A GREAT POST FROM BUGLIFE —THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW

 

Dear John Welcome to the September edition of Buglife e-newsletter, BugBytes! Keeping you up to date with invertebrate news, interesting snippets of information and so much more. There's a lot happening in the world in general, the world of Buglife and also in the world of invertebrates. We've celebrated Organic September, the Great British Beach Clean, the Autumn Equinox and World Rivers Day, as a result our focus has been a little damp but very firmly on our wonderful invertebrates, so let's paddle right on in and take a look!      REMINDER ~ #GoPesticideFree and Let it Grow! Recently the call for the UK Government to ban the use of pesticides in publicly run areas of our villages, towns and cities, has gone out. As part of the Pesticide Collaboration, Buglife is supporting the new campaign calling on the UK Government to ban the use of pesticides in places such as playgrounds, streets and parks. Councils are already going pesticide free and they need resources and support. France, Denmark and Luxembourg have already banned the use of pesticides in urban areas, which proves that it is perfectly possible to manage urban spaces with non-chemical alternatives.  Here in the UK, many councils are also proving that, despite budget restrictions, going pesticide-free is achievable. With support from the UK government we can build on their efforts and take the pesticide-free movement nationwide.    #GoPesticideFree & sign the petition   Useful to know: The Pesticide Collaboration brings together over 90 health and environmental organisations, academics, trade unions and many others, working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK. This campaign also builds on the work of more than 100 local authorities across the UK that have already significantly reduced or eliminated their use of pesticides.   Curtains for Light Pollution... The astronomical equinox has passed us by, taking place on 22 September this year.  Our daylight hours are now officially less than our hours of darkness, once again, here in the UK; meaning lights will be on for longer periods both inside and out.  At Buglife we want everyone to think of light in the same way we think of heating our buildings. We want to trap light inside, keeping it useful and reducing how much escapes. Helping to protect nature can be as simple as drawing the curtains or lowering a blind.  This simple action, that many of us already carry out every day, will help reduce light pollution and the impact it has on nature. Small changes can make big differences to our smallest animals.  Keeping internal lights inside will not solve all light pollution, but it's a start. The colder darker months are the perfect time to get into the habit of drawing the curtains and lowering blinds as soon as we turn the lights on.  And don’t forget to turn the lights off when they are not in use! Will join us and help Nurture the Night Shift, and pledge Curtains for Light Pollution?   Find out more & pledge now! Benefits of Brownfields & Planning for Invertebrates... Brownfield sites; increasingly under threat from development, but amongst our most important habitats for many invertebrate species in the UK. The focus of many of our saving sites campaigns are brownfields, often the underdogs.  They may sound a bit dull, but they aren’t if you’re a hard-pressed invertebrate, having to fit its lifestyle around human activity. Brownfield sites can have as many rare invertebrate species as ancient woodlands, and many act as important ‘reservoirs’ of wildlife. To help others understand the importance of brownfield sites and fight their corner too, we have recently published our Parliamentary Briefing: Planning for Invertebrates - Brownfieldsdocument. Which sites nicely in our Brownfield Hub , a place to discover Buglife's brownfield focussed projects, reports, guidance, case studies & more! Find out more... Canvey Wick © James Bailey   #ICYMI ~ Just Add Water... In case you missed it we thought we'd point you towards a lovely blog written by Buglife Conservation Director, Craig; looking at the intriguing world of the Tadpole Shrimp (Triops cancriformis). Join Craig as he shares his experiences of some of the fascinating work being carried out as part of Species on the Edge Programme to conserve this prehistoric looking beastie, currently only found in two locations in the UK. This may just look like a handful of dirt, but it holds the promise of so much more.   Read Just Add Water Tadpole Shrimp sediment © Craig Macadam   #ICYMI ~ On Reflection... This summer, Aberdeen B-Lines Conservation Officer, Ruth, has been busy; and she's had some welcome additional help.  We were delighted to welcome University of Aberdeen MSc Student, Kevhvan, through the Aberdeen Internship Programme, to the Buglife Scotland team. With his Buglife Internship now ended, Kevhvan shares a little about his experience in a recent blog, Reflective Blog - Kevhvan's Buglife Internship. Ever wondered what being an Intern might involve?  Have a read of Kevhvan's blog to find out!   Kevhvan's Buglife Internship Kevhvan spreading molasses during a moth night event © Ruth Quigley As a little added bonus we're also delighted to share that Aberdeen B-Lines came runner up for the Wright Sustainability Award at the recent Keep Scotland Beautiful Awards.  Congratulations Aberdeen B-Lines!  This award is fantastic recognition of both the brilliant partnership (between Buglife Scotland and Aberdeen City Council) and of course all the amazing volunteers who support the project too.  Thank you, and well done everyone!   Upcoming Events Saturday 28 September ~ Kingsway Rake & Plant, Volunteers Needed with Pollinators Along the Tweed (Peebles, Scotland) Tuesday 1 October ~ Sow Wild! and Insect Identification with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 2 October ~ Get the Marches Buzzing! Online End of Project Event (Online) Sunday 6 October ~ Dee and Don Guardians of our Rivers Networking Event (Crathes, Scotland) Wednesday 9 October ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex) Tuesday 15 October ~ Cave Spiders: Behavioural Adaptions in Webs, Foraging and Dispersal with The Biological Recording Company (online) Thursday 24 October ~ Freshwater Leeches in the UK with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 30 October ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex)   Keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters by visiting the Events Page on our website. News in Brief Open letter to UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer: End Peat Sales Over 100 growers, suppliers, retailers, individuals and organisations, including Buglife, are calling on UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to bring an end to peat sales in the UK. The Peat-free Partnership is a broad coalition of horticultural businesses and environmental NGOs across the UK with the overarching goal of ending the commercial trade in peat across the UK. Despite the widely recognised environmental damage caused by the use of peat in horticulture and progress towards using alternatives, the trade in peat is still ongoing. Find out more... Belfast wildlife havens under threat Wild Belfast and Buglife have come together to highlight the alarming loss of wildlife-rich brownfield habitat across Belfast. Some brownfield sites in Belfast can support rare and endangered wildlife, including well-loved species such as Red-shanked Carder Bee (Bombus ruderarius), Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). However, many of these nature hotspots are at risk from being lost to development. Find out more..      Buglife Shop The Buglife shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways to support bugs.   Check out our new designs and show your support of our Nurture the Night Shift and Curtains for Light Pollution campaigns!  Why not make the most of next weekend's FREE UK shipping offer in our Teemill store from Friday 4 October, ending midnight Sunday 6 October?     So whether you've got Ants in your Pants or your Going At a Snails Pace" by visiting our shop you'll help bugs in the process!   Shop Now And Finally...   Don't forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube !  Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet! Join Buglife Unsubscribe