One further bit of advice on establishing (or expanding) a wildlife garden is to research native keystone species in your area. Keystone species, as the name implies, are critical for native arthropods, birds and other animals.
Thanks for an interesting post and some useful links. The RSB article is particularly interesting. The whole issue of 'plant blindness' is definitely something which deserves more attention. As someone who is still relatively new to learning about plants I'm very aware of how much more I appreciate spending time in green spaces now that I can recognise more of what's around me.
Botany is, sadly, a dying science. With the rise in genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, the increasing prowess and availability of AI and plant ID apps, some would argue there’s no need for this tricky little process of dissecting and counting flower parts, measuring leaf stems, noting differences in twig hairs, returning and returning through its many phases of life, a process that takes a lot of patience, care, and, honestly, decades of devotion to master. I have a friend with a PhD in floristics who told me recently that, basically, there are no longer any well-paying jobs in her field of expertise ... To spend the time it takes to tease apart petals and count bud scales and decide whether something is 2 mm wide or 3 or if the hairs are more hirsute or tomentose, there’s a bond that forms that is a little less easy to undo.
Here's a relevant quotation I am hoping to work into next week's article:
**Knowing the names of things is a superpower.** I use an app called Seek. I talk about it a lot in my book—it has been such a useful companion. It’s like having someone clever … in my pocket to help me learn. Once you know the name of a tree, you start to see it more often and you start to care about it and connect with it more. It’s very important, I think, to learn names.
- Alastair Humphreys
Thanks for your comment - it's important to get feedback.
Seek is produced by the iNaturalist people and aimed at a "less knowledgeable" demographic - trying to ease beginners, kids especially, into the idea of naming and recording wildlife. If you are interested in birds have a look at the Merlin app
You and Neil might appreciate a substack I just subscribed to. It's Hannah Schiller's Foliage Botanics and her essay on skunk cabbage is what convinced me. I hate this things, now thanks to Hannah, I'm having a change of heart.
I've noticed the Starlings everywhere as well. Back from my two hikes this weekend and the Starlings seem to be pairing off and staking out nesting locations at the conservation area I visit. We had a few that managed to spend the Winter at the conservation area as well. I imagine we'll be seeing more in the coming weeks arrive from down South.
One further bit of advice on establishing (or expanding) a wildlife garden is to research native keystone species in your area. Keystone species, as the name implies, are critical for native arthropods, birds and other animals.
👍
Thanks for an interesting post and some useful links. The RSB article is particularly interesting. The whole issue of 'plant blindness' is definitely something which deserves more attention. As someone who is still relatively new to learning about plants I'm very aware of how much more I appreciate spending time in green spaces now that I can recognise more of what's around me.
Also ...
Botany is, sadly, a dying science. With the rise in genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, the increasing prowess and availability of AI and plant ID apps, some would argue there’s no need for this tricky little process of dissecting and counting flower parts, measuring leaf stems, noting differences in twig hairs, returning and returning through its many phases of life, a process that takes a lot of patience, care, and, honestly, decades of devotion to master. I have a friend with a PhD in floristics who told me recently that, basically, there are no longer any well-paying jobs in her field of expertise ... To spend the time it takes to tease apart petals and count bud scales and decide whether something is 2 mm wide or 3 or if the hairs are more hirsute or tomentose, there’s a bond that forms that is a little less easy to undo.
[https://foliagebotanics.substack.com/p/say-their-names]
Here's a relevant quotation I am hoping to work into next week's article:
**Knowing the names of things is a superpower.** I use an app called Seek. I talk about it a lot in my book—it has been such a useful companion. It’s like having someone clever … in my pocket to help me learn. Once you know the name of a tree, you start to see it more often and you start to care about it and connect with it more. It’s very important, I think, to learn names.
- Alastair Humphreys
Thanks for your comment - it's important to get feedback.
I use the Plantnet and i-naturalist apps. I think the latter may be similar to Seek. I look forward to reading your next article.
Seek is produced by the iNaturalist people and aimed at a "less knowledgeable" demographic - trying to ease beginners, kids especially, into the idea of naming and recording wildlife. If you are interested in birds have a look at the Merlin app
Yes I use Merlin too. It's great.
You and Neil might appreciate a substack I just subscribed to. It's Hannah Schiller's Foliage Botanics and her essay on skunk cabbage is what convinced me. I hate this things, now thanks to Hannah, I'm having a change of heart.
Thanks - that looks very interesting and I am right with her on the naming article
I noticed that one too and remembered yours.
I've noticed the Starlings everywhere as well. Back from my two hikes this weekend and the Starlings seem to be pairing off and staking out nesting locations at the conservation area I visit. We had a few that managed to spend the Winter at the conservation area as well. I imagine we'll be seeing more in the coming weeks arrive from down South.