#702: Drought

Drought is a threat to many native species and is therefore connected to natural history.

Droughts are defined differently depending on location.

From the DEFRA website.

There isn’t a single definition for drought so whilst it’s caused by a period of low rainfall, the nature, timing and impacts on people, the environment, agriculture or business will vary.

Some droughts are short and intense, caused by a hot, dry summer. Others are long and take time to develop over multiple seasons due to low amounts of rainfall accumulating.

The main types of drought, which may occur separately or together are:

• Agricultural drought – when there isn’t enough rainfall and moisture in soils to support crop production or farming practices such as spray irrigation.
• Environmental drought – when lack of rainfall has a detrimental impact on the environment and ecology.
• Water supply drought – when a lack of rainfall leads to concerns from water companies about supplies for their customers.

The Summer of 2022 saw a prolonged drought, which had a great impact on grass everywhere. 2026 was worse....

Grass is at least fairly tolerant of drought as it grows in a particular way which means it is often protected from threats such as drought and fire.

Other plants are perhaps less tolerant, and it was a struggle to keep some plants alive.

Image: Alan Parkinson

#701: SISI and Alien Detectives

SISI is the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.

They have produced an excellent set of materials on the theme of invasive species which is called Alien Detectives.

This includes a whole range of materials: powerpoints and other documents, to take students and teachers through the whole story of a theme which is important for the GCSE Natural History as these plants are non-native.

There are seven sections to the resource.

There's also an excellent page of additional information and links.

Check out this nice interactive video on Marine invasive species:

#700: Another milestone passed...

 

#699: Mosses and Lichens

The latest book I've been reading to fillet for useful quotes and information is about mosses and lichens.

Image: Alan Parkinson

Mosses are quite amazing things when you look at them closely, which you have to in order to understand and identify them.

A link here to some very useful ID resources. These links are very helpful and free of charge resources as well.

They are from the British Bryological Society.

#698: Plant heritage

Plant Heritage website.

Plant Heritage is the UK's leading charity for the conservation of cultivated plants. It is also the home of the National Plant Collections®

Gardens are one of the habitats that students can use as a study area according to the proposed subject content.

There will need to be some guidance booklets on this for teachers to work with.

#697: Encountering wildlife

It's a sad fact that for many people the only time they see a pheasant or other native wildife is when it's dead and splattered on the road.

For many, the only sight of a badger is as roadkill. There's a corner on the A10 near to the village of Southery in Norfolk which regularly has the sad sight of a corpse. There was one there on Sunday when I drove to Ely.

One project called The Road Lab (formerly Project Splatter), records sightings and interactions.

At the end of September 2021, an estimated 39.2 million motor vehicles were licensed for use on the roads in Great Britain (DVLA). In the UK, we currently have a poor understanding of the impact roads have on our wildlife.

We are a team of researchers based at Cardiff University, with collaborators around the world. With help from the public, we have been collecting data on animals killed by motor vehicles on roads in the UK for the last 10 years. This data is analysed to determine the impact of roads on UK wildlife and to identify hotspots where mitigation efforts may be needed. We provide regular updates on what we have learned on social media, on our website and in scientific publications in order to keep our reporters updated on how they are helping protect wildlife here in the UK.

You can help us understand where and when wildlife roadkill occurs on roads in the UK by reporting what you see to us. We are interested in birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles and all you have to do is let us know where, when and what species you have seen as roadkill.

The wildlife and nature writer Barry Lopez wrote a book called 'Apologia' where he apologised for the toll of wildlife on the nation's roads.

It can be read on the Internet Archive - physical copies are getting more expensive.

#696: Thought for the Day

"There are few joys greater than the intellectual joy of suddenly seeing the co-relation of things which were formerly detached"

Halford MacKinder 'The Development of Geographical Teaching through Nature Study' (Geographical Teacher, Vol 2.)

#695: Arran Coast MPA

The Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) is a grassroots organisation that has been working tirelessly for over 25 years to ensure the region’s marine environment thrives.

Amongst a host of pioneering conservation work, they were responsible for the creation of Scotland’s first, and the UK’s only, community-led No Take Zone (NTZ), which has allowed almost 375 football fields worth of ocean habitat in Lamlash Bay to be entirely protected from all fishing and extraction.

The NTZ now sits within the South Arran Marine Protected Area, established in 2016, which excludes scallop dredging and limits prawn trawling activity. These protected areas encourage natural regeneration of habitats and the recovery of wildlife populations.

To read more or support COAST, please visit their website.

COAST Discovery Centre,

Old Pavilion,
Lamlash,
Isle of Arran,
KA27 8LS

#694: Soil in the Classroom

From the Office for Climate Education. A new resource pack.

Soil is easy to overlook, yet healthy soil supports the ecosystems we depend on, helps communities respond to climate change, and contributes to human well-being. 

The SoilTribes Train-the-Trainers Pack gives educators practical ways to make this living world visible to their students.

Created in the framework of the European SoilTribes initiative, the pack brings together 10 formal lessons, 2 non-formal activities and supporting videos. Hands-on demonstrations and explanations from scientific experts help educators move from classroom discussion to observation, experimentation and creative work.

SoilTribes is also worth exploring further.

The resources invite students to explore what healthy soil does and why it needs care. They also examine the pressures it faces, including climate change, intensive agriculture and urbanisation. Through a range of teaching methods aligned with the GreenComp sustainability competencies, students build knowledge they can use to think critically and take action.

At its heart, SoilTribes is an invitation to reconnect with the ground beneath our feet. By sharing knowledge and working together, educators and students can turn a deeper understanding of soil into everyday stewardship.

#693: Curious by Nature

This is a podcast series from Farmer's Weekly.

Available on YouTube.

This campaign aims to broaden perceptions of agriculture by showcasing real people, real careers, and real workplaces — highlighting routes into the industry that may not typically be associated with traditional farming.

From labs to logistics, data to sustainability, journalist Evie Clark will be meeting inspiring people to discover what they do, how they got there, and why their work truly matters.

Connections with local farmers will be something that schools may want to explore and pursue... the need to produce food for food security against the potential impacts on biodiversity.

#692: How to live on Earth

Now out to view in full...

How to Live on Earth is an ambitious feature documentary that explores how humanity can build a safe and thriving future by working with nature, not against it. 

Presented by Benedict Cumberbatch, the film presents the ultimate hack, showing what becomes possible when we team up with nature to solve our greatest challenges. 

Heart-warming, entertaining and energising, the film presents a hopeful vision of a future within reach – one in which nature thrives, and so do we.

Key Messages

1. We are part of nature, not apart from it. It is the foundation of our health and prosperity.

2. The systems that underpin how we live on Earth today fundamentally do not value nature.

3. By working with nature, not against it, we can build a safe and thriving future for all.

#691: Derek vs Derek

Derek vs Derek is a documentary exploring two neighbouring farmers, both called Derek.

Two neighbouring Devon farmers, both called Derek, go to war over the future of their land in this funny and timely documentary.

One is an advocate for intensive farming; the other is giving his entire farm over to nature, rewilding it into an oasis for wildlife. Tempers fray, wild animals escape, and the land between them is transformed, all while the two Dereks butt heads over what the English countryside should look like and who gets to decide. The tension between rewilding and traditional agriculture has never felt more urgent, and the film finds its way into that conversation through a neighbourly dispute that just happens to share a name on both sides of the fence.

200 000 page views

Just 10 months to add another 100 000 page views of the blog.

Thanks for your interest in the blog.

Image: Alan Parkinson

#690: Our need to be fully human

That is the title of a blog on the NAEE website which has been written by Mary Colwell, the instigator of the GCSE in Natural History.

"It is essential we tell children that their home is precious, that it matters, that the life around them has a value and a right to exist – and that it is essential for the survival of humanity. 

We must show them how to notice and to care. 

We have to connect children to the natural world and teach them the names of things and what life needs to thrive. 

Future generations will have to sort out the mess we have made and they must be given the tools to do that. 

They must be plugged into nature, drawing from it the life lessons that will keep the Earth functioning and, crucially, keep us sane. 

We will rely on future generations to make wise decisions for all of life on Earth."

#689: The Primrose from England.

'A Primrose from England' is a painting by Edward Hopley from around 1855.

Edward Hopley
Great Britain 1816-1869
A Primrose from England c.1855
oil on canvas
151.0 x 201.0 cm

This Conversation piece looks at the technology called the Wardian Case. 

I have blogged about this previously.

These were used to bring species from abroad.

#688: 'The Little Grey Men'

Denys Watkins-Pitchford was also known as 'BB'.

He wrote a range of books on natural history, shooting and conservation. Many of these remain in print despite being first published and have really nice illustrations by BB himself, including paintings and engravings.

He was an artist, writer, and outdoorsman, and wrote upwards of 50 books for adults and children. His regular column in “The Shooting Times” gave him his pseudonym, apparently'BB' was the size of the lead shot he used to hunt geese.

I've previously talked about the link between shooting and conservation. 

'The Little Grey Men' was the first of a pair of books featuring a quartet of gnomes and their adventures. They are described in the introduction as "the last gnomes in Britain".

The subtitle is: 'A story for the young in heart'

Their names are Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder and Cloudberry. These are all the names of plants.

They live next to the Folly Brook.

Cloudberry goes exploring and disappears so they build a boat called the 'Dragonfly' and go in search of him. The book is the story of the gnomes' epic journey, set against the background of the English countryside, beginning in spring, continuing through summer, and concluding in autumn, when the first frosts are starting to arrive.

The book was first published in 1942. It won the Carnegie Medal.

The books are available in modern editions and you can find earlier editions from online retailers.

Read it on the Internet Archive here.

There was a TV adaptation of the book in 1975,

A trail based on the books can be found at Brixworth Country Park.

Recently, the nature writer Melissa Harrison wrote a couple of books which were inspired by the original books: 'By Oak, Ash and Thorn' and 'By Rowan and Yew'.

A nice piece in Elementum magazine. It was written by Helena Drysdale.

The book had two sequels. The first, published in 1948 is called 'Down the Bright Stream'. I have a copy of that too.

BB prefaced Down the Bright Stream with a text copied by his clergyman father from a Cumbrian gravestone:

The wonder of the world

The beauty and the power

The shapes of things,

Their colours, light and shades

These I saw,

Look ye also while life lasts.

#687: Facebook group approaching 1000 members

When the GCSE Natural History was confirmed as going ahead... several years ago now, Anthony Bennett and I set up a few things including a Facebook group, and a blog. The blog has almost 700 posts on it now, with plenty of ideas and links to return to when we start creating resources for the new specification.

And the Facebook Group has 997 members at the time of posting. Could you (or someone you know if you're already a member) help us get over 1000.

We have had the latest consultation on the proposed subject content - I presume we are now waiting for a final document sometime in 2027.

Join the group and follow the blog to be ready should your school be one that decides to offer the new GCSE, and also offer you the chance to teach it should you wish.

Update

Now up over 1000 members.

#686: Spell Songs - In Thin Air

A new offering connected with the work of Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane. Their latest book is 'The Book of Birds' and this is a musical companion piece.

Spell Songs’ third studio album: In Thin Air, forms a musical companion piece to Robert and Jackie’s book The Book of Birds - a book that is a love letter to the splendours and mysteries of birdlife, and a clarion call to halt the loss of birds from land, sea and sky.

The music was created within the contemplative green oak roundhouse of Ty Sanctaidd (Sacred House) in the grounds of Ty Trefacwn in South West Wales, and recorded at Castle Sound Studio in Pencaitland, East Lothian. As with our other albums In Thin Air has been recorded and produced by Andy Bell of Hudson Records.

Throughout The Book of Birds there runs a gentle mantra – “Nest, Egg, Beak, Song, Feather, Flight, Migration — these are the Seven Wonders that together conjure the miracle of Bird”. 

Intrigued by this concept, the seven musicians have created an intricate new album that has an overarching narrative, capturing the remarkable world of birds from birth to flight.

In Thin Air was released into the wild on 4th September 2026 

#685: TES piece on the consultation on proposed subject content

This TES piece includes some elements of the responses to the  consultation on the proposed subject content of the new GCSE Natural History from the RGS and the GA.

These include concerns over the shortage of teachers who might teach the new specification, and the fieldwork elements of the course. The fieldwork may be difficult for some schools due to their location, but may also adversely affect the habitats that students are being asked to investigate.

#684: Westacre Estate

BBC's Countryfile yesterday came from the Westacre Estate. It sits in the Nar valley in West Norfolk, just a few miles from where I live. The River Nar is a chalk stream and flows within a few hundred metres of my house.

On iPlayer.

The estate manages 8500 acres in a large block, running up towards Gayton near King's Lynn. 

A walking map is also available.

The website provides details on their activity.

Henry Birkbeck - used the estate for shooting and with farming and agriculture over one hundred years ago. Alex Birkbeck showed the presenters around the estate. He is the estate Manager. He took over when he was about thirty.

The main house was sold off (to Anthony Gormley) in 2010.

Rewilding efforts are taking place in the wet woodland areas of the estate. The drought affected this activity. There are lots of ponds on the estate (over 250) which help with water management and the biodiversity of the estate, particularly invertrebrates and amphibians.

Plants are left to grow on the south side of the pond to create shade for the pond during the summer months.

The estate runs a permanent glamping and festival site within the woods near the village of West Acre.

I have visited that in the past for a birthday party and it's a great venue with fire pit, and space for food and also music.

The estate runs a pub in West Acre called The Stag.

Eggs are also produced on the estate - the wild eggs mentioned on the website. Poultry are kept, and free range turkeys and outdoor geese, along with some pigs. These are run by tenants, who hire the land off the estate. This is a good way of increasing activity without additional cost.

Straw is given free of charge to the tenants, which then comes back to the estate as manure and is put onto the arable fields. A bale of straw can cost £40-50. There are limits to how much chicken manure can be put on the fields to avoid eutrophification through high nitrogen levels in the manure. This is then used on fields where oil seed rape has been drilled for the following year. This saves on purchasing fertiliser, the price of which has gone up. There is also the rent from the tenants to add an income.

The Estate has a range of tenants who run a variety of businesses. They include bike hire, and some self catering accommodation.

There is also a brewery - Duration. This is one of my favourite breweries and they have a great range of beers, plus a tap room and sales counter. On a hot day, sitting outside the old barn with a cold beer is very pleasant.

Waste grain from the brewing process is collected and used to feed wagyu beef cattle and pigs at local farms.

The cows are subsequently turned into meat, some of which is then sold as an ingredient in the pies at the brewery's events. This helps to create a more 'circular' flow of resources.

Beer is sold to local pubs - about 60% stays in county, but I have found it in London and further afield in cans.

The brewery puts on events most weekends in the summer, with food trucks providing additional food without the brewery needing their own kitchen.

The owners try to position it as a destination brewery. It has to draw people to it as it is in a rural area.

Blueberries were described as the 'biggest gamble'. A field was planted six years ago. 

Only 8% of the blueberries eaten in the UK are grown here. The estate has invested in an autonomous, solar powered harvester. Properties were sold off to pay for this. The blueberries are put into a gin made locally too, by WhataHoot distillery.

The machine costs two years' worth of labour costs, but these are the biggest cost and will increase over time. It cost over £200 000.

They also grow chick peas.

The estate has two reservoirs... they are apparently down to 5% capacity. 

They also have polytunnels to rear trees from local seeds for rewilding.

"It decreases the carbon footprint, prevents non-native invasion, provides certified healthy trees and promotes the maintenance and restoration of native woodlands."

The ownership of the land on the estate has been explored on the Who owns Norfolk website. 

This also mentions Olly Birkbeck, who owns the 2,300 acre Little Massingham Estate, just a short 10 minute drive from West Acre. 

There is plenty more information on this part of Norfolk on the site.

To explore the estate why not walk the West Acre Way, developed for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The GCSE Natural History will probably ask for a study of an area to look at rewilding and sustainability efforts, and there are some good elements of that in this area.

They also organise occasional walks and visits to the estate. Keep an eye out for those if you are in the local area.