#455: Stand with the farmers

70% of UK land is farmed.

If we want nature to recover, this is where it happens.

Farmers like @herdyshepherd1 are already doing it – farming with wildlife, not against it. But without proper funding, we risk losing it all.@RachelReevesMP: increase funding, grow our future. pic.twitter.com/jJvbUHPXfH

— RSPB (@Natures_Voice) May 30, 2025

#454: Longshaw Estate - new home of BBC's 'Springwatch'

The location for the BBC's Springwatch / Autumnwatch programmes has often been in places I know well, and even very close to home.

From Pensthorpe near Fakenham to Minsmere, and particularly Ken Hill in Snettisham (where I lived for 12 years)...

And now they've moved to an area of Derbyshire which I visited regularly for decades when I was younger, for walks, climbing, pubs and generally getting out of the city and into the countryside at weekends. The new venue is the Longshaw Estate, which is close to Grindleford (with its famous cafe and where my parents actually had their honeymoon), and Hathersage, and Fox House (where I was first served alcohol in a pub... but that's another story.) Burbage Brook - a classic location for fieldwork for schools from Sheffield - runs through it - through Padley Gorge, and Stanage Edge is not too far away, or several of the other edges where I used to climb. Heading for Hathersage you will pass Froggy Rock and then Surprise View - always things we looked out for when heading there as a child... half a century and more ago...

The estate is managed by the National Trust.

Map source

The programme started yesterday and is on iPlayer.

Multicams can be watched through the day....

e.g.here's a Short Eared Owl I just saw live... complete with distant traffic noise and a plane going over... the sounds of us impinging on the sounds of nature...

#453: The 'English' Oak

 

The Common or ‘English’ Oak (Quercus Robur) is the national tree of Germany. And obviously England

But also Poland, Romania, Belarus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia & Moldova pic.twitter.com/VcYFglCaz5

— The English Oak Project (@TheKentAcorn) May 26, 2025

#452: New BSSS Podcast

Thanks to Steve Brace for the tipoff to a new podcast from the British Society of Soil Science.

Soil Matters, a platform dedicated to bridging the gap between cutting-edge scientific research and real-world application.

Each episode will feature leading experts, researchers, and practitioners discussing the latest findings, innovations, and challenges in soil science. From exploring soil’s role in climate change mitigation to sustainable agriculture and biodiversity, Soil Matters aims to engage listeners with accessible, thought-provoking content that highlights the importance of soil in shaping our planet’s future. Whether you’re a researcher, policymaker, or simply curious about the ground beneath your feet, this podcast offers something for everyone passionate about soil science.

#451: Countryside Classroom - new 'A' level resources

The Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and LEAF Education have teamed up to bring a suite of curriculum linked resources for KS3 – KS5 students, aged 11-18. The resources bring real world context to students learning, linking back to food production and farming. The resources are designed to be used by teachers in school to aid with curriculum links, real life examples and interlinking with pre-existing subject matter and farmers delivering farm visits.

A new 'A' level resource is now available. There are links to GCSE here.

#450: Mary Colwell on the progress towards GCSE Natural History

This is a visual representation of a thread that Mary Colwell recently posted on X (which I try to avoid linking to). She has started to realise what those of us involved in previous curriculum innovation know tends to happen when they come across the desks of those who shape it so that it will fulfil OFQUAL's thinking about what makes them examinable on a large scale. 

The OCR Pilot GCSE Geography was the most innovative examination I ever came across, and had the chance to change things in the longer term. The people developing it were able to keep a great deal of the original conception of the course, but it was cancelled after the original pilot period came to an end. I'm glad I had the chance to teach it at the end of the first half of my teaching career and that my students had the chance to experience it.

When the first thoughts on the new specification and the results of the consultation came out there was a lot of excitement about the potential of the new GCSE Natural History specification: focus on fieldwork, creative aspects including art, photography and literature and training in field practice, as well as a multi-disciplinary approach to wildlife and landscape. 

During the time since it was first announced (see the early posts on the blog for more on this period) the exciting elements have undoubtedly been diluted by the various stages such things go through.

This is what Mary had to say earlier today, providing a few insights into what is emerging from the various stages of development so far which she has perhaps been made aware of - and a long way from the wide-ranging content on the 450 posts on this blog so far, which cover all aspects of natural history.

I haven't seen the original piece, but you can see the first page here.

Two days fieldwork is no more than you get from GCSE Geography - this could easily be more but that is what is examinable. There's no problem (as such) with schools offering more, but if it's not examined or really embedded in the specification's structure it will not happen.

Noticing is really important.

The statement above is a key aspect of the development of the new specification.

Fingers crossed that the next time I go to a GCSE Natural History Forum meeting, we are shown something a little more developed, rigorous and ambitious.

#449: Do plants know math?

Or maths....

A new book explores some of the spiral sequences that are connected with natural forms.

From the book's blurb:

Charles Darwin was driven to distraction by plant spirals, growing so exasperated that he once begged a friend to explain the mystery “if you wish to save me from a miserable death.” 

The legendary naturalist was hardly alone in feeling tormented by these patterns. Plant spirals captured the gaze of Leonardo da Vinci and became Alan Turing’s final obsession. 

This book tells the stories of the physicists, mathematicians, and biologists who found themselves magnetically drawn to Fibonacci spirals in plants, seeking an answer to why these beautiful and seductive patterns occur in botanical forms as diverse as pine cones, cabbages, and sunflowers. Do Plants Know Math? takes you down through the centuries to explore how great minds have been captivated and mystified by Fibonacci patterns in nature. It presents a powerful new geometrical solution, little known outside of scientific circles, that sheds light on why regular and irregular spiral patterns occur. 

Along the way, the book discusses related plant geometries such as fractals and the fascinating way that leaves are folded inside of buds. Your neurons will crackle as you begin to see the connections. This book will inspire you to look at botanical patterns—and the natural world itself—with new eyes. 

Featuring hundreds of gorgeous color images, Do Plants Know Math? includes a dozen creative hands-on activities and even spiral-plant recipes, encouraging readers to explore and celebrate these beguiling patterns for themselves.

Looks good!

#448: Tom Gauld cartoon

I've added a few mentions of Tom Gauld here previously. Along with Ben Jennings, I love his style and wit...

A recent New Scientist cartoon shared on Instagram was excellent and also connected with an important element of any GCSE Natural History: the classification of organisms, and Fungi in particular....

Image copyright: Tom Gauld