Seeing the Changes 499

Tremendous winds and driving rain (so, just a hint of climate change, then, given that it's June!). This resulted in substantial damage to the summer foliage of trees around Loughor. It also seemed to excite the Gower ponies who went walkies in Bynea.

Seeing the Changes 498

After lots of wind and rain, noted what appeared to be Coral necklace (Illecebrum verticilliatum) at Bynea.

Flying Fish?

Nicolas Leschke of Efficient City Farming in Germany is going to trial the setting up of aquaponic fish and vegetable farms on the roofs of buildings in Berlin (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/04/rooftop-fish-farms-german-population?INTCMP=SRCH). The idea is to reduce the distance that edible fish are transported as well as minimising the impact of fish farming on the environment by culturing Perch in roof-top tanks. The ammonia that the fish excrete will then be used to help grow tomatos etc. The only real question I have is, where will the food for the fish be generated (and from where will it be transported)? It is an interesting idea but the installations are unlikely to be odour free.

Seeing the Changes 497

Weather turned wet but this encouraged the flowering of the Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) in Penclacwydd.

Costs of the Waters of Transformation?

It has been suggested that it might cost up to £30bn to put into place and operate activated charcoal filters at the 1,400 sewage treatment plants in England and Wales to remove Ethinyl oestradiol (a synthetic oestrogen contained in most contraceptive pills) to acceptable levels of 0.035 parts per trillion (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/02/water-system-toxic-contraceptive-pill). It has been repeatedly shown in studies that very low concentrations of 'environmental oestrogens' disrupt reproduction in many freshwater fishes in rivers and lakes. The hormones dramatically reduce sperm production in males and may even produce sex change. Unremarkably, the Pharmaceutical Industries are not keen to share the costs. It is, of course, not impossible that ingestion of these chemicals could also have effects on human health and it could be argued that the costs of doing nothing might, in the long term, be much greater.

Moth Trap

Put the moth trap out again last night and, again, had quite a meagre catch. Just one Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) and two Willow beauty (Peribatoides rhomboidaria)! Times have been probably tough for moths.

Seeing the Changes 496

                                                                           Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) and Slender thistle (Carduus tenuiflorus) were both in bloom in Penclacwydd. There, an Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) was producing rays in a strange place. The weather had also brought out the Yellow dungfly (Scatophaga stercoraria) along with a small hoverfly (Meliscaeva cinctella) and a Robberfly.