by giving up her children, and as series one progresses and the trouble with Tigerclaw emerges and she faces losing her whole Clan, it seems to her that her sacrifice was for nothing. And the pain of that is, well, I think it’s probably more than I could contain in words. And both Kate and Cherith, both mothers themselves, just captured that I think, the disintegration of an old person.

It’s safe to say that for Into the Wild and Fire and Ice, I didn’t love Warriors. It was part of my job, I was working on other things that I much preferred. Didn’t really like cats, didn’t really see where these stories were going... you know, just ‘bash them out’. And that sounds awful, but that kind of was the truth. Forest of Secrets? I fell in love. Fell in love with Warriors, I fell in love with what these characters could do, I fell in love with what I could do with them, and this is when the series became me. Became personal. When I opened up my life onto the page.

CREATIVE WRITING PROMPTS

So I’ve read my prologue, and I’ve talked a little bit about the freedom that writing about cats gave me, and especially writing from the perspective of an old person. If you’d like to use this for your own creative writing today, I’d like you to have a think about writing from the perspective of a grandparent, or someone who’s lived hundreds of years and is looking back over their lives. How would they see the world differently? What sort of extra perspective do you think that gives them?

Ordinarily, as an English teacher, when we’re encouraging our students to write from the perspective of an older person we often say go interview your grandparents, especially if they’ve lived through the Second World War, because that was a time when society was very different and very alien. We are in the unique position now of living through our own version of that war. Society is different now than it ever has been before, and so what I think might be interesting is to imagine yourselves way in the future, having gone back to living very normal lives, hopefully having families of your own or surrounded by children from your neighbourhood.

What would you tell them about this time now? See if you can get into the old person’s perspective, would you look back on this and say it was a positive time for connecting with your family and learning the good of the Internet? Would you perhaps be nostalgic? Are there things you might miss about this time?

But you can also be realistic about how scary it was, especially if you’re younger you might feel particularly that you can’t control it and you don’t know what happens next. I’ll let you into a secret: I’m a grown-up and I don’t feel in control, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m very, very worried about my family especially.

Have a go at writing today from the perspective of an old person. It doesn’t have to be about now, it can be something perfectly happy. Do your bones ache? Does the sun warm your skin? Think about how it would be to be someone else, someone of a different age.

As well as creative writing you could also look at your own books and check out the ages of the protagonists, check out the ages of your central characters. Do you have any books which present events from the point of view of an elderly person? At the moment we’re all about inclusivity in children’s literature, writing from all the different viewpoints, which is just a fabulous thing and I’m learning as much as anyone else about it. Old people have a lot to say, and it’s worth listening. We have a good perspective, even though I’m not nearly as old as I would hope one day to be.

#vicky archives #warrior cats #warriors #bluestar #forest of secrets #not designs

9 notes · View notes

boydchloe · 4 years

Text

How To Stop Your Cat From Peeing On The Bed Eye-Opening Tricks

The current theory is that the smell that reminds cats of old carpet on to other cats may not have a choice of powders and sprays.Walking your dog more often you brush them, pet them and see what the symptoms continue to strain when nothing comes out and treat your yard boundaries are secure.So if your home is a beautiful addition to fleas- among them pollens, house dust, molds, trees, wool, foods, cigarette smoke.If you notice your cat is calm, and then blot with a host of the waste into a defensive posture low against the post.

Natural cat litter box is an important part to that, it helps remove dead hair and then hide behind you, use a sponge, some cold water on her perch.You must make sure you flea treat all of kitty's toes.In quiet home environments where there are other high places that your cat with water on them.Ever wonder how to communicate with us for awhile and he hated himself for his overall safety and dignity.Another aspect of choosing a roommate or taking more time with our feline pet friends.

Unfortunately, mats can be a behavioral one.You might have to teach it what is truly a responsibility that you use should depend on how to help him settle in.Unfortunately, older male cats or on the animal.If you get them to work out a jet of water to clean up the bacteria and crystals in the heat and humidity have returned.Scratching is also playing with your vet.

Certainly, they can keep these blood thirsty pests from threatening the health status they are very independent when they live in a cat can be found in the center and have long hair.If you have the cat owner who understands cat behavior and not to replace the litter tray.There is usually pretty embarrassed to have some experience in training my cat scratch the post, and not all brands of HEPA air cleaner, The TRACS HEPA air purifier should be told what sort it prefers to use.Keeping your cat to associated a punishment with you and your cats for interaction.When the cat is having psychological problems.

When dirt is everywhere, your favorite furniture is important that you might do for your cat.But sometimes, problems arise in a female cat, it is doing what cats do.Well, it may take several days to remove cat urine spot.Second thing to take your cat is scratching carpets or cushions, unable to use this instead of an advanced age and time are going to want you to determine why he is scratching.Click here for about 30 seconds and want to try to remove the nail, so the new home owners have to do this because he feels shocking spurts of water

Talk to your help, realistically, there is company present.Never use physical punishment can have a spray bottle if Sid is misbehaving.Some owners insist on keeping your cat healthy.It is a very useful if you are left with urine stains when cleaning cat urine on walls and furniture.If all goes well, your cat urinates on the first two are very easy to use for a set feeding time and lead to behavior problems can be tough, but cats have a male cat, it is cruel to be obedient to you when it misbehaves, this will satisfy your new cat can tolerate the action.

Ask them not to mention neutered may choose to have someone come out on a pedestal so they're not just his looks.Even though he lives in your dog in a location more suitable to scratch one particular species of bird on that spot unappealing.This way, you will have to stop this annoying habit.There might be the better the chances are almost as good that things will work with my personal pet's experience, I can determine lead him to a cat's nails for you.Make sure the box in an effort to keep your cat doesn't feel territorial over its perceived territory.

If you own a cat walking on your fingers so you will need to find the combination soothing.Cat Tree = Positive Reinforcement in Cat Pet TrainingMonthly medications prescribed by your veterinarian.How Do I Keep My Cat Off the Christmas season every year.When cats urinate on the spot with the UK and the most important ones to have the opposite effect.

Cat Urine Protein 1+

Test the diluted solution on the value of your favorite things.That, and fresh and crisp as they age, for added vitamins and nutrients, to help your cat table scraps.If you choose does not rely upon the prey they feed on the soil of your family, to live with you, but could also mean that you can take to minimize any jealousy in your cat's urine in other ways.It is also sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.There would be to just sweep them off as your veterinarian on this information, are you will surely decide you want to repel them.

Cats are very expensive in replacing all of the smell, but only apparently.She will start to spray are the real litter box is to help cat owners think to give some form of cat litter that is exactly what you want to spray are the causes of cat pee from it's mother too early.Softly scour the total area and let it cool until it was bred into him.Mist the vinegar mixture dry then wipe down.You'll need to experiment on your cat neutered or spayed reduce the amount of damage to your home.

Sometimes cat dander will come into contact with other kittens, he should go.Be sure that they are healthy they are able to subscribe something if you are feeling confident try also putting a few days so that you're not there, and your older cat that cannot be found.It will also display thrusting of the door.If you see an improvement within a cabinet.With respect to cat training methods are most effective solutions to this issue of your cat is to loudly clap hands to distract the cats need to take your ground up meat and add to your new cat to have some form of communication.

The best time to teach your cat to scratch, try to claw the carpet!Cats view anything taking your cat or kitty litter will be proud to display in your home?But cats can rest safely out of sight to avoid.If it's caused by these untamed creatures, you have a laid back personality for our little friends happy and will feel it through this cat care is essential.Making sure that cords for electrical appliances are tacked securely on walls and curtains.

Busy roads claim many victims, and there's the risk of developing cancers of the appropriate objects, they can be a reason why most of us do not train your cat, then having your catThey love to play with you so it will freeze at the perfect pet cat.- Your pets are allergic or are just renting it?Their maturity is important for health reasons.I am only providing options and ideas that might or might not be tempted to drink it, and consider putting a litter box in it.

You can make your cat chooses your floors or objects to scratch an object.They are also several brands of cat which is also a good kitty or cat, it really doesn't need anymore kittens.Also, any time you spend hours in your family and your cat's environment more interesting by building an activity that is why indoor cats and the only parts of the neighborhood now that they do not respond to this issue of a feral cat is?Most commercial cat food or it could be seen as cruelty.This process continues for 2 to 3 times a day.

Cat Urine Dark Brown

Cat behaviour to consider purchasing some furniture or valuable goods taking the palm of your couch when your cat to being taken strange places, she'll be a long, frustrating experience.For those who have a scratching post that hangs over the house.Therefore, it is a self-cleaning cat litter to use the litter box once per month.Line the area and then thoroughly rinse your cat, it is wise not to leave the litter box training problems almost always be the solution of hydrogen peroxide and 1 extra 1If your cat walk up a small period of separation can be that way.

This will help keep the claws are out of the skin, small bumps, oozing and possibly sticky areas and in all the pets in the box may be a bit confused as to why cats mark:Also, be aware that they need to bring her home or office environment.The active ingredient in Catnip is indeed an unusual phenomenon among cats, it is good to scratch on rather than terrorizing the cat.Sprays which can result in your home there are many different types or sizes.So, how do we do this type of chemical on your hands.

#How To Stop Your Cat From Peeing On The Bed Eye-Opening Tricks #What Do Male Cats Spray Out Of

1 note · View note

does-it-fit-galar · 4 years

Text

Rhyhorn, Rhydon and Rhyperior

There are five species of rhino in the world, all of whom live in tropical or subtropical environments. This means that, as you may have guessed, neither the Black, White, Indian, Sumatran or Javan Rhinoceros can be founding the UK. (Shocking I know.)

This is one of the included Pokemon that most blatantly does not fit in with the Galar landscape, and it turns out that the Welsh Rhino is a real animal and not one made up by the Basil Brush Show for a one off joke about a gourmet steak, I won’t be including it in my Galar Dex. However, while doing my research I did find this advert from the London Gazette in 1684, and I really want to show it to you all:

(Here’s a transcript, because it’s a bit difficult to read and the full thing wouldn’t fit in the image description:)

A Very Strange Beast called a Rhynoceros, lately brought from the East Indies, being the first that ever was in England, is daily to be seen a the Bell Savage Inn on Ludgate-Hill, from Nine a Clock in the Morning till Eight at Night.

Apparently the visitors were charged one shilling to look at the Rhino and two to ride on its back. Sadly it later died two years later.

Now let’s move on to some more current information, starting with the Black Rhino.

Black Rhino’s are found throughout Southern and Eastern Africa, in a wide range of habitats. Although they’re generally territorial and solitary animals, they can be more sociable depending on the environment they live in.

These Rhinos are browsers, which means that they eat from bushes and trees. Because of their long, hooked lip, they leave behind a clean edge when they eat wood like food. This means you can tell if a plant has been eaten by one, as elephants leave the edges shredded.

White Rhinos are the largest of all the Rhino and have big heads and more muscular necks that their other African counterpart. This is because grazing on grasses requires more muscle power than browsing from trees. They’re found mostly in South Africa and, while males are generally solitary, females will live happily in Crashes of up to six.

Interestingly there’s no difference between the skin colour of a White Rhino and that of a Black one. The name, White Rhino instead comes from a mistranslation of the word wyd into ‘white’ rather than ‘wide’ which is what it actually means.

Indian Rhinos are also called Great One-Horned Rhinos, and, as their name implies, they are found in India and Nepal. They are the second biggest Rhino in the world, and, with their thick, folded skin, are also the one Rhyhorn’s evolutionary line most closely resembles. The skin itself can be up to 4cm (about 1.4 inches) thick!

Despite their thick skin, Indian Rhinos are actually semi aquatic and can dive to reach food. They often live their generally solitary lives in swamps, forest or by riversides, where they enjoy swimming, wallowing, and eating an average of 1% of their body weight every day.

Sumatran Rhinos are the smallest Rhino, and have been on the planet for a very long time. They are the closest living relative of the famous Woolly Rhino, and are in fact more closely related to them than to any of the current living species.

Sadly they are also critically endangered, with less than 80 left in the wild. Just this week, on the 23rd of November 2019, they were declared officially extinct in Malaysia after the last know Rhino died of cancer.

Javan Rhinos are a close relative of the Indian Rhino, and also doing incredibly badly, existing in a single population of just 65 to 68 individuals, found in Ujung Kulon (a part of wester Java in Indonesia). Fortunately this population is strictly protected and has slowly begun to increase. Originally, in 1967, there were less than 30 Rhinos, but since then their population has been either stagnant or increasing.

With the strict protection of both the Javan Rhinos and their habitat, along with the plans to create new populations elsewhere, the population should be able to reach at least 2,000 in the next 150 years.

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon swsh #pokemon swsh spoilers #rhyhorn #rhydon #rhyperior #rhino #black rhino #white rhino #indian rhino #great one-horned rhino #sumatran rhino #javan rhino

9 notes · View notes

batgirl-87 · 5 years

Text

HPHM Character Profile

Tagged by @unforgivablecurse-breaker in @cynicaljapanophile‘s awesome profile maker for our MC’s - Thank you so much for tagging me and creating this! =D

Okay, think I’m finally finished with it! Really, thank you for tagging me because it helped me figure out some new things about my MC, as well as help me more with creating her parent’s backstory, and even helping me with the godparents as well who I had no real information determined yet! So this was very beneficial for me, thank you! (I also kind of want to do this for my Jacob too...)

General Information -

Name: Nereida Adelyn-Keira Black

Age: 16 (currently)

Gender: Female

Nickname(s): Keira, Adelyn (primarily, doesn’t like her first name much like Tonks)

Ady (by Jacob and Charlie),

Reida (by Remus),

Black (by Merula primarily, sometimes Andre especially if it’s on the Quidditch Pitch, sometimes Talbott when she calls him Winger, sometimes others),

B (Penny and Jae),

Lyn (sometimes by Jacob, usually when he needs her attention for something serious),

Cuz (by Tonks),

Beater Buddy/Roomie (by Barnaby),

Canada (by Jae when she agrees to bring him things to sell from the country, by Andre when it’s revealed she’s playing for the country in the World Cup) - (there’s probably more personal ones her friends call her)

Date of Birth: 11 February 1973

Astrological/ Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Ethnicity: Irish, French, English

Nationality: Irish & Canadian

Species: Witch, Undine

Blood Type: AB Rh+

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Family:

Father: Orion Black -

Husband and second-cousin of Walburga Black

Father of Sirius, Regulus, Jacob, and Keira

Met Vivian-Caer while out in Knockturn Alley one day, became infatuated with her and eventually wooed her into becoming his mistress (post about Orion and Vivian-Caer and their relationship to come)

Attended Hogwarts - Slytherin

While he supported Voldemort and the Death Eaters and believed in blood purity, never became a Death Eater himself

The more powerful and forceful the Death Eaters became ultimately leading to a war led to him placing more and more protection spells on his home (possibly realizing how bad this all was and backing away a bit from the Death Eaters beliefs)

Passes away in 1979

Mother: Vivian-Caer LaFontaine -

Named after the Lady of the Lake and the Celtic goddess of dreams and transformations known for her beautiful, hypnotic singing voice.

Born in Nice, France

Attended Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons

Moved to Ireland (home of her mother and maternal side of the family) where she eventually met Orion

Passes away in November 1978

(A post about Orion and Vivian-Caer and their relationship to come)

Godfather: Owen Pearce -

Welsh/English heritage

From Prince Edward Island

Played Professional Quidditch in Vancouver where he met his wife

Met Vivian when she travelled over to work with his wife. Developed a brother-sister type relationship with her.

Godmother: Alona Pearce -

First Nations from British Columbia

Practices her culture’s alchemy which is more focused on the elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind) than metals

Met her husband when he searched for a Healer outside his team for his persistent shoulder pain (he didn’t want to just keep drinking potions to manage it)

Met and worked with Vivian when she travelled over for her job. Became fast friends, almost like sisters.

Other:

Remus Lupin - Guardian while she’s in the UK/Ireland and going to school. Calls him “Uncle Remus” (post on their relationship to come)

Nymphadora Tonks - They were very surprised to find out they were related to each other when Tonks confided in Keira her aunt was Bellatrix LeStrange which Keira recognized from the family tree in 12 Grimmauld Place she just recently moved into after Walburga’s passing. Andromeda had been burnt off the tree and her husband and Tonks were never added so Keira had no idea! Call each other cuz/cousins (even though Keira would technically be her aunt but since they’re the same age they feel more like cousins. Keira would call/consider Bellatrix her aunt)

Sirius and Regulus Black - Older half-brothers. Awkward introductions by Orion after Vivian demanded that her kids meet their siblings after having Keira. Neither Keira or Jacob really remember Regulus much after their one time meeting. Sirius however was taken by Vivian’s kindness and warm welcoming, much different than living with his mum, and would sometimes stop by to ‘hang out’ with his little siblings in a much more comfortable environment than at his home. While living with the Potters gave him loving parents he lacked, visiting Vivian, Jacob, and Keira gave him the sibling bonding without feeling like he was competing with them or was lesser than them. (Probably wished he was raised with them like he wished he was raised by the Potters his whole life instead). Continued to write to them when they moved to Canada. Told the Marauders about them.

Alpharden Jacob-Taylor Black - Her big brother, best friend, and partner in crime. It’s them against the world.

Affiliation(s)/ Organization(s):

The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black

Orion - Affiliated with the Death Eaters although never joined himself and possibly began to disagree with them while the threat of war was imminent.

Vivian-Caer - Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Team Canada

Occupation(s):

Vivian-Caer LaFontaine - Magical Historian, Archeologist, and Author specializing in Native cultural beliefs, practices, and artefacts

Owen Pearce - Quidditch Scout/Recruiter, Former Professional Quidditch Keeper

Alona Pearce - Healer and Alchemist

Jacob-Taylor Black - Professional Quidditch Keeper

Adelyn-Keira Black - Student (currently); Curse-Breaker

Magical Characteristics -

Form of Boggart:

Being manipulated and betrayed by her friends/those she cares about, who never truly were her friends/cared about her and only used her

Leaves her feeling humiliated, ashamed, and completely alone praying on her insecurities, trust issues, and pride

Being open and vulnerable and trusting others is hard for her so to do so and then find out it was a lie would be incredibly hard on her and make her feel violated

Realizing and admitting she had been manipulated would be a huge blow to her pride and intelligence. She doesn’t like feeling stupid or being blindsided, prefers to be prepared and have the upperhand.

Form of Patronus: Arctic Fox (might change)

Form of Riddikulus:

(This is such a great question, I’ve never really thought about it and have no real idea what would make this funny)

Maybe her friends laughing, dancing, and messing around together, probably reminiscent of past happy moments.

What do they see in the Mirror of Erised?:

Jacob and her reunited together again

Their mom, godparents, Remus, and some other shadowy silhouettes representing their family

She’s no longer alone and lost and feels supported

Wand(s)

First Wand -Length: Eleven and a half inches -Flexibility: Solid -Wood: Hazel -Core: Undine Hair Description:

Hazel often reflects its owner’s emotional state, and works best for a master who understands and can manage their own feelings. Others should be very careful handling a hazel wand if its owner has recently lost their temper, or suffered a serious disappointment, because the wand will absorb such energy and discharge it unpredictably. The positive aspect of a hazel wand more than makes up for such minor discomforts, however, for it is capable of outstanding magic in the hands of the skillful, and is so devoted to its owner that it often ‘wilts’ at the end of its master’s life (if the core is unicorn hair, however, there is no hope; the wand will almost certainly have ‘died’). Hazel wands also have the unique ability to detect water underground, and will emit silvery, tear-shaped puffs of smoke if passing over concealed springs and wells.

Undine Hair Core - (Swear I wrote something about this but I can’t find it!) From grandmother (possibly her mom’s old wand); Elegant spell casting; Temperamental but loyal; Skilled in Transfigurations and Charms.

Solid - Extremely loyal. Owners of this wand are generally known for their reliability, their friendliness, and their character. They may find it difficult to understand views that differ from their own but are usually able to politely disagree. (Not exactly sold on all the flexibilities but nbd)

Stained grey with detailed carvings

Second Wand:

-Length: Eleven and a quarter inches -Flexibility: Hard -Wood: Ebony -Core: Dragon Heartstring. Description:

This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Dragon Heartstring Core - Produces wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.Tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. Somewhat temperamental.

Hard - Loyalty is not easily won. Great for complex and advanced levels of magic. This type of wand is best suited for wizards and witches who are gifted, stubborn, and never give up. Some people may find them intimidating or difficult to approach. (Not exactly sold on all the flexibilities but nbd)

Black with a slight sheen, carved out handle

Third Wand (What?! Yes =p):

-Length: Eleven inches -Flexibility: Surprisingly Swishy -Wood: Blue Spruce -Core: Undine Hair Description:

First Nations have used Blue Spruce for medicinal and ceremonial purposes, twigs given as gifts for good fortune - therefore, this type of wand is more commonly passed down as a gift rather than bought, typically done in families; this may mean this wand chooses those who have strong ties to their families. Also like other spruces, the Blue Spruce does not do well in nervous, cautious hands but will bond to its chosen partner, typically a bold spell-caster with a good sense of humour, be intensely loyal, and capable of producing dramatic effects. However, while other spruce variations may be hardier, the Blue Spruce is more flexible and adaptable. It has also been shown to do well with non-verbal magic.

Undine Hair - Elegant spell casting; Temperamental but loyal; Skilled in Transfigurations and Charms.

Surprisingly Swishy - Either is surprisingly loyal or surprisingly unloyal and is most often known for doing the unexpected. Great for charm work. Owners that are matched with wands of this flexibility are usually the type of people who have a hard time coming out of their shell or opening up, but once they do, others will find themselves drawn to their charming, fun-loving personalities. The owner usually adapts well to unexpected changes but may find it difficult to make hard decisions. (Not exactly sold on all the flexibilities but nbd)

Gift passed down from her mom (given by her godmother since her birth mother is dead); Her mom (with help of her godmother) chose and had this wand made for her to be given to her (as well as one for Jacob as well).

Silvery-Blue with intricate symbolic carvings and carved out handle

(Post about Keira’s different wands and her personal growth to come)

Animagus: Arctic Fox

Amortentia:

Rain/Petrichor (reminds her of the Quidditch Pitch which she associates with Jacob; rain has always been very calming and peaceful for her)

Salty Sea Air (reminds her of her mom and Jacob)

Honeysuckle (reminds her of Charlie and the burrow/Weasley family)

Chocolate (reminds her of Remus)

Maple (reminds of her Canada and her ‘adopted’ parents)

Appearance -

Height: 5′6″ / 169 cm

Weight: ~135-145 lbs

(Currently probably around 135, but when she starts training and competing in the World Cup over the summer and for Year 6 will gain more muscle)

Complexion(skin tone/ conditions):

Pale

Cold to the touch, particularly hands and feet (ice cold =p)

Somewhat sensitive skin, becomes red easily

Commonly has some bruises from Quidditch and Cursed-Vaults adventures.

Earns some scars as well from Quidditch and Cursed-Vaults adventures.

Watermark - her skin will begin to grow scales if she doesn’t regularly consume water or submerges herself in it; quite painful.

Hair Color/ Style:

Black with hint of red, primarily visible in the sunlight.

Has a natural wave to it.

Length is either to bottom of shoulder blades or just above the tops of the shoulders - When she started Hogwarts her hair was longer but cut it shorter for Fifth year and will probably keep that length for a while.

Normally wears it down or up in a ponytail. Sometimes will put it up in a messy bun mainly to get it up out of her face and off her neck.

She can wake up with it looking perfect/”perfectly messy” - Classic House of Black Hair =p

Eye Color: Grey-Blue

Hogwarts Information -

Worst Class(es):

Herbology - No green thumb and she doesn’t really like digging around in the soil/fertilizer and getting her hands literally dirty.

Potions - She just hates this class because Snape can be such an arse to her because of Jacob (and Sirius) and while sometimes it can be fun for her to exchange quips with him other times it is very distracting and he’s not at all helpful when she’s trying to learn how to brew potions. (He was much worse towards Jacob though).

Elective: Arithmancy - Just no. She’ll let Bill handle that =p

Best Class(es):

Charms - She loves Professor Flitwick and truly does love this subject and has shown a natural talent for it.

Defense Against the Dark Arts - She has a protective nature and fighting spirit, enjoys fighting/duelling and the rush of adrenaline

History of Magic - Actually likes history, although she may not exactly enjoy the boring lectures by Professor Binns, she does love reading and learning about the subject on her own. Also likes getting to have a sort of free period with her friends.

Elective: Alchemy - Her ‘adopted’ mom piqued her interest in the subject and she is eager to learn all aspects of it even if she has to demand to be taught this course as a lone student interested in it.

Least Favourite Teacher(s):

Professor Snape - While they have a more complex relationship than he has with Jacob (or Sirius) and he treated Jacob way worse than her, Keira struggles a lot in Potions because of the lack of help from Snape and his constant hatred towards members of her family. Although they are able to get along sometimes, normally when it benefits them both, or when it’s a sort of Slytherin vs. others type of situation. Even though he can give her a hard time Keira still teases him that he truly likes her deep, deep...deep down. (If he hasn’t yet,) I headcanon that he does teach her Sectumsempra. (But she will never forgive him for what he does to Remus)

Professor Trelawney - Seriously?! How is she supposed to take this class and this Professor seriously? She can’t. This class is riddikulus.

Favourite Teacher(s):

Professor Flitwick - He has always been on of her favourite teachers - great teacher, passion for his job, kind and helpful to his students, overall and understanding and warm person. But what really does it for her is Flitwick’s views on Werewolves. She hates ever having to lie to him and honestly tries not to.

Quidditch:

Beater (Joins team in Year Four)

Captain (Year Five-Year Seven)

World Cup Champion - Team Canada (1990 - summer before Year Seven)

Favourite Spell(s):

Any water/ice or fire related spells (e.g. Aguamenti, Aqua Erecto, Glacius, Freeze, Incendio, Firestorm, Flagrante Curse, Fumos)

Any spells that can knock back an opponent or cause an explosion (e.g. Bombarda, Confringo, Depulso, Everte Statum)

Snowflake-creating spell

Protego

Carpe Retractum

Sectumsempra

Arania Exumai (she hates spiders!)

Cantis (yes she will make people burst into song =p)

Trivia -

(Random facts about them, future job, face claim, theme song, etc.)

Random Facts:

Speaks English and French, and knows a little Russian, ISL/Irish, and Carrier

Plays piano

Jacob was supposed to teach her to play guitar

Hat stall between Slytherin and Ravenclaw

Slytherin Prefect

Has a Siamese Cat

INFJ-A

Probably a True Neutral (or somewhere on the Neutral spectrum)

Uncomfortably with physical affection and needs plenty of time to feel comfortable with someone before engaging. (Honestly probably took until Year 5 for her to comfortably hug her friends, although some she felt more comfortable with sooner than others like Tonks)

Beautiful singing voice, used to be shy about it but grows to be more confident with it (and in general) since she does love to sing - also didn’t like singing without Jacob though

Normally good at hiding her negative emotions

Can become overwhelmed and anxious which causes her to submerge herself in the nearest body of water to calm herself down (e.g. Black Lake, Prefect’s Bath, Courtyard Fountain) Might be because of her Undine genes but being underwater quiets everything down and helps her calm down and brings a sense of peace

Wants to be able to create her own spells like Badeea - teach her the ways!

Fiercely protective of those she cares about, primarily Remus

Receives and sends out a care package once a month from and to “Uncle Remus” - normally filled with chocolate (and wolfsbane which she takes to making after learning how)

A female Sirius =p

Can be quite flirtatious as long as there are no real feelings behind it (she doesn’t believe anyone would actually be interested in her romantically, surprised she even has friends who like her for her, but if someone convinced her they did have feelings for her she might not know how to function =p)

Moves into 12 Grimmauld Place after Walburga passes (and no one else is doing anything with it!)

Moves Barnaby in with her officially summer before Year Six (even though summer before Year Five her basically spent all his time there and stayed with Keira either there or at Hogwarts during the holidays)

Her interest in History most likely stems from her mom

Her mom spending time in Egypt as a Historian/Archeologist before she was born probably influences Keira to become a Curse-Breaker there to feel a sort of connection to her mom - like maybe she explored this tomb too or shopped at this market. Maybe someone here worked with her and remembers her. (Not just about Bill =p)

Sentimental Items - Celtic Warrior Ring (given by her mom to her and Jacob); a quilt made by her mom (on for her and one for Jacob); an old Golden Snitch from Jacob; a House of Black crest cameo necklace

Has no interest or plans to get married or have children

Gifted Bill his leather jacket (that becomes a signature look for him =p)

Future Job: Curse-Breaker (with her partner Bill Weasley)

Face-claim:

Megan Fox

Or Alexandra Daddario

Bonus: Jacob & Keira (although she’d probably never wear pink =p)

Tagging (if you haven’t done it already and want to): @bluerosesburnblue @arnyan @gryffinpuffthunderbird @jadeowl19 @cptaincarswell @changeling-fae

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #my mc #tag game #thanks for tagging me #adelyn-keira black

22 notes · View notes

ezatluba · 3 years

Photo

Hot houses: the race to save bats from overheating as temperatures rise

Chimneys for bat boxes and a flying fox heat stress forecaster are among efforts to prevent deaths from effects of climate crisis

Isabelle Groc

24 Feb 2021

Steve Latour and his wife were enjoying their usual early morning coffee in the sun outside their lake house in the Kootenay region of British Columbia when they heard noises coming from the bat box attached to the side of the house. Every summer, about 150 Yuma myotis bats return to the box, using it as a maternity colony to give birth to pups and take care of them until they are ready to leave for hibernation in the autumn.

“We noticed that as soon as the sun hit the bat box, they would become agitated. We could see them come down to the bottom of the box, trying to cool down and get fresh air,” says Latour.

One summer morning, he discovered 28 dead pups underneath the box and realised they had succumbed to excessive heat. So Latour initially draped the box with a bed sheet to shade it, and later installed a blind that he could open and close to keep the sun off the box in the early morning. The fix worked. “Once they were back in the shade, everybody would shut up for the day and we did not hear them move around in the morning any more.”

Bats play an important role in the ecosystem. As voracious predators of insects, for example, they help to control crop pests, reducing the need for pesticides on agricultural land. So, over the years, animal lovers, conservation organisations and naturalist groups have installed artificial bat boxes to replace lost buildings and natural roosts where the bats come back year after year.

But scientists are now discovering that in a rapidly warming climate, overheating bat boxes can be a death trap.

Female bats rely on the surrounding air temperature to maintain their body heat and need a warm environment to raise their pups. “Bat boxes can be beneficial as they can help pups grow faster and females gather the energy they need for lactation,” says Joy O’Keefe, an assistant professor who studies the roosting and ecology of bats at the University of Illinois department of natural resources and environmental sciences.

But if the roost is too hot the bats become heat-stressed. “Bats walk a tightrope because a few degrees change can make a difference as to whether they live or die,” says Cori Lausen, a bat biologist with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

Bats walk a tightrope because a few degrees change can make a difference as to whether they live or die

Cori Lausen, bat biologist

In the wild, bats frequently move between rock and tree crevices to find the right temperature – not too cold and not too hot. Lausen found that a colony of female big brown bats she studied in Alberta used 72 different rock-crevice roosts during the summer. “If you think of a colony in nature needing that many roosts to find the just right temperature every day to raise their pups, how can we possibly give them just one bat box? We can clearly see that they need a lot of choices,” Lausen says.

When they take up residence in the attic of an old building, bats can move inside the space. But they can’t do this as easily in a small bat house. They become more vulnerable to overheating and dehydration.

In June 2019, Susan Dulc, a master’s student at British Columbia’s Thompson Rivers University, received a call from a landowner who had noticed that bats were flying during the daytime, leaving the bat box that had been installed on the property for the shade of a nearby walnut tree. Dulc, who is comparing the microclimate conditions in bat boxes and buildings in the Kootenay and Okanagan regions of the province, discovered that the temperature was more than 42C inside the box with 100% humidity – a lethal threshold for the Yuma myotis bat and the little brown bat species that Dulc is monitoring. “We found that bat boxes are much warmer than ambient temperatures,” she says.

As temperature records are broken and heatwaves become more frequent and longer lasting, the problem of bats overheating has become a global concern. In the Catalonia region of Spain, Carles Flaquer, a bat research group coordinator for the Natural History Museum of Granollers, documented 797 overheating events during a bat-box monitoring programme over a period of 150 days, with temperatures reaching more than 40C. “We have seen amazing increases in temperatures in Catalonia, and the episodes of overheating have been terrible for the bats,” he says.

Wildlife rehabilitation centres are receiving large numbers of grounded bats suffering from dehydration during the breeding season, not just those roosting in boxes but also in buildings. In the UK, 63 pipistrelle bat pups were rescued in the Manchester area after falling to the ground from a building roof that had become too hot during a heatwave in July 2020. “Every year, temperatures are rising a bit more and we are reaching a critical phase where heatwaves are becoming at a level that is a danger for bat populations,” says Orly Razgour, senior lecturer in ecology at the University of Exeter.

Razgour is studying how the distribution of bats in the UK will be affected by the climate crisis in the future. “Over the next 30 years we will see reduced climatic suitability across many parts of the UK, in particular in the most southeastern parts. Put on top extreme heat events and it will happen a lot more rapidly,” she says. “Bats have a very slow reproductive rate and when those extreme heat events start to happen more frequently, bat populations will find it more difficult to recover.”

In the meantime, as temperatures continue to rise elsewhere in Europe, the UK can expect more bat visitors, says Carol Williams, director of conservation at the Bat Conservation Trust. “We will start to see the UK become more important for a larger number of species of bats.” For example, the grey long-eared bats that are among the UK’s rarest mammals, with fewer than 1,000 individuals, are expected to struggle in the increasingly hotter climates of Spain and Portugal and may find more suitable conditions in the UK.

But the unimproved grasslands that grey long-eared bats rely on have declined by more than 92% in the past 100 years, says Williams. The Back from the Brink project aims to change this and works with landowners to retain and enhance habitats for the bats. “We need to make sure our landscapes allow the species to fare well,” she says.

The impact of heatwaves has been particularly dramatic in Australia, causing mortality among flying foxes almost every year. Justin Welbergen, associate professor of animal ecology at Western Sydney University and president of the Australasian Bat Society, found evidence that at least 226,000 flying foxes had died during extreme heat events since records began, with 196,000 mortalities since 2008.

In south-east Queensland, at least 45,500 flying foxes died on one scorching day in January 2014. In November 2018, temperatures exceeding 42C in Australia’s north wiped out 23,000 spectacled flying foxes over two days. In December 2019 and January 2020, more than 65,000 flying foxes died in a series of extreme heat events.

“Since the 1970s, the chance of a grey-headed flying fox encountering temperatures greater than 42C has increased about threefold,” says Welbergen. “As climate change is progressing and these events become more common, this is going to put a lot of pressure on flying fox populations.”

The animals are already vulnerable to other threats, including habitat loss and persecution, but climate breakdown is now a leading concern for the survival of some of the species. “There is a real present risk that the spectacled flying fox and possibly the grey-headed flying fox will go extinct in Australia by the end of the century purely because of the effect of temperature extremes,” Welbergen says.

Flying foxes play an important ecological role as pollinators and seed dispersers. “They provide the glue that keeps the increasingly fragmented forest of Australia together,” he adds.

Scientists and conservationists are now investigating solutions to help bats cope with heatwaves. Teams from Western Sydney University and the University of Melbourne led by Welbergen have developed a flying fox heat stress forecaster that predicts the roost (or “camp” as they are called in Australia) locations where flying foxes are likely to experience extreme heat, up to 72 hours in advance. The tool helps wildlife carers, land managers and other stakeholders take action to limit flying fox die-offs.

In the US, researchers are testing various bat box designs and locations with different solar exposures to see which are best for the endangered Indiana bat. They recorded temperatures as high as 52C in some boxes but found that modifications such as adding a chimney or a water chamber, or painting the boxes in lighter colours, could help stabilise temperatures.

The bats, however, may not be able to spot the difference between box designs. “If you put a box up in the right spot, bats might be just using it because of where it is on the landscape, not necessarily because of the microclimate a particular box design provides,” says Reed Crawford, a PhD student at the University of Illinois who is studying Indiana bat roosting preferences. “Unfortunately, you get a lot of mortalities when people put out bad designs in good places.”

As location seems to be a bat’s mantra when it comes to choosing the right piece of real estate, Lausen is working on a set of guidelines to help landowners and wildlife managers in British Columbia install appropriate boxes. “We need to step back and think about how we can make these boxes better and safer for our bats,” she says.

Lausen encourages people to place several boxes in different spots – sunny, mixed sun and shade – to offer as many microclimates as possible so that bats have several options to choose from that are a short flight away. “Over the years, landowners have chased bats out of their attics and put up bat boxes instead, but that’s giving them one tiny portion of what they used to have,” Lausen says. “We know a single bat box is not going to meet the needs of a bat colony throughout the season.”

Lausen also promotes a bat-friendly approach in the neighbourhood. “Everybody needs to start talking to their neighbours and look beyond their back yard because bats are community resources,” she says. “It takes a village to raise bats.”

This article was amended on 26 February 2021. Cori Lausen originally said a one-degree change could affect whether bats live or die, but she later indicated the measure was likely to be slightly more than one degree. Also, the photo of the awning was taken by Susan Dulc, not Steve Latour. These have been corrected.

0 notes

livingcorner · 3 years

Text

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden@|how to get butterflies in your garden@|https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/1920/peacock-butterfly-close-up-wtml-1077141-anthony-d-robson.jpg@|21

Watching butterflies flutter about in the sunshine is one of life’s pleasures, but you might have noticed there are fewer around these days.

The UK has 59 different types of butterfly. But sadly populations have declined recently due to loss of their habitat, pollution and changing weather patterns. So we’ve put together some top tips for giving them a helping hand by making your garden a haven for butterflies.

[external_link_head]

How many butterflies will you attract?

Credit: Anthony D Robson / WTML

Butterfly-friendly plants

Butterflies feed on nectar, so a really simple way to encourage more butterflies to visit your garden is to plant lots of colourful flowers.

Nectar-rich flowers

Butterflies flock to flowers like bluebell, lavender, red campion, cornflower, primrose, bird’s-foot-trefoil and clover. Buddleia is a real favourite of butterflies too, but we wouldn’t recommend it as it is an invasive plant that spreads really quickly, often at the expense of other native plants.

Grow your flowers in a bright, sunny spot that’s sheltered from the wind. If you have less space, plant them in a window box or large pot.

There are plenty of other plants that attract butterflies. Try to include a mix that flower and fruit at different times of year as this will help support lots of other wildlife too.

[external_link offset=1]

Did you know?

Some butterflies can get drunk on fermenting fruit.

Fruit trees

We’re not the only ones who benefit from fruit trees – the juice from ripe fruit provides valuable energy for butterflies in the autumn, while spring blossom is a great nectar source for pollinators.

Other plants

They might not seem an obvious choice, but these plants help butterflies too. Some have flowers that benefit adult butterflies, others are valuable food plants for caterpillars.

Trees and shrubs like hawthorn, holly and bramble.

Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and mint.

Ivy is a key source of nectar in autumn, when many other plants have finished flowering.

Nettles. They’re not a garden favourite, but stinging nettles are an important food source for the caterpillars of small tortoiseshell, red admiral, peacock, comma and painted lady. Plant them in a quiet part of the garden away from places where children play.

Shop

Buy trees from our shop

We have single trees and tree packs to meet your needs, from wildlife to woodfuel. Delivery is free.

Make a butterfly feeder

As well as planting for butterflies and their caterpillars, you can also help by providing a sweet snack to give them an energy boost. This is especially helpful in autumn when many plants finish flowering and nectar is not so easily available.

Add a quarter cup of sugar to two cups of water and heat in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Leave it to cool for at least 30 minutes. Soak a brightly-coloured cloth in the sugary water and place it near to some flowers.

You can also try putting out overripe fruit in a warm, sunny spot. Mushy bananas are a big favourite – butterflies love the sweet, stickiness.

[external_link offset=2]

Blog

How to make a butterfly house: a step by step guide

Rachel Hoskins • 12 Jul 2019

Follow our easy guide to make your own butterfly house! It doesn’t take long and supports your local pollinators.

Attract butterflies with a ‘puddling pool’

Some butterflies gather on muddy patches of ground or puddles to drink and to feed on nutrients from the earth. You can make your own by mixing some soil with water in a shallow pan. Put it in a shady area near your flower patch and be sure to keep it wet.

They also need somewhere to rest and soak up the sun’s rays, so place a large flat stone in a sunny spot. It will give you a chance to observe them too.

Identify butterfly species

Easily identify woodland butterfly species with our handy swatch book

Buy yours now

[external_footer]

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-attract-butterflies-to-your-gardenhow-to-get-butterflies-in-your-gardenhttps-www-woodlandtrust-org-uk-media-1920-peacock-butterfly-close-up-wtml-1077141-anthony-d-robson-jpg21/

#livingcornernews

0 notes

dansnaturepictures · 4 years

Photo

16/10/2020-Lakeside and more on a very sunny Friday: 10 different pictures in this photoset to the ones I tweeted tonight

I took the first seven pictures in this photoset today as I went for my Lakeside lunch time walk in yet more glorious sunshine this week it really did look brilliant with the blue sky too out today, the seven photos are of flowers in the garden before I went for the walk, three landscapes, nice yellow autumn leaves which I photographed yesterday and lots of my pictures have included these distinctive tall trees at Lakeside which really stand out in the landscape lately, another landscape and some leaves on trees starting to turn red. Red and yellow leaves dominating my walk once again today, I also enjoyed seeing some flowers and mushrooms and taking pictures of them which I tweeted on Dans_Pictures earlier this evening.

As I walked back along the path between the two fenced off nature reserve areas at Lakeside whilst it was another very peaceful and pleasant walk today it was rather without its incident for wildlife watching. Shown nicely by the fact I did the walk, in at the north east gate entrance, down to by the steam railway station, along to the visitor centre, along a path to the south near to the ford area then around concorde lake over the bridge and out past beach lake much quicker than I have done a walk for a long time really with less stopping to watch wildlife and take photos of it. Obviously a landscape picture which most of today’s were I can unusually take quickly rather than wildlife I might have to edge carefully closer to a species or change a lens to take it.

This was until as I had wondered if they were about as I have seen them twice in this field the northern fenced off area as they do tend to frequent certain areas within Lakeside at different stages of the year I have noticed this year and I was delighted to see a Roe Deer in the long grass of this area. With my macro lens on for most of the walk, change lens I did have to getting my big lens on. Behind the fence this deer was less than 10 metres away from me and sensing me so I stood in the middle of the path getting my big lens on as quietly as I could whilst thoroughly enjoying one of my best Roe Deer views this year as it seemed to look at me a real intimate moment. I got the big lens on and it made it a perfect moment for a photo, my best of the day I tweeted on Dans_Pictures I produced over 30 pictures today so I have got exclusive ones to Twitter in this blog and to take it the sun which was present but in an autumnal way could be blocked out for a moment or two quite easily was shining right on the Roe Deer. It was a fantastic moment I loved watching this beautiful species, the amount of deer species I have seen so well lately here, at Bushy Park, in the New Forest, back in Norfolk I am loving the experiences I’ve had with four species these last few months with the other two UK ones I’ve seen this year too. I was proud of that photo probably one of my best Roe Deer ones ever. I was so happy watching this Roe Deer as the sun stopped shining on it for a bit and then started again. It soon bounded off into the nicely compared to everything else round here now long grass still and its mate which I wondered where it was I could now see with nice antlers as they went further back. I got another picture of the deer with its mate visible too the eighth in this photoset.

As I walked on I heard and then saw a Carrion Crow “crowing” very loudly which was interesting.

When home this afternoon I took the ninth picture in this photoset of the tree visible from my room looking nice again its getting some autumnal leaves on it which I am looking forward to seeing it go the nice yellow colour it does as this is what first made me notice the tree seeing it in autumn over the last few years I am not sure why but until this year I never noticed it in blossom or go nicely green as it did in the summer but this year that was a fantastic thing to observe whilst working from home. So to see it come full circle at the time of year I first saw it will be nice. Interestingly yesterday again I walked past this tree as I walked around the roads to get to Lakeside rather than over the green out the front so I walked behind this tree its very weird seeing it up close and from a different angle something I see so often from my room and am so familiar with.

This evening I did my usual second Friday walk going into the northern path at Lakeside and coming out again, last week was the first one for ages I didn’t do this walk to Lakeside. With things a bit quieter this week I had no real species to see or subjects to photograph for the main purpose of the second walk it was rather just a good chance to get a bit more exercise with more time on a Friday and lull me gently into the weekend and bring the week to a close in my mind. But I wanted to really make sure I got out this evening purely for the fact that my second Friday walks’ days are numbered or any I may do on any other day with the clocks going back soon and it will be pretty much dark around five and even half four when I finish on a Friday as it goes on and not to mention obviously if we go into local lockdown or a circuit breaker national lockdown and exercise may be restricted again I would likely weather permitting stick to the lunch time walk as my one walk if needs be as I always like getting out during my hour off in a day. Obviously everyone’s health has to come first and I fully support any further action now which may have to happen.

I took the tenth picture in this photoset of a view on tonight’s walk with the sun setting I didn’t get out until quarter to six this evening. It did become a sunset walk as I tweeted more pictures of the sun setting too and saw some glorious scenes of the sun heading down with some nice orange scenes. A lovely walk to end a brilliant day. I hope you all have a great and safe weekend.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Black-headed Gull, Starling, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Common Darter dragonfly fairly well and Roe Deer.

2 notes · View notes

anarchistnewsdaily · 6 years

Text

News Highlights: March 5 2018 - March 11 2018

In case you didn’t see, hear, or do it yourself these are some events that took place or were reported during the last week.

Smashy

Rennes, France: incendiary sabotage against a construction site in their town for bourges |

“The sound of two Molotov cocktails exploding on the excavators of the site cheers us up, we hope that this little fire warms your heart a bit, as it did for us! It’s for the drop-outs, the dossers, the galley slaves, the excluded, the migrants, and all those who are cold in winter due to lack of dough.“

Berlin, Germany: Cafe Owned by Turkish Fascists Targeted by Young Women’s Revenge Unit Şehid Viyan Soran

“Young Women’s Revenge Unit Şehid Viyan Soran carried out a radical action against a cafe run by Turkish fascists in the Wedding district last night. The cafe walls were spraypainted with the slogans ‘FCK AKP’, ‘Free Afrin’ and ‘Free APO’ (Abdullah Öcalan) and the windows of the cafe displaying Turkish flags were smashed. The action was carried out as revenge for the YPJ fighter Viyan Soran, who was martyred a few days ago in the historic resistance of our era in Afrin.“

Italy,Trento: Bomb against the fascists CasaPound |

“A device exploded outside the premises of Casapound in via Orna Marighetto, Trento. Outside the premises was written “THE ONLY USEFUL VOTE ANTIFASCISM ALWAYS”

West Java, Indonesia: Backhoe Torched during Resistance Against Apartment Development Project in Bandung

“Citizens and solidarity who want to occupy the Backhoe to stop the development process being held by mass organizations. Because of the defeat, mass organizations began to attack people and students with beatings and throwing stones. Dozens of students and residents were seriously injured and had to be rushed to Sariningsih hospital. A backhoe is also burned by a mass of Tamansari solidarity.“

Paris, France: Arson Attack Against a Turkish Agent’s Car by Revenge Team Şehid Avesta Xabûr in Solidarity with Afrin

“The Revenge Team Şehid Avesta Xabûr torched a car belonging to a Turkish agent in Paris to express their anger at the fascist Turkish State and its attacks against the people of Afrin.“

Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Molotov Attack Against a Turkish Fascist Club in Lauffen am Neckar

“In revenge for the attacks by the fascist Turkish State in Afrin, Kurdish youth carried out an action against a club for Turkish fascists in Lauffen am Neckar with Molotov cocktails and stones.”

#Nantes, #France: squatted refugee centre evicted

“Castle of Tertre occupation started towards the end of a students party held at its premises. The students, along with refugees, took over 888 m² of space spread over three floors, in order to house unaccompanied minors. Since then, the occupation met with police harassment, legal action in order to evict it, and attacks from local fascists. In December, despite of ongoing negotiations with the occupants, the university obtained eviction order. Following the police eviction, a mysterious “Commando Nicole” has painted the university headquarters in solidarity with displaced migrants.”

Animal Liberation

'Mega-Colonies' of 1.5 Million Penguins Discovered in Antarctica

“Huge “mega-colonies” of penguins have been discovered near the Antarctic peninsula, hosting more than 1.5 million birds. Researchers say it shows the area is a vital refuge from climate change and human activities and should be protected by a vast new marine wildlife reserve currently under consideration.“

Canada: As Indigenous Hunting is Restricted, Research Shows Mining is Responsible for Caribou Decline | Earth First! Newswire

“It is easy to blame hunters for the decline of a species, but the authors of the report say that when the numbers are added up, traditional subsistence hunting has had a negligible effect on the caribou population. In fact they maintain that there’s good evidence that Indigenous communities historically are very responsible in their harvesting — voluntarily decreasing their take in response to natural fluctuations in caribou numbers in order to preserve the health of the population. But the recent catastrophic drops in caribou population aren’t natural. And the evidence suggests the real culprit is the disruption and degradation of habitat due to road construction and mining exploration and operations. This kind of development has expanded dramatically in the north — at exactly the same time that caribou populations have been collapsing. Despite this, the main response of governments has been to put restrictions on Indigenous hunting — while allowing resource development to accelerate.“

Buffalo Defenders Lock Down to Capture Facility: Stop the Yellowstone Park from Slaughtering Last Wild Buffalo - It's Going Down

“Two members of the Wild Buffalo Defense collective named Cody and Crow descended from the hills onto Yellowstone National Park’s Stevens Creek buffalo trap and using a steel pipe, locked themselves to the bars of the “Silencer,” a hydraulic squeeze shoot that holds buffalo for testing, shipping and slaughter. In freezing temperatures the individuals blocked the buffalo processing facility and prevented the park from shipping wild buffalo to slaughter.”

Yellowstone Bison Slaughter Protesters to Remain in Jail Until at Least Monday | Earth First! Newswire

“The three protesters who were arrested Tuesday for their attempt to block the slaughter of Yellowstone bison will remain in jail at least until a detention hearing next week, a U.S. district judge decided.”

In Battle With Animal Rights Activists, He Sent Letter Filled with White Powder. To Himself | Earth First! Newswire

“It was part of an elaborate plot intended to frame his longtime nemesis, the animal-rights group called Smash HLS. For sending the letters, Block pleaded guilty recently to a federal charge of intentionally conveying false information through the mail. Block sent the letter, and another one to one of his own employees, and then turned around and used them as evidence in a lawsuit seeking a permanent restraining order against the protest group. But FBI agents found Block’s DNA on the seal strip of the letter. At a previously unpublicized hearing in January, Block accepted five years of probation and agreed to pay $14,872 for the cost of the police investigation. He got no prison time.”

Earth Liberation

After Months of Protests, Citizens Bank Ends Their Financing of Dakota Access Pipeline Company

“Activists and organizers with The FANG Collective, the Shame On Citizens campaign and other groups celebrated after learning that Citizens Bank had ended their financing of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP). Citizens Bank faced waves of demonstrations last year over their dealings with ETP and their sister company Sunoco Logistics.”

Scotland: Seaweed Shuts Down Nuclear Reactor Again | Earth First! Newswire

“Roving jellyfish and seaweed have long been unwanted guests at Scotland’s last two nuclear power stations. Now the marine algae have hit again, forcing one of the plants to partially power down despite freezing temperatures pushing up demand for electricity.“

New Anti-Coal Camp set up in Pont Valley, England

“At the entrance to the proposed Banks Group mine outside of Dipton and Leadgate on the outskirts of Newcastle in England, a new camp and occupation was put in place. In half a meter of snow and surrounded by uprooted hawthorne trees cut to make access to the mine, now serving as good source of fuel to the cold activist, a section 6 was placed on all the structures and entrances. Section 6 states that this location is occupied as living premises and court proceeding starting the eviction process have to take place before bailiffs or the police show up to evict.”

Sunrise Movement Blockades Oil Lobbyists' Dinner in Trump Hotel for an Hour | Earth First! Newswire

“The Sunrise Movement successfully slipped past the defenses of Trump Hotel and blocked the entrances to a room where “IPAAaccess” planned to eat dinner while lobbying politicians to do their bidding. All got out safely after an hour-long blockade.IPAAaccess is a lobbying arm of the Independent Petroleum Institute of America, and the purpose of the dinner was to promote fracking.”

Honduran Police Arrest Executive for Helping Plan Murder of Berta Caceres | Earth First! Newswire

“Roberto David Castillo Mejía, executive president of Desarrollos Energéticos Sociedad Anónima (DESA), was detained Friday at the Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in the Honduran capital as he was trying to flee the country.”

Seneca Nation Rallies To Defend River From Fracking Wastewater | Earth First! Newswire

“In Coudersport Pennsylvania, over 100 members of the Seneca Nation of Indians appeared at a public meeting to oppose a fracking wastewater treatment facility planned for development on the Allegheny River, known by the Seneca as the Ohi:yo’, which means “beautiful waters.”

UK Fracking Backlash: Seven of Eight Plans Rejected in 2018 | Earth First! Newswire

“The application by Ineos to explore for shale gas in South Yorkshire has been rejected by local councillors, bringing the number of planning decisions that have gone against fracking companies this year to seven.”

Climate protectors occupy coal-ship transfer port in #Rotterdam

“Dozens of climate activists from ‘We Stop Coal’ occupied the coal-ship port of the EMO Rotterdam. The participants of the protest state that it is time to break the power of the fossil industry. They say they will not leave until this renewed contract of EMO is made public and destroyed.”

Workplace Organizing

Gig economy strike and the Bologna Riders Union

“Food delivery riders in Bologna working for platforms like Just Eat, Deliveroo, Glovo, Sgnam went on strike for two hours, from 7pm to 9pm on a Friday evening. The strike was organized by the “Riders Union” and had a participation so high that the major platforms were forced to suspend their services, at first on and off and then finally for the entire night shift.”

2 Strikes, 1 Struggle: The Significance of the Communications Workers Strike in West Virginia

“As of 12:01am today, there are now 2 statewide strikes in West Virginia. Even though the negotiations between the Communications Workers of America members and Frontier have been ongoing for 10 months for a new collective bargaining agreement, it seems likely that the statewide strike by public school workers has played a role in the decision to strike (and to strike now).“

Montreal: IWW Action Following Wave of Abusive Firings at Heritage Coffee - It's Going Down

“The Montreal branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (SITT-IWW) started a picket line in front of the distribution centre Heritage Coffee, situated at 5715 chemin Saint-François in Ville Saint-Laurent. This picket line follows the firing of two workers, members of the SITT-IWW, for union organizing.”

Not All Strikes Are Created Equal - It's Going Down

“West Virginia teachers and school service personnel have returned to work. I wasn’t sure if they would accept the settlement and return to the schools today, but I saw the buses on the road on the way to work. The state capital in Charleston was full of energy last night as the masses of workers inside the capital complex cheered the signing of a 5% raise for all state employees and more details about the PEIA “Task Force” were divulged by our coal operator Governor.

Elsewhere yesterday, in Flatwoods, West Virginia, a scab pulled a gun on a Frontier striker. I didn’t see any police at any teachers’ and school workers’ pickets, but they’re definitely there outside Frontier performing their primary function: protecting private property. Whatever the scab would-be gunman did, it was bad enough for the cops to arrest him (and not the striker) – which means it must have been worse than the union’s statement makes it sound.”

Strippers Are Fighting Gentrification & Police Raids in New Orleans - It's Going Down

“This following report from strippers in New Orleans discusses ongoing actions against police raids, criminalization, and gentrification on Bourbon Street.“

A-Infos (en) Bitain, Manchester Solfed Picket Polish Consulate

“Manchester Solidarity Federation held a picket outside the Polish Consulate in Manchester today. Our picket was in solidarity with self-organised Polish postal workers who have been involved in a two year campaign aimed at improving pay and conditions and are being supported by our Polish IWA sister-section the ZSP union.”

A strike against/beyond borders: The march 8 feminist strike in #Spain

“Tens of thousands protested during the day and roving pickets closed roads, public transportation services, shops. Public and private sector workers (teachers, journalists, care workers, cleaners (las kellys) and so on) struck. Originally called by radical labour unions (the CNT, CGT, Solidaridade Obrera, among others), along with hundreds of feminist collectives and other political groups, its extraordinary resonance finally forced spain’s larger labour unions (the CCOO and the UGT) to join, with their membership contributing to a two hour afternoon labour stoppage involving some 6 million people. (El Pais 08/03/2018). Night brought the final act, with massive demonstrations in spain’s cities (over half a million people in Madrid and Barcelona, respectively).“

Antifa

Motor City Meltdown: Alt-Right Event Falters in Detroit as East Lansing Gears up to #StopSpencer - It's Going Down

“But even the road to the conference has been a rocky one. First, Elliot “Mosley,” the former leader of Identity Evropa, and once a part of the brand new Alt-Right super group headed by Spencer, ‘Operation Homeland,’ was discovered by The New York Times to have lied about his military service in Iraq. In response, Mosley was thrown under the bus by Spencer and friends and it remains unclear if he will be involved in the conference and associated activities at all.“

"We're Americans, And We're Fascists": Inside Patriot Front - UNICORN RIOT

“Unicorn Riot has gained access to a large amount of materials from Patriot Front Discord servers, including chat lots and audio recordings of voice meetings. The records of conversations between Patriot Front leaders and members spans months and provides a unique insight into the operations of the self-described “American fascist” organization.”

Entire Community Shuts Down Milo: Scottsdale & Phoenix Don't Want What You're Selling - It's Going Down

“Hello to everyone from the desert of southern so-called Arizona! We are Antifascist Action Phoenix and we’ve come to fill you in our efforts to shut down the first tour date for Milo Yiannopoulos’ new tour in the so-called united states. We put in many hours worth of work and researching; finding his shell companies, his “tactics,” and calling a few promotion companies in the valley. In the end it came down to an entire community effort that eventually got Milo closed out again.“

IGD East Lansing: Michigan Confronts the Alt-Right - It's Going Down

“Hundreds converged in East Lansing to mobilize against Richard Spencer, a leader among Alt-Right, neo-Nazi, fascist, and white nationalist circles.”

Salem, OR: Report Back From 'March 4 Trump' Counter Rally - It's Going Down

“The following submission, is an anonymous report back on an antifascist mobilization in Salem, Oregon, against the ‘March 4 Trump’ rally, which in the past has brought together neo-Nazis, militia members, and Trump supporters.”

Seattle: Gym Members and Community Members Demand "No Tolerance for White Nationalism" - It's Going Down

“Approximately 30 people, a vibrant, mixed crowd of gym members of community supporters ranging in age from 1 to 70 years old, showed up at the gym on a cold February evening. They delivered a demand to management that they implement a clear “No Tolerance for White Nationalism” policy, and flyered other members in order to inform them of the situation. Front desk staff thanked the group for their support for a policy that seems to be widely popular among the workers, and numerous visitors were happy to learn that people were taking action.“

Rebranding Fascism and Refinancing Mortgages: Andrew Murphy Harkins, Portland’s Nazi Banker

“Murphy Harkins is a fascist white supremacist involved with many local fascists and is affiliated with the racist group True Cascadia. When Murphy Harkins first became known to antifascists, he attempted to conceal his racist beliefs and connections. However, by June 2017 he was outwardly organizing with known fascist groups like Identity Evropa and True Cascadia. By August 2017, he was caught on film in Charlottesville, Virginia, attending the neo-Nazi/fascist/Confederate revanchist “Unite The Right” rally, both marching in the racist and anti-Semitic torch procession the night before the rally, and also during the violent day of the rally, when one of Murphy’s racist compatriots took the life of Heather Heyer.”

UK , London : London Antifa shuts down alt-right talk |

“A group of student and anti-fascist activists successfully shut down an ‘alt-right’ talk at King’s College London last night. Demonstrators stormed the stage and reportedly set off smoke bombs and a fire alarm in order to disrupt the event. The venue had to be evacuated.”

Pittsburgh: Alt-Weekly Whitewashes White Power Tattoo Artist - It's Going Down

“Women Ink” profiles 16 women who are challenging the male-dominated tattoo art scene in Pittsburgh. It could ostensibly be a pretty cool article… if it weren’t for the fact the author knowingly and deliberately dedicated a significant portion of the piece to a fucking Nazi.”

Outreach

#Olympia: Coffee Not Cops Responds to Community Police Forum

“We tabled under a sign saying, “coffee not cops” and passed out fliers, snacks and zines. We had some good conversations with people who expressed their distrust in community policing as well as some conversations with people who dismissed any critique of police as unrealistic.“

Other Disruptions

Java, Indonesia: Libertarian Student Federation (FML) Call for Direct Violence Against all forms of Sexual Repression in Indonesia at #WomensMarch2018

“At Women’s March 2018 in Salatiga (a city in Central Java province), the Libertarian Student Federation (FML) called for the direct use of violence against all forms of sexual repression in Indonesia. This is a response to the RKUHP (planned revisions to the Indonesian Criminal Code) which is considered to be detrimental to the women’s group and other marginalized gender groups. In addition, this call is also a response to the rise of ultra-nationalist and Islamic fundamentalists who became the moral police for all sexual activities, as well as a form of autonomy and solidarity with regard to the handling of cases of sexual violence outside the intervention of law and police.”

Melbourne, Australia: Action at the Turkish Consulate on International Women’s Day in Solidarity with Afrin

“As consulate staff cowered behind their security console we unfurled a banner that read ‘Turkey’s War On Afrin Is A War On Women’. We began chanting ‘Down Down Erdogan, Turkey Out of Kurdistan’, ‘Death To AKP, Afrin Women Will Be Free’ and ‘Free APO’ (PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan). A male consulate staff member soon began taking photos of us to try and intimidate us but we continued our action. Eventually a different male consulate staff member opened the inner security door and emerged angrily shouting at us ‘What are you doing here?’ The woman who organized the action told him that we were here on International Women’s Day to protest against the Turkish State’s genocidal invasion of Afrin and its brutal killing and mutilation of women fighters defending Afrin. He then yelled at us that we had to protest outside then promptly locked himself back in the security console. We continued our action, not intimidated in the slightest by his aggressive posturing. Eventually we went downstairs to the front of the building that houses the consulate and unfurled another banner that read ‘Stop The War In Kurdistan’ written in English, Kurdish and Turkish.”

International Women's Day: Solidarity From Olympia to Afrin - It's Going Down

“In honor of International Women’s Day and the ongoing struggle against sexism, patriarchy and oppression around the world, members of Demand Utopia, IWW and other comrades gathered in downtown Olympia, Washington to spread a message of solidarity with the Women’s Revolution in Afrin Canton and the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava) and their heroic resistance to the recent Turkish invasion.”

Repression & Prisoner Updates

More than 4000 people on fascist demo in #Kandel, #Germany

“Both fascist demos together had up to 4500 participants. The counter demo around 1000. We have no exact numbers. During the demo there were at least 3 fascist attacks against local residents, apparently some people got injured.“

Water Protector Support: Happy American Horse Held Captive By The U.S. Empire

“Happi is currently being held captive by the U.S. Empire around his traditional Lakota homelands (so-called Bismarck, North Dakota). He is in Burleigh / Morton County Detention Center. Any and all funds will be used for his freedom. As a frontline warrior, he took courage during the #NoDAPL struggle by putting his body in front of earth-destroying construction equipment and stood up for the people. Happi continues to inspire with his humble and happy spirit.“

“I can shoot you in a kneecap” – how Belarusian cops intimidate youth for alleged contacting with anarchists | anarchistnews.org

The ABC-Belarus received anonymous information about the intimidation of a young man from Stolin by Brest policemen. The man was threatened with a gun as the cops tried to force him to be a snitch for money.“

In solidarity with Pablo Hasél

“On the day that marks 44 years after the assassination of the anarchist Salvador Puig Antich, at the hands of Franco and the vile garrote, the condemnation of the rapper Pablo Hasél to two years and a day in prison for “promoting terrorism and insulting and calumniating the Crown and the state security services” cannot pass without a response.”

Environmental Racism Case: EPA Rejects Alabama Town's Claim Over Toxic Landfill

“The US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a civil rights case brought by residents of a small, overwhelmingly African American town in Alabama who have spent much of the past decade battling a toxic landfill they blame for causing a myriad of physical and mental illnesses.”

Hamilton, ON: The Tower Anarchist Social Centre's Statement on Recent Events - It's Going Down

“The following statement comes from the anarchist social center in so-called Hamilton, The Tower, and addresses their windows being smashed out and their door being kicked in on Sunday night. Locals believe it to be the apparent act of members of the far-Right, angry over a recent march against gentrification.”

Prosecutors Say A Woman Who Went Undercover With An "Anarchist Extremist Group" Will Testify At Inauguration Protest Trials | anarchistnews.org

“In the next round of trials against people charged with rioting during President Donald Trump’s inauguration, federal prosecutors want to put a witness on the stand under an alias who spent two years undercover with “an anarchist extremist group” in New York.”

#Gothenburg: Nazis placed bomb in spite of Swedish Security Service surveillance

“Three Nazis were prosecuted and are later convicted for the bombing. But when we review the preliminary investigation protocols it becomes apparent that the Security Service had several opportunities to stop the bombing.”

#Sweden: The court was not allowed to see important evidence at Nazi trial

“When two Nazis were prosecuted for a bombing against a refugee housing in Gothenburg, the court was not allowed to see important evidence. The Nazis were acquitted in the Court of Appeal.”

South-Africa: Abahlali baseMjondolo are under attack in #Ekukhanyeni

“Abahlali baseMjondolo are once again under attack in eKukhanyeni in Marianridge. Our members decided to go to the eThekwini Municipality’s department in numbers and demanded that they are provided with electricity. When they came back from that protest they found that their houses were being demolished by a private security company. When challenged a white man named Christopher who owns factories in the area claimed that the security company had been hired by the Land Bank. Furthermore, three members of the movement were attacked by men driving in two unmarked vehicles. These comrades were seriously injured and are currently in hospital.

Abahlali decided to blockade a nearby road to show their anger at the government who does not respond to their needs, the actions of the security company and the men in the unmarked vehicles and who ever sent the security company and these men.”

Kurdish Movement: German police raid #Mesopotamia Publishing House in #Neuss

“The raid came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s visit to Berlin on Tuesday. While the search in the publishing house continues, no details were immediately available regarding the raid. During Turkish Minister’s visit, German police carried out a raid on German leftist groups in solidarity with the Kurds in the city of Erfurt. Police conducted a search in a total of 5 houses and offices.”

Italy: Update on “Scripta Manent” prisoners (03/2018) | anarchistnews.org

”All the defendants who are able to attend the hearings have expressed a desire to see a possible solidarity presence in the courtroom. Marco has attended some of the last hearings, but he doesn’t know whether he will attend or not the next ones, since lately he is attending alone. Anna obtained the permit to attend the hearings of 7th and 8th, therefore we CALL FOR A SOLIDARITY PRESENCE IN COURTROOM to give them a sign of closeness and support. For all we know, Danilo, Alfredo and Anna get their mail regularly. They are fine and in high spirit. Valentina is under house arrest, with all the restrictions, she can meet just few family members. Soon an e-mail address will be available to ask for additional information about the case.”

Police Authorities Banned Kurdish #Newroz Demo in #Hannover, #Germany

“The AKP tries to intimidate the Kurdish population with bans, arrests and massacre against civilians. But also this year hundreds of thousands, or even million of people will take the streets in North-Kurdistan and Western-Turkey, to celebrate Newroz and to show their solidarity with Afrin. That the German government is importing the dirty Turkish policies to Germany and thinks that they can intimidate the Kurdish population and their friends with repression and bans is really dangerous. In this way the German government is participating in the policies of oppression and denial of Kurdish people.“

Campus Arson Attacks Follows Months of Alt-Right Activity - It's Going Down

“Last Saturday, Rob Cantrall, a member of the Proud Boys, was filmed on camera harassing staff members of Revolution Books in Berkeley, California. Cantrall and friends were returning from Sacramento after a right wing rally had fallen through, and decided to stop in Berkeley to take part in routine harassment of the small radical bookstore. In a video which has since gone viral, Cantrall, who is wearing a red MAGA hat is recorded as saying, “We’re going to burn down your store!” “

For further news check out: Anarchist News Daily

For anarchist podcasts, lectures, and audiobooks check out: F Yeah Anarchist Audio

For anarchist videos check out: F Yeah Anarchist Video

Current news sites include: itsgoingdown.org insurrectionnewsworldwide.com earthfirstjournal.org unicornriot.ninja anarchistnews.org contrainfo.espiv.net actforfree.nostate.net libcom.org enoughisenough14.org ainfos.ca/en

#anarchism #news #march 2018 #highlights #h #round up

8 notes · View notes

sussex-nature-lover · 3 years

Text

Sunday 15th August 2021

Butterflies and Other Chatter

Most people seem to be reporting the garden feeders going quiet as birds finish their breeding season and the adults go into moult. Our feeders are still extremely busy with Blue and Great Tits, but also Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Blackbirds, House Sparrows and Starlings are here in big numbers. We’re missing our Chaffinch and haven’t seen many Dunnock of late, but Nuthatch, Goldfinch, Jackdaw and Robin are around, just spotted less frequenty. I’m sure I’m missing out loads more.

Did I say though that when we went up through the Hop Garden last week that it was strangely quiet of birdsong? not at all like it usually is. I mean I know the Swallows prefer the other side of the lane, near the water supplies and some migrants may be already making their way back, but the fields and hedges are usually full of noisy natives too. I have a few pics of that walk for my next entry here. It was a lovely day though and we saw lots of butterflies, which I’ll concentrate on today.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Do you know, I’m not sure I’ve ever captured a male Red Admiral, their upper stripe is true red, whereas the female has orange, which seems to be the case in all my photos.

UK Butterflies site says

This butterfly is primarily a migrant to our shores, although sightings of individuals and immature stages in the first few months of the year, especially in the south of England, mean that this butterfly is now considered resident. This resident population is considered to only be a small fraction of the population seen in the British Isles, which gets topped up every year with migrants arriving in May and June that originate in central Europe

Whenever we go that way we seem to see mostly Small/Large Whites or Red Admiral butterflies, which figures as they’re one of the most common types. The Red Admirals seem to follow us and I’m never quite sure if I’m photographing the same one! Most of them look rather dusty or rain battered too, but they’re a smashing splash of colour.

The Meadow Browns are smaller and much more discretely coloured - very delicate. We’ve seen quite a number of them, although they’re usually stationary with wings folded in, no matter how long I wait, which is frustrating sometimes. I just read that’s how they always rest (wings folded in) That reminds me of being told Elephants rest by standing still and raising one leg, I wonder if that’s an origin of the saying to take the weight off (your feet)? Seems likely.

Meadow Brown ( Maniola jurtina)

The Meadow Brown is one of our commonest and most widespread butterflies, and a familiar sight throughout the summer months. This species can be found in all parts of the British Isles, with the exception of the most mountainous regions and Shetland. This is a highly variable species with four named subspecies found in the British Isles, although the differences between them are often subtle.

Another orange and brown butterfly is the Comma, which has the very distinctive raggedy pattern to its wing edges.

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

The Comma is a fascinating butterfly. The scalloped edges and cryptic colouring of the wings conceal hibernating adults amongst dead leaves, while the larvae, flecked with brown and white markings, bear close resemblance to bird droppings.

The species has a flexible life cycle, which allows it to capitalize on favourable weather conditions. However, the most remarkable feature of the Comma has been its severe decline in the twentieth century and subsequent comeback. It is now widespread in southern Britain and its range is expanding northwards.

Small White (Pieris rapae)

It has brilliant white wings, with small black tips to the forewings and one or two wing spots. The undersides are a creamy white.

The Large White is similar but larger, and has a larger spot in the tip of the forewing that extends down the wing's edge.

I’ve got a few more Butterfly pics in my folder.

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Wings are bright blue. Females have black wing edges. Undersides pale blue with small black spots which distinguish them from Common Blue.

The Holly Blue is easily identified in early spring, as it emerges well before other blue butterflies. It tends to fly high around bushes and trees, whereas other grassland blues usually stay near ground level. It is much the commonest blue found in parks and gardens where it congregates around Holly (in spring) and Ivy (in late summer).

The Holly Blue is widespread but undergoes large fluctuations in numbers from year to year. It has expanded northwards in recent years and has colonised parts of midland and northern England.

I think that photo was in our own garden.

Small Copper (Ycaena phlaeas) photographed at Standen

This little butterfly is commonly found in small numbers in a wide variety of sunny open habitats such as woodland rides, hills, commons and grassy coastal cliff tops.

Small numbers may also be attracted into gardens to nectar on a variety of flowering plants.

The males are restless, highly territorial and easily disturbed.

Both males and females are often seen basking on bare ground and nectaring on a wide variety of flowers such as knotgrass, fleabane, dandelion, buddleias and heathers.

During good summers in the British Isles there may be as many as three generations between April and October, with the last generation overwintering as a caterpillar.

Something I once found at home, which is apparently quite common, but I’ve only ever seen two, is this...

Aren’t they lovely.

White Ermine Moth (Spilosoma lubricipedia)

you can read about it at the wildlife insight page if you click the bold text above.

Now, above and below is a real quandary, for me at least. I’m far away from being any kind of bird or nature expert, I just live in the countryside and enjoy looking and learning. This butterfly on my camera roll has completely confounded me. It’s from an old camera back in 2019 and I’m struggling to identify it. I can’t remember taking it or where it may have been, on a local walk by the look of it, but I’ve honestly begun to wonder if I snapped it on the TV or my laptop screen, not that I can think why I’d have done that, but I can’t work it out at all, even searching for orange butterflies and moths worldwide.

I’ve narrowed down for comparison below, but not found any type of Butterfly with those regular dots on the upper wing like this one. Might it be some kind of Frittillary? No idea, all I know is it has the pearl edging of the Tortoishell and the dark with white patches and some of the round, dark markings of the Painted Lady, I just can’t find a definitive match - not so far anyway.

Internet sourced pics: Painted Lady above and Small Tortoiseshell below

If anyone can solve my mystery, let me know.

pdf identification of British Butterflies on This Link

OTHER GARDEN NEWS:

The third nest of House Sparrows has fledged, so the side nest box has gone very quiet, however, the open fronted nest box in the porch has subtle changes in appearance most days

We heard an awful lot of baby chirping this afternoon, my phone app said House Sparrows, but it was just generic chirping of nestlings I think. We watched for ages but saw no-one. It was hard to tell if the noises came from the box or the shrubbery just around the corner below. Watch this space - TBC.

WHAT MADE ME LAUGH TODAY? an excerpt in the weekly newletter from an author in France

When we first came to France, there were no gates to our garden, anyone could walk in – and they frequently did! One day Mark, my other half, was cutting the grass peacefully on our ride-on mower when a man driving past our house on a ride-on mower took a detour into our garden and started racing my totaly bemused husband. Up and down they went uttering not a word to each other. Le Mans it wasn’t, but they were both in it to win it. They raced with the speed of a pair of determined but geriatric snails, then the mysterious mower pulled away, raised a hand and disappeared back out of the gate.

Here are more of my photos on my other Tumblr page

#nature butterflies wildlife photography

0 notes