December 31

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31st December

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Statistics & Plans

The species index stands at 1038 identified species.

This figure includes:

111 moths
214 fungi, 4 new to Ireland
20 Butterflies
36 Hoverflies
280 Flowering plants
35 Bees and Wasps
20 Mosses
29 Beetles
47 Flies, 1 new to Ireland
63 Lichens

These numbers need to be considered in the light of the following factors:-

Photographed specimens are generally the ones I encounter in the field with no trapping. If I trapped, the numbers of species would expand exponentially.
Most of the moths are day-flying moths: there are many more nocturnal moths that I don't encounter.
My local soil type is acidic. I'd need to travel further afield to find significant limestone.
I'm inland, not coastal.
Mosses, lichens and liverworts are under-recorded because I don't (yet) have the references.
There are many wasps e.g. Ichneumonids that will remain unidentified to species: I don't have access to a reference collection and I don't have the time or inclination to build one.

Still, I'm beginning to build up a reasonable profile of the wildlife that exists relatively closely to my home.

Plans for 2007

I think mosses should be a focus. Our environment is ideal for them and I know there are many that I haven't identified, or are being 'lumped' into convenient identifications. Ditto liverworts.

One of my developing interests is the interaction/interdependency amongst species. It's clear that we have a balanced network of species that exist in fluctuating populations, with apparently simple changes having a dramatic effect. We are only beginning to understand the factors that affect our wildlife populations and I have a feeling that if the balance and the interactions were more clearly understood, then perhaps we would take more care over our influence on our wildlife heritage. As a result, I will be describing and explaining more of this material as I encounter or discover it.

Fungi are becoming more and more interesting to me. The more I research them, the more I find that they are intimately bound with almost every other type of living organism. Research has shown that over 90% of all plants have a dependent relationship with one or more fungi. 'Primitive' fungi such as Myxomycetes are coming under quite a bit of attention, and it turns out that not only can some of them move, but that they exhibit characteristics more akin to primitive animals. Here we are in 2007 and we're still making basic assessments about the fundamental nature of some of our species. It's fascinating, and that's what drives me forward.