Biology Department Newsletter Issue 8: week commencing 1 June 2020
Springwatch with Mr Coleman Why not try to bring up your very own butterfly and observe it through its life cycles? What you will need: • A caterpillar! • A few pencil-sized twigs for climbing and leaves for eating • Kitchen roll to line the bottom of your tub • Water spray to make sure your little friend doesn’t dry out • A home for your butterfly A clear plastic tub works well so you don’t miss any of the action but make sure it has some air holes. To find a caterpillar look for tell-tale nibble holes in leaves on a caterpillar hunt with your family and/or one friend! Top tip: Keep hold of the leaves you found your caterpillar on as these are probably its favourite food. Steer clear of very hairy caterpillars as they can cause an allergic reaction.
Caring for your caterpillar is a labour of love and you will need to find it fresh leaves daily. Do some research to find out how long its life cycle is and what type of butterfly will emerge. Keep it out of direct sunlight and clean out any dead leaves and poo regularly. Add some twigs for it to climb on and attach to as a chrysalis when it pupates.
Now your hard work is done, it’s time to watch and wait! Spray lightly with water every few days so it doesn’t dry out.
You could keep a diary of the different stages and when the big day finally arrives - was it the species that you expected? Now it is time to watch your butterfly spread its wings and fly away. Blink back your tears and follow it for a while for its life is fleeting and why you, like the butterfly, must grasp the nettle! Answers to Butterfly Challenge (Issue 7): 1. Adonis Blue (male) – extremely difficult to synthesise biological compounds that reflect blue light 2. Painted Lady – migrates from North Africa 3. Orange Tip (male) – mottled underwings/lilac flower 4. Glanville Fritillary – Head of BS Biology, Mr Glanville 5. Peacock – has evolved spots to look like a Little Owl Congratulations to Jana Percival at PrePrep who will receive a prize when we get back to school!
Do let me know how you get on at Coleman_S@habsboys.org.
Biology Department Newsletter Issue 8: week commencing 1 June 2020
Springwatch with Mr Coleman Brilliant bees Did you know that one third of the World’s total food production depends on pollination by bees? Pollination increases the amount of agricultural produce, improves its quality and enhances plants’ resistance to pests. Bees protect and maintain the biodiversity of ecosystems, contribute to genetic diversity and act as indicators of the state of the environment.
It’s easy to get disheartened but you can help: • Learn more about how amazingly important bees are and tell others Honey Flow • Plant bee-friendly flowers (see issues 5&7) • Build a bee hotel Newsround or just drill pencil-sized holes in wood (off the ground)
• Eat local honey – yum, yum! • Join the World Bee Count, take photos and share them Bees count
But bees and other pollinators are under threat. The number of pollinators is in decline around the world, whilst the need for pollination is on the rise, especially in developing countries. Researchers have established that the main reasons for the mortality of bees include modern farming methods and products (neonicotinoids), urbanisation, climate change and disease spread by viruses!
Your images will be added to an interactive world pollinator map because counting the bees near you will help us to understand their global decline. They are surprisingly tricky to focus on but here are my efforts
Bee ID sheet
Biology Department Newsletter Issue 8: week commencing 1 June 2020
Raised vegetable patch Raised beds are a great way of growing a wide range of plants in your garden, and are particularly popular for growing fruit and vegetables. Mrs Jones has created one in her garden and here are some of the fruits (!) of her labour. Can you identify any of them?
Down on the farm with Mr Metcalfe News from the farm: we have a pet calf after his mother failed to produce any milk. The result is that the calf will be bottle fed for 3-4 months before getting on to solids and joining the other 30 or so calves already in the field with their mothers. The farm rears the calves until they are approximately a year old. They are then sold at the mart as `store cattle` and fattened up for a further year by someone else. The profit margins are smaller at this stage but this type of farmer will be operating on a much larger scale with several hundred beasts being fattened up at the same time. The pet calf (pictured) is an Aberdeen angus calf with the breed synonymous for high quality beef production. More information about the little man can be found by clicking on this link: HabsTube
Biology Department Newsletter Issue 8: week commencing 1 June 2020
Biology in the news with Mrs Oatridge The eagles returning to the English skies Britain’s largest birds of prey- white-tailed eagles- are being seen in the skies above England for the first time in nearly 200 years. The birds, which have a wingspan of up to eight feet, were a common sight in Britain until the 19th century, when they were wiped out by habitat loss and hunting. The birds last bred in England in the 1830s. Following their successful reintroduction to Scotland in the 1970s, six birds were released on the Isle of Wight last summer, each fitted with GPS trackers. Two of the birds have flown as north as Yorkshire and another has been touring southeast England. It is hoped that they will start breeding in four or five years, linking up with other eagle populations that are emerging on northern Europe. A ‘sniff test’ for brain injuries A simple sniff test has been found to accurately predict if patients with severe brain injuries will regain consciousness. This reflex action relies on structures deep within the brain, and researchers at Cambridge University have hypothesised that it could be a ‘biomarker for consciousness’. They ran a study exposing patients to a range of strong smells as well as neutral ones and measured the volume of air they sniffed in response. Following up, three years later, they found that 91% of the patients who has responded to the smells had regained consciousness, whereas 63% of those who showed no response had not. Could this simple diagnostic tool have an important future?
Random acts of Wildness Hopefully all of us have spent some time this school year (and especially during lockdown) thinking about the things we can do to spread a little joy to others. Many of you will have completed random acts of kindness, or are aiming to complete the Action for Happiness 'Joyful June' campaign. The nature-lovers amongst you might want to extend your kindness to the natural world by getting involved with The Wildlife Trust’s #30dayswild initiative aimed at encouraging all of us to connect with nature more. Simply go to their website, download the free resource and do one wild thing every day for the month of June! Wildlife Trust