The member magazine for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Spring/Summer 2020 Wild life Enter the FEEL THE BUZZ dragon! Why GWT needs your help to protect Gloucestershire’s insects Be captivated by these charismatic creatures at Coombe Hill INSECT-FRIENDLY GARDENING Easy ways to attract more insects to your garden Magazine Name | Summer 2019 1 Welcome 22 14 Contents 4 Wild news Why insects matter Wild happenings from around the county 10 A bug’s life We’ve got a special focus on insects – too How you can support GWT’s insect appeal often forgotten in the fight for nature’s recovery. We wanted to highlight 14 Natural born recyclers both the shocking decline in insect Insects that bring trees back to life numbers but also the wonder of the invertebrates on our doorstep. Insects 5 reasons I love deliver amazing benefits both for people and for 17 Inspiration on what to do this summer wildlife – they are pollinators, recyclers and of course food for birds, animals and even some humans! But they are also incredible in their own right. And one of 18 Enter the dragon the easiest ways to encourage wildlife into our urban Discover the secret world of dragonflies areas and gardens is to make them insect-friendly. Time to get our gardens buzzing! 22 Feel the buzz With the barrage of news on the declines in Communities bringing nature to their insects and wildlife in general, it can be hard to keep doorsteps positive. But thanks to your support, we’ve been working on a new map for Gloucestershire that 24 How to attract insects shows how we can deliver nature’s recovery. We’re 26 Insect-friendly gardening tips calling it the Nature Recovery Network. A map might 10 not sound all that exciting on its own, but we think 26 Alien plant invaders it’s the start to turning around the decline in wildlife The problem with Himalayan balsam in our county. The map helps by looking at how we can reconnect wildlife across whole landscapes while 28 The secret life of swifts working with several members of the community. Flying high with these miraculous birds It’s clear that if we seriously want to turn around declines in wildlife, we need to think big and bold Natural carbon solutions – and work in new ways. The Nature Recovery 32 Natural ways to tackle the climate crisis Network is the start of that new approach – something we’ve been able to do only because of the support of our members. A massive thank you. The 34 Wild volunteers ecological and climate emergencies mean we need to Making a difference with GWT try new things. Thanks to you, we can. 36 25 years with Grundon Celebrating a wild partnership 38 My wild Gloucestershire Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive Meet the new Chair of Trustees, David Bullock Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Get in touch Who we are 6 ways to get involved this spring and summer Wildlife is the membership magazine for Follow us on social media to stay up Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust protects wildlife Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to date with the latest GWT news, or for the future. We connect and improve Donate to GWT’s insects Enhance unused urban areas for Join a local volunteer group and make Email [email protected] subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at Gloucestershire’s wildlife and wild places. appeal by filling in the form at the wildlife by sowing native wildflowers to connections for wildlife Telephone 01452 383333 gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/enews We have a vision where each year there is back of this magazine or visiting attract pollinators gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/ Address Conservation Centre, Robinswood Hill more wildlife, more wild places and more gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/ turn to p22 for inspiration get-involved/volunteer facebook.com/gloswildlife Country Park, Reservoir Road, Gloucester GL4 6SX people with a connection to the natural world twitter.com/gloswildlife insectsappeal Website gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk wherever they live in the county. instagram.com/gloswildlife Registered charity number 232580 We are the largest nature conservation charity youtube/gloswildlifetrust to clear invasive any glow-worm or dragonfly insect-friendly plants to attract in the county and rely on the generous Volunteer Record Plant The Wildlife Trust Magazine Team: Himalayan balsam from the Painswick sightings using the iRecord app and send pest predators and help reduce pesticides support of the public and funders. Your editors Emma Mercer, Tess Hirst Valley – email volunteering@ them to the county recorder in your garden Your designer Jackdaw Design Cover: Emperor dragonfly © Ross Hoddinott/2020Vision gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk turn to p7 & p18 for details discover how on p24 2 Wildlife | Spring/Summer 2020 Wildlife | Spring/Summer 2020 3 WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT FOCUS ON... WILD NEWS Insects Appeal All the latest regional news from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Urgent appeal Ellie’s W i l d W o rd GWT’s president offers a celebration of insect life as we know it Where Lest we forget, we’re celebrating the most important group of animals: the invertebrates. Without them, we can forget about have all the the scaly, feathery and fluffy creatures that remind us of ourselves. We can forget about crops, soils and any tidying insects gone? Large red damselfly up the decay. And we can remember STEVENSON TERRY DAMSELFLY: RED LARGE that a world without them would be cataclysmic. In your garden, you may GWT has launched an urgent appeal on Why does it matter? and in urban areas to protect insect have dozens of bird species and even the back of alarming reports that insect Insects have a variety of vital roles populations. a handful of mammals that visit, but Milly Spencer and Becky numbers are in sharp decline within our ecosystem. They provide food you’ll also have 8,000 different species of Kilvington from the In January, GWT launched its insects for a number of species including bats The insect world is facing the biggest invertebrate and most of them really are Our Bright Future team appeal, following reports that insect and birds, they pollinate many of our fight of its life yours, they’re not visitors. numbers have dramatically declined fruit, crops and plants and help to break Imagine if some of their behaviour in the last 50 years. The appeal aims to down deadwood into nutrients that can % of insect species threatened went on at mammal-size, then we’d raise awareness of just how much we all be re-used by trees. 41 with extinction be talking: crab spiders waiting under Award for giving need to do to prevent the sharp decline a petal for an unsuspecting bee or in insect numbers, and why it matters. What is GWT doing? % estimated drop in insect butterfly to pounce on and kill; bees The facts are startling and if we don’t GWT is calling on farmers and 50 numbers since 1970 making collective decisions and waiting young people a chance act now, there could be some very dire landowners to stop all routine and for the murderous signal; and wasps consequences for life as we know it. unnecessary use of pesticides which are % of food crops are pollinated paralysing spiders to take back to their Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has recently and feeling like a valuable member of contributing to the problem. It is also 80 by insects nests. A brutal thriller, right outside received an award from Prospects Youth society. Our Bright Future has been encouraging people to build more insect- your window! Services in recognition of the work operating for four years and is supported friendly habitats in gardens, towns, cities So, in this issue we’re looking at they’ve done, and continue to do, with by the National Lottery Community Fund. and countryside to provide connected To highlight the gravity of the ways to make your garden even more young people. GWT is the first external Find out more about the project at areas for insects to thrive. situation, we have included several insect-friendly. We’ll also be exploring organisation outside Prospects Youth gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/ features in this issue of Wildlife to support ways of reducing pesticides in farming Service to be given an award, making the our-bright-future How can you help? the insects appeal. Read on to find out and attracting insects to our towns achievement even more special. We need to look at insects in a new light, more about the decline of insects and and cities. And a part of our landscape Prospects commented that there was Our Bright Future in numbers to not see them as pests, but valuable what GWT is doing to boost numbers, as that is essential for at least 1,000 insects clear evidence that participating in the Our components in our ecosystem. Attracting well as ways you can help. If you’d like to The number of AQA certificates during at least one stage of their life Bright Future project greatly improved 573 insects to gardens and outdoor spaces donate to this important appeal, please CRICKET: PHILIP ANDREWS PHILIP CRICKET: awarded to participants cycle: deadwood, the beautiful afterlife. young people’s emotional wellbeing and Green will help boost numbers, but you can visit gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/ has helped them gain valuable practical The number of young shield bug also donate to GWT’s insects appeal insectsappeal or turn to the back of skills and AQA accreditations. This in turn 3,000 people engaged with Our Bright Future to support GWT’s work on its reserves the magazine. has enabled them to move on to next % steps, such as college, employment and 55 The number of attendees who Cutout image to come traineeships.