Mary's Blog

I had one of those Maalox Moments the other day, while out walking with friends. It was a bright sunny afternoon as we rambled through the picturesque Wolds near Drewton Manor, South Cave. Suddenly, we were confronted by several men wielding guns. We all froze, not quite sure what to think or do. We quickly realised they were out on a shoot, possibly from Drewton Manor itself.

Pheasant shoots: great social events combined with wildlife carnage

Pheasants were falling from the sky like rag dolls. The juxtaposition of my horror against their joy was a lesson in human behaviour. I instinctively screamed  “don’t frighten that bird into the wake of gun fire!”, which caused them to stop in their tracks and appear to listen. I thought to myself, that showed them and was momentarily pleased with myself. My self-satisfaction was short-lived, “we need more beaters, want to help?”. We politely declined the invitation and tip-toed past. We were quite taken aback and glad to get back to our cars.

I am told that shoots are a great ‘social event’. It is interesting how humans calibrate the value of life around such ‘social events’. I will never understand the fascination of blood sports.

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Ladybirds (Coccinellidae) are here in abundance again after their winter hibernation and colourful red shells are emerging from between the pampas grass and bark of my garden.

The colour red

A cluster of different varieties of ladybirds

Their latin name is taken from the colour scarlet, which is a device to warn off predators. This phenomenon is called aposematism and works because predators learn by experience to associate certain prey with a bad taste. They are distasteful to most birds so these little bugs will usually enjoy a fairly long and contented lifespan; apart from when they take to the air because swifts and swallows are immune to its defensive chemicals. There are other predators too such as fungi, mites and parasitic wasps and flies who lay eggs on ladybird larvae. They are also the prey of frogs, wasps, spiders, and dragonflies.

Not your average ladybird

More than 3,500 species

There are over 3,500 species worldwide of which 43 are in the UK. You’d probably only recognize 26 as being ladybirds and they differentiate themselves by a variety of colours and spot count on their shell. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. It has been said that the number of spots on a ladybird’s back determine its age, but this is just a myth. They usually live for just one or two years. Read this interesting UK survey about ladybirds in this country.

Respected beetle

This most popular beetle whose daily diet is a vast consumption of aphids can now be seen in large clusters. Several centuries ago, it was thought to bring bad luck to kill them, which explains why children have been taught to respect them through folklore and nursery rhymes. Those of you with prize roses should be greeting their arrival with open arms, even if from time-to-time they can be a nuisance to farmers.

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