Are our emerging ladybirds doomed?
Emerging seven-spot ladybirds could be wiped out at a stroke if the country is hit by an icy arctic blast, warned the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
It comes amid a wave of reports to the UK Phenology Network of ladybird sightings. These sightings are among the first recordings to the Springwatch survey, run by the BBC in association with the Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, to assess how nature responds to climate change.
We know ladybirds are now waking-up from their winter slumbers up to two weeks earlier than they did 20 years ago - and this year looks like it is no exception with more than 250 sightings from Exeter to Inverness, already logged by our army of dedicated Springwatchers.
But weathermen continue to predict Britain will be caught in the grip of a cold snap before the end of the winter, prompting phenology project manager Jill Attenborough to urge more volunteers to add their reports to the 200,000 sightings recorded every year.
She says: “We know nature’s calendar is rapidly changing right here in our back gardens - but we need your help to tell us what is going on. With ladybirds emerging in numbers already, they are vulnerable to a cold snap, which could decimate them and have a knock-on impact on other species later this year.”
This year’s six Springwatch indicators are first sightings of seven-spot ladybirds, frog spawn, red-tailed bumblebees, peacock butterflies, flowering hawthorn and swifts.
Everyone can take part, wherever they are, to help ensure Springwatch 2006 is the largest investigation into nature’s changing calendar. To find out more or add a record to the Springwatch survey, simply go on-line at www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch
Postcards outlining Springwatch 2006 will also be available to all in public libraries and from BBC radio stations.
The results of the survey will be revealed during a three-week series Springwatch with Bill Oddie, due to be broadcast on BBC TWO later in the year.
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121,
email: media@woodland-trust.org.uk
For BBC media enquiries please contact Debbie Chapman in the BBC Publicity Unit on 0117 974 2231, or send an e-mail to
debbie.chapman@bbc.co.uk
The Woodland Trust:The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free. Further news can be found via this website.
Phenology: is the study of the timing of natural, seasonal events, especially in relation to climate. The timing of natural events is sometimes known as ‘Nature’s Calendar’. The Woodland Trust has joined forces with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to monitor and evaluate changes in nature’s events. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. For more information visit www.phenology.org.uk
UK Phenology Network: The UK Phenology Network is the result of a partnership between The Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It now has over eleven and a half thousand members recording the signs of the changing seasons across the UK.
The Springwatch survey: It is the biggest ever survey into the arrival of spring, run by the BBC in association with the Woodland Trust. The results of the survey will feed into a BBC TWO series Springwatch with Bill Oddie. Transmission details are to be confirmed. For more information, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology: A key Springwatch partner, which monitors and evaluates changes in nature’s events. It is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. For more information visit www.ceh.ac.uk
