Have You Got the Bottle?

Given the post about the enormous world-wide production of plastic bottles, it is heartening to read of a potential use for at least the 1.5 litre variety (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/30/house-tateh-built-sand-filled-recycled-waste-plastic-bottles-western-sahara-). It also reminded me of the UK greenhouse shown above that also uses old water bottles. An engineer called Tateh has utilised sand-filled plastic bottles to construct rounded (wind resistant) houses in a refugee camp in Algeria. The houses are painted white to reflect the Western Saharan heat and the material is reportedly more durable than traditional sun-dried bricks (there are occasional floods as well as the wind erosion). As it takes 6000 bottles to build a house, a rough calculation reveals that the world generates sufficient plastic bottles per minute to construct more than 150 such dwellings in desert locations. These houses could also have an associated greenhouse (also rounded?) and one could also probably produce viable structures in some sea-side locations.

To Bee or Not To Bee?

A definitive study carried out extensively in Germany, Hungary and the UK seems to have established that neonicotinoid pesticides seriously damage both Honey bee and wild bee colonies (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/29/pesticides-damage-survival-of-bee-colonies-landmark-study-shows). The pesticides are popular with some farmers, especially being used to coat the seeds of rape, preventing attack by insects (it is not used in the way in Germany allowing comparisons to be made). The trouble is that bees are amongst our most important pollinators and their decline will have detrimental effects on many other crops (especially fruit). Although neonicotinoids are banned on certain crops in the EU, UK farmers have obtained a 'temporary' lifting of the ban in parts of this country. I suspect that there will be moves by 'farming interests' to lift the ban permanently when the UK leaves the EU. The claim that oil seed rape (amongst its many uses) is 'an important source of biodiesel' sounds to me more like a Double Whammy than an argument in favour of using these pesticides!

Too Elastic on Plastic?

The world appears to have gone plastic bottle crazy, largely driven by a bottled water obsession (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/a-million-a minute-worlds-plastic-bottle-binge-as-dangerous-as-climate-change). So many, non-returnable plastic bottles (estimated as a million per minute on a world-wide basis), utilise lots of the oil reserves, are generally difficult to biodegrade and are now filling environments (from the highest mountains to the deepest seas) with rubbish. I am a strong supporter of effective hydration (as high-speed shuffler, I would be) but I cannot believe (as apparently some of my students do) that they are endangering their health in a 45 minute lecture, if they lack a water bottle. Mostly people buy vastly over-priced water when the mains stuff is perfectly good enough. Perhaps a deposit-return system would be helpful?

Seeing the Changes 1211

More Bynea flowers. Dog rose (Rosa canina); Hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabium); Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) and Slender thistle (Carduus tenuifloris) opened in the rain.

Seeing the Changes 1210

In Bynea, Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) was starting to bloom.

Seeing the Changes 1209

Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) was flowering in Bynea.

Seeing the Changes 1208

In Bynea, the Ragwort was being munched on by Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) larvae.

When the Rivers Run Dry?

The WWF has apparently warned that a quarter of England's rivers are now at serious risk of running dry at some points in the year (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/24/quarter-england-rivers-risk-running-dry-finds-wwf). The effects on river life such as aquatic plants, insects and fish are obvious but such events would also be serious for Water voles, otters and birds (like the Dipper Cinclus cinclus shown above). 

Seeing the Changes 1207

Vervain (Verbena officinalis) was flowering in Bynea.

Seeing the Changes 1206

 

Spotted from the car on my way to an Oxwich Bay hotel dinner. Harestail cotton grass (Lagurus ovatus) at Fairwood; White water lily (Nymphaea alba) at Broadpool and Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) at Oxwich itself.

Seeing the Changes 1205

A little cooler and more butterflies. In Loughor, spotted a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus). In Bynea, Meadow browns (Maniola jurtina) and Commas (Polygonia c-album) were in flight.

Seeing the Changes 1204

At Swansea University Singleton campus, Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium); Enchanter's nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) and Monkey flower (Mimulus guttatus) were in bloom. On the beach opposite, Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum); Lady's bedstraw (Galium verum); the hips of Burnet rose (Rosa pimpinelifolia); Stone bramble (Rubus saxatilis); Sea stock (Matthiola sinuata); Sea bindweed (Calystegia soldanella); Common broomrape (Orobanche minor) and Rest-harrow (Ononis repens) all made appearances.

Seeing the Changes 1203

Back to the house light only in Loughor but a Brimstone (Opisthograptis luteolata); a Small emerald (Hemistola chrysoprasaria) and a Buff ermine (Spilosoma lutea) made appearances.

Second Catch

More items from the moth trap in Loughor. A Hebrew character (Orthosia gothica); a Small angle shades (Euplexia lucipara); a Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii); a Brown china-mark (Elophila nymphaeata); a Feathered rancunculus (Polymixis lichenea scilonea); unknown; a Heart and dart (Agrostis exclamationis); a Jubilee fanfoot (Zanchognatha lunalis); a Red carpet (Xanthorhoe decoloraria decoloraria); a Bee moth (Aphomia sociella) and a Hawthorn shield bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidalis).

Seeing the Changes 1202

In Loughor, Garden privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) was in fragrant bloom. In Bynea, Betony (Stachys officinalis); Great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum); Woolly thistle (Cirsium eriophorum); Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) and Common sea-lavender (Limonium vulgare) were flowering.

No Flies on Antarctica?

A downside of cruise ship visits to 'pristine' Antarctica, is the rapid introduction of animals and plants to its warming margins (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/17/antarctica-insect-plant-invasion-house-flies-mosses-warmer-climate). Of immediate concern are the thriving mosses that are providing habitats for rocketing House flies numbers. Of course, we are also likely to find other tough 'carpetbaggers' (e.g. rats and cockroaches) travelling with the tourists. A very real concern is that it is difficult to predict what effects these organisms will have on the animal populations of Antarctica that attract people to visit in the first place.