June 2023

Nature is in full productivity mode as I write these notes in May. All plants are growing like there is no tomorrow. These are producing flowers and leaves that are being visited by countless millions of insects as they harvest nectar and by doing so, pollinate the flowers that go on to produce the seeds for the next generation. Other insects such as caterpillars, which are the larvae of butterflies and moths will be eating the leaves in order to grow fat and reproduce for the next generation. All the time, larger animals such as amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals will be eating the surplus insects for the energy that they provide, that in turn allows them to breed. Soon the world will be full of fledgling birds begging food from their parents to make them strong so that they can breed next year. All the above forms the pyramid of numbers, resulting in energy from the plants flowing through the different components of the pyramid, with each one known as a trophic level.

This description is simplified, as, like us, many animals eat both plants and other animals. But, if this pyramid is disrupted, say, by removing one of the components such as for example the sparrowhawks, or the frogs, who are both tertiary or quaternary consumers, you get an increase in their prey, then a decrease in the prey of the prey and so on. This is called a trophic cascade and can lead to plagues of a particular species such as quelea birds in Africa or locusts. Usually this is only temporary as nature tends to compensate.

We are all stewards of the planet, and we should understand how things work. Ecology is becoming more important as we realise the consequences of complacency in the things that we have done to the planetary ecosystem. We can change things, just by adjusting what we do in day-to-day life. No-mow-May is a good way of saving some wildflowers and the insects that depend on them. Putting up a nest-box in the garden or elsewhere is a good way of helping birds. Digging a pond will help frogs. Making a bee hotel in the garden is another idea, or keeping bees to yield honey and help pollination is also good. Campaigning to save biodiversity hot-spots is a brilliant way of conserving nature for the next generation, but also making room for the fellow inhabitants of the planet wherever you live will make a difference.