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Tuesday 29th July

As from Monday 28th July River Cottage is welcoming a group of biologists from the University of Gloucestershire, led by Dr Adam Hart, (Course Leader Biosciences), to carry out a biodiversity study.  They will be looking at the plants and animals on the farm, identifying the different species and getting an idea of their abundance.  They will be writing their own blogs for our website and let you know what they have found which will also have links so that you can find out more about some of the discoveries they make.

When they've finished, they will create some information boards to go up on around the farm and some suggestions on how to keep, and increase, biodiversity.  For those of you who have yet to visit us at HQ they will also suggest ways that everyone can increase biodiversity in their gardens.  One way would be to have your own pond - but don't think you need to dig anything too big, a ceramic basin sunk into the ground (put the plug in first!) can attract all manner of plants, creepy crawlies, frogs, toads, newts and birds to your garden.

Today was a cooler day at River Cottage HQ (no bad thing after the scorcher on Monday), and there was some rain to contend with. However, the wetter weather didn’t stop Cat and Claire from finding plenty of invertebrates in their pitfall traps, which kept them occupied with identification until lunchtime. There were a lot of harvestman (an arachnid related to the spiders), some spiders, several species of ground beetle, including the very pretty violet ground beetle and several species of rove beetle (one particular favourite was Staphylinus caesareus). They also found some interesting fungi while checking the traps, including the stinking parasol, a poisonous species.
After a quick lunch, some pond dipping revealed plenty of smooth newt tadpoles and a possible crested newt tadpole, some water boatman, larval forms of the dragonflies seen flying around the farm (including Ruddy darter, Emperor, and the common club-tail), as well as mayfly and stonefly larvae. Pond dipping is not without its hazards – in this case fending off the cows, which were determined to drink the pond samples! As the evening approaches, mammal traps (so far empty) need to be re-set, pitfall traps checked for insects active during the day, moth traps recharged and bat detectors turned on.
One way to increase biodiversity in your garden is to think carefully about the landscaping you use – decking and patio are great for people but not so good for wildlife. Consider the space under the deck – it could be a perfect refuge for small mammals as well as insects and amphibians if you make it wildlife friendly. Some old logs placed under the deck provide a great site for beetles and other bugs to lay their eggs. Insects are great for attracting other wildlife to the garden – birds, mammals and amphibians will come to feed on them. If there’s room you might even consider putting some shade-tolerant plants under the deck space. Your local garden centre can advise you on the best plants to grow.

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