Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
2nd November 2024
Casual-trees
I’m not sure if the clocks went back an hour last weekend, or 3 months as I’ve been working in a vest or t-shirt most of the week. It’s been so mild, not at all what you expect when nudging November on the nose. I absolutely adore these warm, dry autumn days though, and it certainly shortens the winter. Although it’s good for gardeners it’s not so good for gardens as the poor plants don’t know which month it is – I have never seen so many rose buds amongst autumn berries. I was talking to a tree surgeon who did some work for us last week, and he was telling me how much of a problem fungi is for various trees now – especially Honey Fungus. The problem is that the last few winters have been too mild to kill off the ‘bad’ fungi and moulds.
Apparently tree surveyors are at their busiest for years as so many trees – especially oaks sadly – are being reported as unstable. Another problem is the increased high winds and storms. And that’s without the continued problem of Ash Dieback. The poor trees are having a tough time.
A report was recently released at the UN biodiversity summit, COP 16, in Colombia, warning that scientists assessing the dangers posed to trees worldwide have revealed that more than a third of species are facing extinction in the wild.
The assessment was compiled by the plant conservation charity, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and warned that the number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together,
Emily Beech (great name for someone working in arboriculture) of BGCI said 38% of the world’s trees are now threatened with extinction.
Help Our Hogs
Alarmingly, as well as trees, the update to the extinction red list brought bad news for another of our favourites – the hedgehog. The report stated that the hedgehog sadly – and shockingly – moved a step closer to extinction as populations shrink across much of Europe, including the UK. Despite the main predator of the hedgehog for years being the motor car, now it is due to the loss of its natural habitat, largely due to the expansion of farming and land development. Hedgehog Rescue Centre also claim that the biggest cause of hedgehog injuries (which often leading to death) is the strimmer. That makes me very sad.
And of course, topically – it is essential that you check bonfires for hibernating hedgehogs before lighting – for Bonfire Night and at any other time too. During mild winter months, and if there is a good food source, hedgehogs can remain active well into November and December but will often still choose a bonfire to cwtch into before hibernation. Do please check all your fires before lighting. And of course, be respectful to all animals during the firework period.
I am conscious of not seeing many hedgehogs at all this year, although there is proof of them in several gardens I look after. And whilst talking about the ‘lack of’, the lack of wasps this year has also been noticed by many people. They may not be welcomed by most but the decrease in their numbers hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially with windfall apples on the ground which usually attract them for a ‘good drink’. To be honest, I think there are less windfalls too, and fewer apples in general. And less chestnuts and hazelnuts. A neighbouring farmer puts it down to an increase of squirrels but I just don’t think there have been good crops to start with.
And I’ve just made myself a bit sad writing all that – thank goodness for the beautiful autumn berries and leaf colour to keep our spirits up.
Alcoholic Hornets
Whilst wasps are traditionally notorious for getting drunk on windfall apples at this time of year, a recent report claims that it is the oriental hornets which are the alcohol heavyweights of the animal kingdom. Researchers in Israel ran an experiment to test their tolerance levels and found that the ‘stripy alcoholics’ can tolerate and even ‘enjoy’ sugar solutions of around 160% proof with no obvious signs of impairment and no side effects. Although I am fascinated as to how you would check to see if a hornet had a hangover.
Of course I had to check alcohol strengths, and the strongest alcohol available in the UK is Balkan 176 Vodka at (as the name suggests) 176% proof. It is triple distilled and handcrafted in small batches in the Balkan Mountains.
Scientists claim the oriental hornets ‘alcoholic accolades’ are down to the fact they have multiple copies of the gene responsible for creating enzymes that break down ethanol.
Personally I am exceptionally wary of sober hornets and certainly wouldn’t want to encounter an alcohol-fuelled one.
Stress Buster
Today (November 2nd) is National Stress Awareness day – cheerfully relevant as I’ve just stressed myself out with the contents of this week’s column.
There is no shortage of reports and studies all claiming that gardening is good for your mental and physical health, and especially to keep stress levels low. I’m not sure they take into account those who earn a living from it but it’s fair to say that, for me, a bad day gardening is still better than a good day in an office.
And in 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society released research that revealed those who garden every day have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher and stress levels 4.2% lower than people who don’t garden at all. Surveying more than 6,000 people the research showed a significant association between gardening more frequently and improvements in wellbeing, perceived stress and physical activity. And of course you get vegetables, fruit and flowers too.
I have learned so much from nature and gardening and I love the quote from Gertrude Jekyll, “A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust.”
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