my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

I thoroughly enjoyed your last posting. I found the climatic observations extremely fascinating. It is very interesting how the summer’s weather impacted the regional wildlife, however this is not surprising.

Your Runner Beans never set fruit. I am presuming you are referring to Phaseolus coccineus. I do not have much experience growing Phaseolus coccineus as they perform poorly in our extreme heat, especially now that 40 C + summertime temperatures are occurring much more frequently in our region. My understanding is that Phaseolus coccineus is unable to self-pollinate without the lower petal being tripped by insects. Many types of bees are common pollinators of Phaseolus coccineus. Can and do other insects pollenate them? Perhaps not, based on your observations this summer. My understanding is that Phaseolus coccineus is popular in the UK and this species of bean is frequently grown.

After the extreme, record breaking heat during July and the high temperatures in early August our weather turned cool, with much below average temperatures. We even received 0.11 inches of rain (2.79 mm). Currently temperatures are warming again to typical late August temperatures, 95 – 100 F (35 – 37.78 C) daytime high temperatures. I have observed this type of temperature oscillations for decades. There also are seasonal-yearly oscillations. These oscillations are somewhat predictable, however I believe improvements can be made. Maybe so-called internal variation in the weather is more predictable than we think.

Concerning the Earth’s climate, we are certainly in uncharted territory. Good seasonal-yearly forecasts could be very useful and necessary in the years to come for both managed (agriculture, including ornamental horticulture) and unmanaged ecosystems. Even without such forecasts, here in California immediate and appropriate action is needed now to help ameliorate the adverse impacts of the unfolding climatic/agricultural catastrophe now taking place.

Now that our walnut tree has been removed from our backyard, it will be many more months before our ornamental garden is restored to some sort of order. Many plants needed to be kept in place until they can be moved to new locations this autumn-winter. Many of these plants have suffered greatly, especially during the July heat wave. There have been a few surprises. One accession of Aquilegia formosa has performed extremely well and has continued to exhibit its repeat blooming characteristics throughout the summer. There have been other pleasant surprises too. Regardless, there will be a number of changes we make in regard to the species of ornamental plants we grow in our garden. My passion for R & D fits perfectly into this new scheme.

Needless to say, I have been very busy. I have no idea when I will be able to get away for some fieldwork in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This year has brought so many unexpected changes, however it all seems to be working out well.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, I,m assuming the shortage of Bees is the reason for the poor set of Bean flowers. I have noticed that small hoverflies also visit the bean flowers but they are also in small numbers this year. I think the lip of the bean flower needs to be pushed out of the way for access into the flower and this takes more effort than small insects can manage. Just my opinion though. Yes, Phaseolus coccineus are more commonly called runner beans here. I wouldn,t mind swapping some of your sunshine for some of our rain. The UK seems to be split in two regarding the present climate, with higher temperatures and less rain in the South. I hope things continue to improve over there.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

My guess is that you will observe, over time, that the weather in your region will become increasingly unstable with wild swings in extremes. This year it was cool and rainy, next year it might be dry with record breaking high temperatures.

Your observations with Runner Beans (no fruit) demonstrate the vulnerability of our agricultural systems. California was once the producer of great quantities of fruits and vegetables that were exported throughout the U.S.A. and the world. Now half of the fruits and vegetables consumed in California are imported from Mexico and other locations throughout the world. Some seasons there is a lack of chilling hours, thus the fruit trees do not produce fruit. Drought, extreme summer heat and other factors are leading to a loss of agricultural production in California.

As you are observing in your region, climatic change and variability is also impacting unmanaged ecosystems. Here in California wild bird populations have declined dramatically. There are bird species I have not seen since the 1970’s. Insect populations have been greatly disrupted too. For example, Western Monarch Butterflies are nearly extinct, largely due to the loss of habitat, but climatic factors are involved too.

I am keenly interested in your observations over time. Although I know next to nothing about your region, I can still learn a great deal based on the observations you share. So, thank you for taking the time to share so much. Jasmin and I do follow your postings and enjoy them greatly.

BTW – A Heavenly White Nectarine and Fantasia Nectarine will be replacing our walnut tree, maybe an apricot tree too. We already have the fruit trees and we will decide the placement this winter. The ornamental garden is in a state of chaos right now, however our “canvass” is more-or-less empty right now. Integrating fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs, and ornamental species in a way that provides food and beauty during every season is our goal. I definitely have no artistic ability, however I am proceeding forward to create a beautiful healing garden, an oasis in a desert. Jasmin and I are doing well despite the changes and limitations. It just takes time to adjust to the new realities.

[ian mcdonald]

Fungi are plentyfull following our wet, cold "summer." Some of those seen on todays walk were, Birch Polypore, a common species here.



Orange Peel, fairly common on bare ground.



Fly Agaric, common on grassland.



Yellow Stagshorn, usually on pine tree stumps.



Also seen recently was Porcelain fungus, often on Beech.

[Jeffnz]

I am not a mycologist but the colours and shapes of fungi continue to amaze. Not sure why Nature has decided on the many forms and colours. In the plant world colour and flower shape have only one function, reproduction.

[Vinny 123]

All classic fungi, and plenty that are not so classic, are just fruiting bodies - their sole purpose is to distribute spores.

Spores are spread by many routes - wind is very common, also via large and small animals that eat the fruiting bodies (a few actually require the process of being eaten by herbivores or other animals - truffles are perahps the best known - and being passed in the dung), some are sticky and will attach to insects, small or larger mammals and the like.

It is, as so frequentiy in nature, all to do with sex, and truffles just happen to achieve their aim due to an alluring scent rather than "good looks".   

All that applies to shape and form of conventional fruits and seeds - chestnuts, yew berries, rose hips, blackberries, burdock, vetches - applies to fungi, including the amazing lengths that nature has gone to and which happen to provide us with so much to be amazed by.

[Yann]

"Porcelaine" mushrooms are amazing.

[Jeffnz]

Vinny
I would have thought that fungi odour would be the attractant, not colour.

[Vinny 123]

Why?

Given that spore dispersal is via countless different mechanisms.

Why would different "logic" apply to fungi compared to flowers? Flowers use numerous mechanisms to both attract pllinators and to disperse seed - if I was a betting man (I am not), it seems likely that fungi will appear very different when viewed in UV, as do many flowers. (I have not Googled that..... just a thought.)

When you consider that even the black and white stripes of zebra are still a subject of debate (although current concensus errs towards it confusing predators), colour in fungi is a long way back in discussions/theories, I very strongly suspect.

[Jeffnz]

Did find the following;
 Fungi's ability to produce these colours serves a vital function in the organism (Mukherjee et al., 2017). To withstand extreme conditions, fungus produce melanin, which also protects them from UV rays (Kunwar et al., 2012). ...
Its own pigments protect it from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation and may also provide resilience to infection from microorganisms. The pigments found in fungus are quite distinct from those found in higher plants, which do not include chlorophyll or the anthocyanins that are responsible for the myriad of colours seen in flowers

[Vinny 123]

It all sounds remarkably unlikely - the fruiting body itself is effectively "dead" and very many are ephemeral, some very much so. The ones that are not ephemeral are woody, such as bracket fungi. Many fungi also very rapidly go mouldy. Fungi are really the mycelium.

The papers sound typical of science looking for an application where there has been no thought to anything beyond the initial science.

Melanins are generally browns and black (the red on a European robin is also a melanin). I would be interested to know what the pigments in various fungi actually are as very many are not colours classically associated with melanins (and more typical of carotenoids).

[Jeffnz]

This topic does continue to be of interest to me.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/fungal-pigments#:~:text=Fungi%20are%20known%20to%20produce,violacein%2C%20indigo%2C%20and%20monascins.

[Vinny 123]

By no means all fungi grow/irrupt in low light, or during short days, but many do. Fly agaric certainly does - often in woodland and in autumn.

What the paper has not done is suggest why protection from UV would be of benefit. I can't see any obvious ones. What we see as above-ground fungi are the, very frequently very ephemeral, equivalent to the seedcase of a broad bean or rose hip, the flesh of a blackberry or the husk of a conker or beech mast.

Fungi are not plants (they contain no cellulose, and something that the author appears not to realise/know, otherwise why would they mention "higher plants" as opposed to simply "plants"), but they are the nearest equivalent to fungi and the vast majority spend their entire lives in the sun. How many plants have sun-screen in their fruits?

This looks for all the world like an off-beat case of confusing correlation with causation.

I have skim read the link and UV protection is mentioned in respect of spores, not the fruiting body, but I have only skim read it.

[ian mcdonald]

A change in the weather from dull, cold and wet, to sunny and warm for the last seven days. There are now many insects around, including butterflies, bees, hoverflies and bee look-alikes. I,m not an entomologist and don,t know the difference between bees and similar species. Although there are many invertebrates here the Summer flowering plants have mostly gone over and the food source is no longer available. The Butterflies are making the most of the fine weather, with Peacocks in good numbers. Also seen these last few days are Speckled Wood, Whites and a Comma. I don,t know how this change in the climate will affect wildlife in the long term but I expect there will be an effect. A couple of years ago a local resident (now deceased) told me of an old bridge in the hills above the village. He referred to it as a Wade bridge. General Wade was in the English army and was sent to Scotland to look into the un-rest among the Scots people. He reported that Military roads should be built in Scotland to allow the movement of troops in an emergency. Many miles of roads were built with bridges where necessary. I have visited the bridge and sent photos to Heritage Scotland to see if they can date the bridge from its construction. While looking round the bridge I saw a Badgers latrine. When I went to put the bins out last night I saw a small hedgehog walking in the road. I picked it up and put it in the back garden. It went under the garden gate and onto some spare land at the back. The runner beans are now doing well, with many pods as a result of the increase in pollinators.

[ian mcdonald]

A bee or similar on michelmas daisies by the river. Although an alien plant in the UK they are a late Summer food source for insects.



A pink form of Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.



Bean galls on Willow leaves.



Spider, possibly a Metallina species, on creeping thistle.



A dark Elephant Hawk moth caterpillar.