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There are some species in the UK that are completely overlooked, or often, shrugged off as common or even pests. These are the species you never see on posters, or the front cover of nature magazines. The species smeared with the term “common” in the field guides. For some serious naturalists, the type of species they will see and put the words “oh it’s just a …” in front of its name, because they see it so often… so is it even worth counting on their daily tally? In human terms… these kind of animals aren’t gorgeous (supposedly), or popular, high up on the career ladder, an owner of two flashy cars, or Youtube or Facebook famous… they are just your average joe.  They don’t have the glamour of being “rare”, they aren’t the mascots of wildlife charities. But not everyone overlooks these types of species – some notice their potential and their quiet brilliance . . . and I am definitely one of those people.

Brown Rat

Photo credit: Dalton, S. 

Google the words “brown rat”, and it is guaranteed at least several of the pages that pop up are titled with “pest control”. While I understand the huge amount of damage these hardy creatures can cause, this fact saddens me. How can we scold a species for being incredibly well evolved and able to adapt with ease? Unlike giant pandas and amur tigers, this rat was faced with industrialisation, habitat loss and continuous pressure from humans, and it turned round and gave us a big smack in the face. It gained from us. They did not let us win. They found a way to take advantage of humans; exploit us (like we do to every other animal), and it paid off. Our buildings, with little nooks and crannies in the walls and cosy attics are perfect places to build their nests. And we are so wasteful, they rarely even need to find their own food. . . we often throw perfectly decent food (maybe  1 day past its sell by date . . . ) in the bin, we leave litter and crumbs on the floor, and we leave food in our kitchens in poor storage. What, really, can we expect? Here are some facts about rats, that might change your mind (if you’re still unconvinced…)

  1. A rat’s skeleton can collapse to allow them to squeeze through tiny gaps.
  2. They can swim for half a mile across open water.
  3. They can go longer without water than a camel.
  4. They can fall from 5 stories without injury.
  5. Rats help us cure diseases (It might not be something nice to think about, but they are very common in lab testing). How can we hate a creature that helps us with such an important cause?
  6. A “Rat king” is a freak incident in which a cluster of rats becomes tangled by their tails and eventually die. . . Although it is unsure whether the specimens found are hoaxes, one of 30 rats was found in Germany in 1828.

Starling

Photo credit: Pratt, D. National Geographic. 

Starlings are often villianised by people. They are rowdy, they are noisy, they are greedy, they kick other, smaller, cuter birds off your back garden feeders, and for half of the year they are dark and unpatterned in their plumage. But I love starlings. Sure, in the summer I am woken up by the raspy cries of the ungainly young, who – sometimes fatter and larger than their parents – hop around the lawn with their gobs open begging to be fed. Hilariously, the young often still do this when they are more than capable of getting it themselves. But I find it incredibly sweet watching the slender parents hop about franticly to find food for their noisy and relentless chicks, never seeming to lose temper like a mother might with her child at the supermarket.  And, personally, I think their plumage is rather beautiful: irredescent in the summer, like oil spilt on the road and catching the sun, and dark with white flecks in the summer. Then there is their incredible behaviour of murmurating. Although ANY group of starlings is collectively known as a murmuration, we often give this name now to their habit of gathering in huge flocks of thousands of birds during the winter and twisting and turning in perfect synchronicity. And here are a few more awesome facts you may or may not already know about starlings . . .

  1. Starlings have complex calls mainly of clicks and whistles, but can mimic other birds. The ones in my neighbourhood often mimic curlews!
  2. They are one of the few birds that tolerate high human density.
  3. Similar to how humans pick baby clothes colour. . . male starlings have a blue base to the bill and females have pink.
  4. Their murmurations are thought to confuse predators, but are often used when finding a roost site for the night.
  5. Their bills are designed to open with force, unlike most birds, so that they can probe for worms and insects in the soil and move rocks and other debris out the way easily.

The Dandelion

Photo credit: Avita.com 

To kids, dandelions spell fun. They mean walking through long grass to find the perfect clock, plucking it from its stem, making a wish and watching the seeds parachute away. To adult gardeners, they are an enemy. To many birds, like the goldfinch, they are a source of food.

The poor humble dandelion is usually only thought about in the grown-up world when it is being yanked out by hand, sprayed with chemicals, or in general, complained about. But why? If you look at it with fresh eyes, the bright yellow flower of the dandelion is really rather pretty, and cheerful. Not only this, but it is one of the longest flowering plants, so it’ll grace your garden throughout the summer. It is also one of the few flowers that most American and British people will actually recognise: apparently, the average American will recognise fewer than 5 common flowers or plants in their area, and one will almost certainly be the dandelion.

We weren’t always like this. Up until the 1800s, people would deliberately remove other flowers from their land to allow dandelions to grow – as they had more value, whether as food or medicinal purposes. So what’s changed? Perhaps, it is just that now we care more about cosmetic appeal than the use of our land. . .

Here are a few facts about the dandelion:

  1. Female goldfinches have smaller, shorter bills than males. This is so while the males feed on teasels, the goldfinches resort to seeds such as from the dandelion. This reduces competition in individual goldfinches.
  2. Every part of the plant can be useful, for food, medicinal products and even dyes.
  3. The name comes from the French word “dent de lion” which means lion’s tooth, which is meant to refer to the jagged edged leaves.
  4. Seeds can be carried 5 miles away from their origin. 

By Amy S