BRITISH BLUEBELL IN DANGER

If you are plnating Bluebells this autumn, try and mkae sure you buy only native Bluebells to help prevent them becoming extinct iin the wild.  The Spanish Bluebell is a major threat - it has slightly larger, pale blue flowers and hardly any scent.  This particular Bluebell crossbreeds with our native Bluebell to produce a different strain, thus reducing our native Bluebell population.  The native Bluebell you need to look out for when buying is hyacinthoides non-scripta.

DORMICE UNDER THREAT

Since the late 1970s, the Dormouse population in the UK has dropped by 64%, due mainly to reduction in the size of hedges and annual hedge-cutting.  Hedges are very important for Dormice and annual cutting by farnmers reduces the fruit and seeds available to Dormice.  It is recommended by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan that hedges should be cut three-yearly and some left uncut for seven to ten years.

HOUSE SPARROW IN DECLINE

In the last 30 years, the number of house sparrows has falled from 12 million pairs to 7 million, the major decline in numbers being in London and the south-east.  This may be due to poor breeding performance in suburban areas and not enough insects, such as greenflies, to feed the young sparrows.  (Another good reason to garden organically and let the wildlife pick off your greenfly!)   The British Trust for Ornithology is conducting a survey during 2003 and 2004 to find out more about the House Sparrow and its habits in urban and suburban areas.  To find out more visit www.bto.org.

EXTINCT PLANT PUTS IN A RE-APPEARANCE

The Snowdonia Hawkweed (hieracium snowdoniense) has been re-discovered in the mountains of Snowdonia after nearly fifty years of "extinction".  It was discovered in the 1880s but last seen in 1953.  The reason for its re-emergence may be due to sheep no longer grazing the area - indeed, the plant was discovered about 650 ft (200 m) from its original site, which had been heavily grazed.  The National Museums and Galleries of Wales, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales are now raising seedlings of the plants, in order to ensure its future survival.

BULB ALERT

In the 1990's, the Indigenous Propagation Project of Threatened Turkish Bulbs (IPP) was set up to promote the cultivation of bulbs as opposed to collecting them from the wild.  The bulbs concerned are galanthus elwesii (Snowdrop) and possibly others, such as anemone blanda.  We can all do our bit to protect these plants from being plundered from their native habitats by only buying bulbs/plants labelled as being produced from a sustainable source.

SMALL MAMMALS

Creatures such as mice and voles don't hibernate and so searching for food in winter with no leave cover can be quite dangerous.  A fall of snow provides protection for them and, once this has thawed, look out for a network of pathways and tunnels through flattened grass near hedgerows and woodland edges, showing where these little animals have been.

GARDEN TIGER MOTHS

The hairybrown and orange caterpillars of these moths hibernate over winter.  However, their numbers are in steep decline so if you find any in your garden treat them with great care.