After a successful thread started back in March 2020 at the start of the first lockdown, its probably about time to start a new one for 2022. Thank you to all for your contributions, no matter how small or big, each has been valuable and interesting, and hopefully you will continue to contribute to the 2022 thread.
The old thread: Plants, flowers and shrubs; Share your photos here can be viewed on the link below
https://community.rspb.org.uk/chat/f/the-tea-rooms/206836/plants-flowers-and-shrubs-share-your-photos-here#pifragment-4313=1
I'll kickstart this thread with some snowdrops that have come out in flower, crocuses will be out in many places soon, and then daffodils, and many more to follow throughout the year, and it will be nice to see what wild or garden plants, flowers or shrubs you come across on your wanders or around your garden. Without these plants, flowers and shrubs, nature would struggle to survive, they all a part of the valuable cycle of life, insects need them, birds need the insects, and so on through to the mammals,
I mentioned daffodils, these shoots are growing very well among the snowdrops, and it won't be long before the bluebells start showing shoots...
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
There are still islands no one knows ever existed and also unique Wild animals that look very differant to what we are used to that get discovered. But interestingly some islands and even landscapes are created and shaped by mountains including rivers. Even natural disasters that are commonplace for a particular habitat can actualy change habitats and landscapes not all of suddenly but over time. Some Mountains like Volcanos even used to be under water. Just like The Cotswold Hills. Back a long long time ago before we were around the Cotswold Hills used to be under water in Great Britain which is why there’s mainly aquatic fossils in the limestone there. And Great Britain used to be covered in woodland before the era people came and chopped most of it down and hunted lots of Wild animals like wolfs and bears until they eventually became extinct in Britain. and the climate of Great Britain was differant to how it is now aswell it didn’t used to be a temperate climate. Plants native to the UK have been around way before we came along and some like ferns date all the way back to the prehistoric era. Amphibians have also been around since the time of the dinosaurs. There are even Plants that like some Wild animals are specialists they evolved cause of a particular species for that Species like the Bee Orchid. The sad news is that the Type of Bumblebee responsible for the evolution of that flower is exstinct so cause of that it now self fertilises instead. It mimics that species of Bumblebee and tricks that Bumblebee into thinking it is a female Bumblebee and tricks the Bumblebee into mateing with it so that it gets pollinated. The Bee Orchid is rare like the Buttetfly Orchid but I know places like the Cotswold Hills have some Rare Wildlife and the Bee Orchid can be found if your lucky and if and when you know where to look. Discovery’s of Rare species we didn’t know existed helps Conservationists learn about it and how to help it. Great Britain’s landscape is slowly Changeing and might looks differant from how it is now but will probably take a few generations or decades to complete and earthquakes play a role in shapeing Landscapes. non native species I was referring to introduced species from a differant county or origin. Species we knew existed but purposefully or acidently introduced to a country or island we know exists So some have had some human influence. Some non native species are harmful to certain Habitats or species that live in certain Habitats. That topic aside though With reference to the unknown islands Most people just find them selfs on islands they didn’t know existed rather than knowing about them and looking for them.
Alot of unknown Species on unknown islands we didn’t know even existed should be left there and not taken to other Countries after there discovered and in some cases careful about spreading the news otherwise people might do the questionable thing and seek the used to be unknown island and species out and tell more people. Which could increase the likelihood of a random person introduceing them. I think In some cases the location of the previously unknown species should be kept secret from the public at least until they manage to protect them and prevent potential disturbance. For Space I think they are starting with Mars before going to the moon and they have discovered it might be the right habitat for potential microorganisms or things that are alien to us we didn’t know existed. And found out a way that humans might be able to live on Mars however the thing there going to use is still in the trial phases but they did use a Mars helicopter that managed to film and do audio of Mars on Mars with sound for the first time in History. That just shows anything is possible if we really put our mind to it. Dust devils are part of nature too and interestingly they are also found on Mars.
I think we need to let this thread return to its subject title, but you are right, there is still lots to discover, and it has been interesting.
I'll refrain from the Britain under water bit, because it brings in a debate in around rising sea levels and climate change, or as I say, climate cycles and climatic excuses.
I was just talking about Geology cause plants used to be around a long time ago and I only mentioned about the under water bit because theres enough geological evidence the Cotswold hills used to be underwater along time ago. If there wasn’t any evidence to support that I would of refrained from mentioning it. Cause I dont like to mention things unless it has been proven. For other geological structures aside from the Cotswold hills I didnt know that was a debated topic but things have moved on so much now it’s possible its no longer a debatable topic. Im not the kind of person to start debates. And I prefer to remain neutral rather than form conclusions if there is a debatable topic. Im not a religious person but I’m open minded and interested in a wide variety of subjects. And when It comes to identifying Wildlife I prefer to stay neutral and not come to a conclusion or 100 percent certainty until I’ve done enough research and I know it is that. Or that there is evidence to suggest it is that. unless there is evidence to proof something I try to refrain from mentioning it. The reason I brought Geology up is cause Plants have to do with Geology and ever changeing landscapes which a lot of Conservation exsperts these days even David Attenborough talks about. And I thought you might find it interesting. With reference to unknowns it’s inevitable that people will discover things ranging from unknown islands to unknown species that live there to other mysterys in the world cause there’s so much we don’t know. But with references to Wildlife rangeing from unknown Wildflowers to unknown Wild animals when discovery’s do happen I think they should be kept secret until they find a way to conserve the species of Wild plants or Wild animals that live there. And introductions should be avoided unless people know it won’t harm the Wildlife that live there. Of course it’s the very fact there’s so much we don’t know and that we havnt discouvered yet that we don’t even know we havnt discouvered yet that some may or may not even be discovered in someone’s life time yet. But it’s the fact that there’s so much we don’t know and so many more species we don’t even know exists. or species we don’t understand yet that makes it so interesting. with non native species though they can cause probloms. I think a lot of non native species can put other species at risk. For example native Blue bells are under threat from the other type of Blue bell a non native Blue Bell it has the ability to hybridise with out native Bluebell which can cause less characteristics of our native Bluebell until the species disappears entirely. but they can be told apart if you know what to look for. They can be found with our Native bluebells. If we didn’t discover that the non native Bluebell was introduced here and had escaped out into the Wild and tryed to hybridise with out native Bluebell which we hadn’t discovered previously I think it would probably of been much worse. Also there’s rare species that are unknown species. Conservationists havnt discovered they never even know existed aswell. Some rare species that have only just been discovered that are already threatened before people even knew that they existed and some once discovered are so threatened they could of become exstimct before they have even been discovered. new discovery’s can help save species we didn’t know need Saveing and help us help them. The Bee Orchid though is a bee mimic and an interesting Wildflower you might Find interesting . it evolved alongside a particular species of Bumblebee and has evolved to mimic a particular species of Bumblebee.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/bee-orchid
Much of Britain was under the sea, not just the Cotswolds, there is a lot of evidence across Britain, with fossils and also the landscape, with many rock forms showing evidence of continental shelves, particularly in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, particularly the many edges, like Stanage, Froggatt and Curbar to name some, and also the North York Moors National Park.