Parasites in meadow brown caterpillars.

A few people have told me that they have seen white meadow brown butterflies. The reason they are white is that a parasite will sometimes get into their developing larvae during the pupil stage. This is the stage of the metamorphose when the butterflies colours are put into their wings. They have little scales, which are like millions of bags. Blood is pumped sequentially through all of these. The blood carries the pigments, when each colour is completed the scales are sealed, then progressively the scales are filled with the pigment. When the butterfly then emerges they dry out and typically turn into the wings and scales. While the pupae is metamorphosing, a parasite has disrupted the distribution of pigments into the sacks that become scales. Meadow browns are brown for protection, blending in with their natural background. White meadow browns will stick out and be predated.

The cervidae family.

Part seven the Chinese water deer.

The reed swamps and grassy river valleys of north-east china are the original home of the Chinese water deer. They were introduced to England at woburn park, Bedfordshire, early this century. Animals bred there were supplied to whipsnade park and also to private landowners, who in return sent them to other parks in several counties. After several escapes occurred and a few feral populations have become established. The two main spots are the cambridgeshire fens and the broads of east anglia, where there are wetlands and dense reed beds and clumps of alder that provides thick cover. Unlike any other male deer in Britain, the Chinese water deer has no antlers but has tusk like teeth protruding about two and a half inches below their upper lip. The deer is slightly higher at the haunch than at the shoulder, and in summer is a sleek red-brown. It has large, rounded ears which are very furry on the inside. The buck stands about twenty four inches high at its shoulder, with the female being slightly smaller. Feral Chinese water deer are usually solitary or in very small groups. In contrast, the deer that live in parks gather in large groups, because of this they are easily seen. They leap and bound through the long grass, their hind legs are flung high in a manner like hares. Their rutting season is between November and December. They bark, whicker and squeak as they chase each other. Fawns are born about June and are spotted. Twins and triplets are usual, but sextuplets may occur. Many fawns will die not long after birth. The tail is short and held close to the rump. It is inconspicuous, especially during winter, the deer's coat is a pale grey-brown colour during winter. The Chinese water deer feed mainly on grasses, rarely browsing on shrubs or trees. As with other ruminants, a period of grazing is followed by a period of rest, during which the deer chews the cud.

Red deer cull.

Part one.

The caleodian forest is a lovely mix of pine, heather and all of the animals associated with it. But as beautiful as this is, something is out of balance. One animal is having a huge impact on all of the other species. The red deer. The cull is one of the most contreversal conservation issues in Britain today. Without natural predstors like wolves and bears , we humans eradicated both, deer numbers have increased dramatically in the highlands over over the last hundred years. They belong in the highlands just as much as any other animal, but humans have created an eco-system with no natural method of controlling them. Some people believe red deer population is so out of balance that it needs culling. Its an uncomfortable situation for most of us, but its a reality of whats happening in the highlands. The forestry comission of Scotland work hard to keep the deer numbers low. They believe that the red deer numbers are to high. One problem is they eat all of the heather, right down to the moss. The heather is essentail for all of the red grouse, but grazed heather is just the tip of an ecological iceberg. The caledonian forest struggles to regenerate because the deer eat all of the young saplings, its literally dieing out along with the species that live within it. This is what motivates the forestry comission to cull the deer, to help keep a fine balance within the eco-system. But the actual deer stalking is tough , sometimes it can take upto five hours to find a deer. A deer can smell a human upto one mile away if the wind is behind the humans, so blowing their scent towards the deer. The final part is to crawl amongst the heather to get close to his quarry. When the gun comes out of the bag it would really challenge me, but i know its essential for consevation. This is a a key part of a very difficult debate.

Solitary bees.

The great majority of bees in Britain do not live in organised colonies like honey-bees and bumble-bees. They are solitary insects that make small nests in soil, hollow stems, decaying stumps or mortar. The female lays a few eggs in the hole and then moves on to build other nests. Once she has laid all her eggs she usually dies, leaving the nests stocked with food for the developing larvae to eat. Some species build their nests close together and then guard the entrances from predators, such as cuckoo bees which may try to take over the nests and lay their own eggs in them. Britain has 227 species of solitary bees, compared to only one species of honey-bee. Many solitary bees  look like honey-bees in shape and colour but are usually smaller. They do not have a worker caste- just males and females. They are dependent on flowers for food and are a major force in pollinating plants.