This course takes you to the heart of the 'why' and
the 'how' of natural history. It will provide a platform for you to continue to
study, understand and appreciate everything from garden birds and their
behaviour, plants and the ecology of their pollinators, fungi and their pivotal
role in the functioning of the ecosystem, to leaves and their industrious
manufacture of the stuff that makes the world go round. There is a beauty, not
only in recognising the living components of our natural world, but also in
understanding the physical and chemical processes, which underpin life, and the
evolutionary thread that binds all of its parts in time and space.
This
course assumes little or no prior knowledge of natural history/ ecology. It
examines the structure and function of some familiar wildlife, with emphasis on
birds, butterflies and moths, flowering plants, mosses, ferns and fungi, and
explains its evolutionary significance.
For
example, how and why do plants demonstrate such a wide variety of flowers and
what is the evolutionary origin of such attractive structures? To answer these
questions we shall take a close and incisive scientific look at wild and garden
flowers, comparing their structures, understanding their functioning and their
pollinators from butterflies, to moths and bees and other insects, or simply
the wind. During this investigation you will learn to recognise different plant
families and species and their regional and ecological importance. Plants
underpin all conservation efforts so understanding their ecology is vital.
What
are the differences between moths and butterflies? We will catch moths using a
light trap and examine the contents each morning and make a direct comparison
with butterflies seen during daylight hours. Why do moths far outnumber
butterflies in species variety? Why do creatures of the night need such varied
and complex patterning? What can butterflies and moths tell us about climate
change?
Bird
song is all around us if we take the time to listen but what exactly does it
signify and how complicated is its production and content? We will identify
birds by their song in the field and relate it to the overall behaviour of each
species to reveal the complex nature of bird breeding strategies and ecological
tolerances. We'll learn how to use bird song to record and monitor bird
populations over time and space.
How
does a wood work? Starting with the soil and its contents especially the fungi
we will probe the platform that sustains the biomass of trees and analyse the
competition for basic resources such as light and water and nutrients that
determine the composition and physiognomy of a woodland ecosystem.
And
finally how does looking at the night sky help us understand our own planet?
Weather permitting we'll have a star party, identify some celestial bodies and
discuss our place in time and space.
Gentle,
thoughtful, field work is at the core of this course. Using all senses,
participants will learn to see the workings of wildlife from a scientific point
of view and in so doing assume a far greater appreciation of its true beauty.
Weather
proof clothing, boots and/or wellingtons, a pair of binoculars, hand lens and a
notebook are the only requirements.
Books
you may care to consult include:
Begon,
M., Harper, J.L., and Townsend, C.R. (1990) Ecology: Individuals, Populations
and Communities. Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Cox,
B. and Cohen, A. (2011) Wonders of the Universe. Harper Collins.
Cox,
B. and Cohen, A. (2013) Wonders of Life. Harper Collins.
Chinery,
M. (1986) Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe. Collins.
Cocker,
M. (2014) Claxton:Field Notes from a Small Planet. Jonathan Cape.
Evert,
R.E. and Eichhorn, S.E. (2013) Raven Biology of Plants 8th edition. W H Freeman
and Company Publishers
Hutchinson,
G.E. (1965) The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play. Yale University
Press.
Marren,
P. (2012) Mushrooms. British Wildlife Publishing.
Peterken,
G. (2013) Meadows. British Wildlife Publishing.
Porley,
R. and Hodgetts, N. (2005) Mosses and Liverworts. Harper Collins.
Proctor,
M. (2013) Vegetation of the British Isles. Harper Collins.
Spooner,
B. and Roberts, P. (2005) Fungi. Harper Collins.
Streeter,
D. et al. (2016) Collins Wildflower Guide 2nd edition. William Collins.
Svensson,
L. et al. (2009) Collins Bird Guide 2nd edition. Harper Collins.
Thomas,
J.A. and Lewington, R. (2010) Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. British
Wildlife Publishing.
Waring,
P. and Townsend, M. (2006) Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and
Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing.
Young, M. (1997) The Natural History of Moths. Poyser
Natural History.
Nigel Brown
About Nigel
Nigel
Brown was a university lecturer (School of Biological Sciences,Bangor Uni) for
40 yrs, recently retired, and Curator of the University Botanic Garden during
that time. He has a life-long interest in natural history and lives on
Anglesey.
