Tag Archives: naturestimeline

April 2012 early statistics - above average rainfall

Posted on April 27, 2012 | 7 Comments

Reblogged from Met Office News Blog:

Click to visit the original post

These are early figures covering 1 – 25 of April and not full month statistics, so are therefore very likely to change. Especially regarding ranking. Full month figures will not be available until provisionally Wednesday 2 May.

Figures for 1 - 25 April show the month so far has seen well above average rainfall across the UK, with 97 mm of rain recorded – this is 139% of the long-term monthly average (1971-2000).

Read more… 375 more words

No, you did not imagine it, it has been miserable for far too long so I haven't ventured out much. This is partly the reason for my lack of posts, alongside a busier working life. More news to come, honest! Tony Powell

→ 7 Comments

Posted in news, Scientific, weather

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mankind pressing the self destruct button once again

Posted on April 17, 2012 | 9 Comments

How does the following video affect you emotionally?

The above is in relation to a post entitled “the last days of wildcat falls” courtesy of Rebecca in the woods. Rebecca is from across the pond but this matters not! This kind of destruction is happening on a global scale, along with it, the biodiversity, crucial to man’s existence is lost forever. These ecosystems are non-transferrable and you cannot simply replicate them in another place. On this very topic, the great David Attenborough once stated, “If we continue to damage our ecosystems we damage ourselves”. Sadly, most decisions appear to revolve around making a quick buck at the expense of common sense.

With climate change being a background focus to my blog, why does man insist on adding to the woes and insists on pressing our self-destruct button.

Let me ask you this. What irks you when it comes to caring for our ecosystems, be it on a local, national or even global level? Are some authorities who insist on ignoring common sense solutions out of our reach on a personal level? 

I am by no means an activist but believe me, I am deeply passionate about our environment. The next post will be return to a much cheerier topic, Phenology.

Best Wishes

Tony Powell


→ 9 Comments

Posted in Environmental, news

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another sign of seasonal shifting?

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 2 Comments

I, for one would not argue against this latest evidence. See my Natural Events Calendar link for a personal slant from last year.  It is pure conjecture as to whether there is a definite trend but these events are thought provoking, to say the least.

Butterflies move faster than birds in response to climate change

Kind Regards

Tony Powell

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Environmental, my calendar, news, phenology, Scientific, weather, websites

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

And now the Snowdrops

Posted on January 4, 2012 | 4 Comments

According to my records, I have noted the first emergence of Woodland Snowdrops on 16 occasions. This year’s flowering, as with Winter Aconite has been witnessed on the earliest date on record, being the 30th December. The full range of dates from 30th December right through to 20th January. Another 2011 oddity in that Woodland Snowdrops was noted flowering twice in one year.

Snowdrops Greyfriars Dunwich 220211 7346

The above picture courtesy of Finn Holding’s Flickr site.

Woodland Snowdrop – Galanthus nivalis

Known by its various vernacular names such as Candlemas Bells, Snow Piercers and Dingle-dangle to name a few, the Woodland Snowdrop is a joy to see when it first emerges. The Woodland Snowdrop’s Greek name Galanthus comes from the word “milk flower” and it is the British version is one of a genus of at least 20 members. Some members of the genus do actually bloom in summer or autumn despite the name but thankfully, that appears not to be an issue with Galanthus nivalis. The Woodland Snowdrop has leaf tips especially hardened for breaking through frozen ground. Having similar traits to Winter Aconite both can be blooming for the first time on the exact same date. However, the Woodland Snowdrop tends to bloom for longer than the Winter Aconite and is well-known as being a winter and spring survivor. I have personal records of the Woodland Snowdrop still being in bloom in early to mid April.

Its history links the flower to various places of monastic origin and it has a tendency to thrive on sites such as long since destroyed cottage ruins. There are many gardens in the United Kingdom where people can go to see vast carpets of these wondrous plants and they open up their grounds especially for this purpose.

Kind Regards

Tony Powell

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Environmental, my calendar, news, phenology

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Hello 2012 and here comes the climate change indicators

Posted on January 3, 2012 | 5 Comments

The year 2012 is upon us and the UK’s climate is continuing with its bizarre approach. Today, the 3rd January has seen 54mph gusts at my sheltered location and winds in excess of 100mph in other parts. Christmas Day and New Years Eve and New Years Day all possessed temperatures 3 to 4c above normal.

So, what of this new era, how is nature coping with the upheaval?

One thing for sure, the phenological indicators are keeping me on my toes.

Firstly, Winter Aconite (illustrated below) has bloomed in my garden at its earliest date on record, the 27th December. The range, being represented by 12 personal records is from 27th December right through to 24th January. 

Reproduced from http://www.wildflowersdevon.com/Winter-Aconite

 Winter Aconite -Eranthis hyemalis.

Known as choirboys in Suffolk and more commonly as wolfs bane, Winter Aconite is a member of the Buttercup family. It is a tough plant, being tolerant of frost, snow and ice. The harshest winters bring about the best show of this beautiful flower. It will bloom all the way into March in most years. Although a popular ornamental plant, it is known to be poisonous. Occasionally planted alongside Snowdrops and other early bloomers, they are a joy to behold on a crisp sunny winters day. I know of a wonderful display under a canopy of deciduous trees near Andover in Hampshire, England. I will be visiting there in a couple of week’s time to see how the Aconites are progressing.

More phenology will be forthcoming, people.

Kind Regards

Tony Powell

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Environmental, my calendar, news, phenology

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

I’m obsessed

Posted on November 11, 2011 | 7 Comments

It must be said, I am obsessed with participating in Citizen Science. This might take the form of listing garden birds, a local patch list or trips farther afield. Maybe, it’s the daily transfer of weather records from my diaries, except this is not necessary any longer, due to owning an AWS (automatic weather station). Perhaps, as in today’s instance it’s keeping track of Phenological indicators and yes, in spite of it being November, there can be some events at this time of season. I take immense pleasure from “doing my bit” and it can feel like one’s been “warped back into time” when browsing over those personal snippets of information. Today, as in many recent weeks, I’ve been doing just that and it must be a most valuable way of spending my quiet unemployed time. You can also learn so much from the actual interpretation of your data, the deeper you delve.

Right, to put an end to my current rambling, I have up to today (11th November) , entered approximately 54 Phenology events onto Google Calendar and these can seen in My natural events calendar on this blog. This enables me and others, should they wish, to track and compare progress of the seasons in further intimate detail. After all, the purpose of this blog is just this.

  • I will endeavour to produce a timeline of natural events for the United Kingdom like no other

I will attempt to elaborate on each of the events, as they unfold, over the course of the climatic season. Hopefully then it will be possible to then explain their reasoning’s for happening on a given date. Learning from this, we may be able to ask why the phenological event differs from others within the dataset. How they may or may not then be used to forecast forthcoming weather etc.

Science in this subject is still in its relative infancy and this is precisely why I feel the need to explore my own records.

Obsessed Regards

Mr “Anorak” Tony Powell

→ 7 Comments

Posted in birding, friends, my calendar, phenology, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

I’m networkedblogged

Posted on October 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in my calendar, Nature's Calendar, phenology

Tagged , , , , ,