Botanical Field Trip to Ardmaddy

Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk Moth (Hemaris tityus)

The Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk Moth photographed below was found today, Monday 7th May at Kilbrandon Cottages, Balvicar, Isle of Seil.

Description:   In flight the adult of this species resembles a large bumblebee. It has clear wings with darker borders that are narrower than the similar but more widespread Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth H. fuciformis.
The latter species is also distinguished by a reddish or maroon band on
the wings which is black on the Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth.
The name Hemaris comes from the Greek hemera, meaning ‘the day’,
referring to the day-flying behaviour of the moth. Tityus was a
giant in Roman mythology, perhaps testament to the relatively
large size of this species. The species was formerly widely
recorded in the UK but has undergone a substantial decline.
Most recent records are from southern and south-west
England, but it has been reported elsewhere including
East Anglia, parts of Wales and the Scottish Highlands.

Foodplants : The larvae feed most often on Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), but also on Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) and Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis).

Habitat : The moth is a species of open grassland and open areas in and adjacent to woodland. It is particularly associated with the damp ‘culm’ grasslands of south-west England, damp moorland, marshland and wet heaths, as well as chalk downland in parts of southern England. Recent work on damp grassland habitats indicated that larvae are typically found in rather short turf
(<12cm in height), often on the edge of open ‘lawns’ rich in Devil’s-bit Scabious within a taller sward.

Life cycle : The species is single-brooded. The eggs are laid singly on the undersides of scabious leaves, usually under the lower leaves. The larvae develop from July to August. The species overwinters as a pupa in a loose cocoon just below the soil surface. Adults fly from mid May to mid June. They
are powerful fliers and cover large distances at speed, hovering at flowers to feed on nectar.

Regards, Richard

SNHG Monthly Talk – Tuesday 8th May

Lorn’s Underwater Secrets

The title of next month’s talk on Tuesday 8th May by Graeme Bruce has been changed to “Lorn’s Underwater Secrets”.  Having seen a preview of this talk I can thoroughly recommend this to all members.  This includes some stunning underwater photography of sea creatures most of us will never have seen.

His talk on “Diving St Kilda” will be delivered at the Festival of the Sea on Sunday 27th May 2012. Both should not to be missed !!

For more details contact Richard Wesley on :-

L: 01852 300388, M: 07788 721448, E: snhguk@gmail.com

Luing History Group – Wednesday 23 May

Wednesday 23 May at 7.45pm in Cullipool Hall, Isle of Luing

“Downstream of the Corryvreckan – tracking currents, Birds and Porpoises in the Great Race”

An Illustrated talk for everyone by Dr Andy Dale from S.A.M.S.

The Great Race, the turbulent outflow from the Gulf of Corryvreckan into the Firth of Lorn, is a fascinating place where complex, eddying currents provide a rich feeding ground for birds and marine mammals. This talk will chart recent investigations into the tidal currents of the Great Race, looking at its ecological effects and considering how seabirds and porpoises tune their behaviour to the tidal cycle.

All Welcome FREE Entry

Followed by home-baking refreshments for a donation to LHG funds

N.B. Cuan passenger ferry from Seil to Luing at 7.30pm and 10pm.

To book your place on ferry (£1.75 return, exact cash) and a lift to the hall, contact Zoë Fleming. Book on Mon 21 & Tue 22 May by 01852-314367 or zdfleming@btinternet.com

SNHG Committee Meeting – Wed 2nd May 2012

Following a suggestion at our SNHG Committee Meeting tonight I thought I would try and put together a short piece to let members know some of the topics discussed and bring them up to date with our ongoing projects. I have also listed below Office Bearers and committee members

 

Office Bearers and Committee Members :-

 

Chairman: Richard Wesley, Vice Chairman: John Gordon, Secretary: Martin Waddell, Treasurer: Trevor Davies, Membership Secretary: Birgit Whitmore, Biological Recording Secretary: Carl Farmer. Committee Members: Sue Vest and Paul Anfield.

 

Membership Report: Current paid up members stands at 86.  Still awaiting several members who have still not paid their subs.

Financial Report:

Effective balance at 01/01/12 – £1042.76

Total Income 2012 – (£1499.43),  Expenditure 2012 – (£948.50)

Current Total at 02/05/12  – (£1606.34)

Biological Recording Report: Our first SNHG dataset of 10,000 records has now been downloaded to the National Biodiversity Network (NBN). The NBN now holds over 60 million biological records nationwide.

Festival of the Sea:  A day long event at Seil Island Hall is being organised by the SNHG as part of the Festival of the Sea on Sunday 27th May 2012.  This will involve a diverse programme of events that will include :-

• An outdoor Church Service on the Hall Sports Field at 1130 hours
• Four marine related talks from 1300 – 1700 hours
• Displays in Main Hall
• Boat Trips
• Childrens Events
• Music and Poetry Evening

Argyll and Islands Coastal and Countryside Trust (AICCT): Two members of the committee attended a consultation on this proposed trust which aims to help communities and businesses to enhance our life here in Argyll and the Islands.   More info :- Community groups, development trusts, local organisations, land managers, businesses, schools and youth organisations – anyone with an interest in outdoor access, biodiversity, and the historic environment – is encouraged to get involved in the consultation process for the proposed AICCT.
We want to hear your views on how the Trust could assist the work that you
do, and any ideas or concerns you might have.

Fund Raising:  Attendance at Seil Island Hall Bric-a Brac sale at Easter raised additional funds.  

Colonsay Spring Trip: All arrangements are now in place for the SNHG spring trip to Colonsay between Monday 14th May and Friday 18th May.  Fourteen SNHG members will be taking part in this trip, staying at the Backpackers Lodge near Kiloran Bay.  The Colonsay Festival will be in full swing during the week adding to the whole experience.

LORN Producers Market: Attendance at the LORN producers market on Thursday 5th April at Benderloch during Easter was a great success and was directed towards children with a “Touchie Feelie Box” and live sea creatures including the star of the show a Curled Octopus.

 

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 12th September 2012

 

Walk on the Degnish – Sunday 22nd April 2012

Sunday Walk on the Degnish :

The Kilbrandon Church Home Group have organised a walk on Sunday 22nd April, starting at 14:30 hrs to Degnish and Lochan nan Ceardach. This is a three mile walk which should take about 2 hours to complete.

Everyone is welcome on this walk. Please meet at Ardshellach Farm (Doreen Gilbert’s) which is about 0.5 mile along the Ardmaddy road from Auchnasaul on the B844.

For more information please contact : Richard Wesley

L: 01852 300388,  M: 07788 721448,  E: snhguk@gmail.com

SNHG Monthly Talk – Tuesday 10th April 2012

“Fuel from Seaweed”

Yet another change to our speaker tomorrow night !  Unfortunately Laken-Louise Hives has been taken ill, so Ian MacFarlane from SAMS and Biomara has stepped into the breach.

Ian Macfarlane is Facilitator & Chair of BioMara Stakeholder Group. BioMara, is a new UK and Irish joint project that aims to demonstrate the feasibility and viability of producing third generation biofuels from marine biomass. They are investigating macroalgae (seaweeds) and microalgae (single-celled plants) for their potential to provide sustainable fuel. In addition, the project is studying the environmental, social and economic impacts of using marine biofuel. A key remit of BioMara is to engage with the wider community

http://www.biomara.org/

With the move towards sustainable, renewable energy Ian’s talk entitled “Fuel from Seaweed” should be of great interest.

Please come along and support this meeting as Ian has stepped in at the very last minute, when I thought all hope was lost !!

For more information please contact : Richard Wesley (SNHG)

Members free, Guests £2

L: 01852 300388,  M: 07788 721448,  E: snhguk@gmail.com