Thats a fair point in normal years but its been an unprecedented spell of drought here in East Sussex and I don't begrudge anyone wanting to continue watering poorly plants in their garden which in 49 of the last 50 years would have survived fine without assistance.

Its not just plants either, the amount of dead and dying bumblebees i've seen crisped up lying around the place is staggering.

I've never used a hose at home in 20 years of gardening, but this year I bought one and have used it sparingly simply to keep my mature plants and shrubs alive.

I don't think we disagree, MRaz. I asked: "...how many sensible citizens will have already reduced or cut their hosepipe use?" I hope everyone has done, but as a nation we tend to make exceptions for ourselves I often feel!

I will offer a bit of bumblebee biology. At this time of year many insects are dying off, reproduction is [mostly] over. Bumblebees are no exception. Drought may affect the availability of nectar, but not necessarily. It is natural to find dead worker bumblebees, drones or even old queen bees in your garden. The new fertilised queens will make their way to a winter refuge for "hibernation".  I sometimes salvage dead bumblebees to check on identification features as there are 24 species and I don't know them all. Yet.   See:

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/lifecycle/

Roger

---

 

I don't think we disagree, MRaz. I asked: "...how many sensible citizens will have already reduced or cut their hosepipe use?" I hope everyone has done, but as a nation we tend to make exceptions for ourselves I often feel!

I will offer a bit of bumblebee biology. At this time of year many insects are dying off, reproduction is [mostly] over. Bumblebees are no exception. Drought may affect the availability of nectar, but not necessarily. It is natural to find dead worker bumblebees, drones or even old queen bees in your garden. The new fertilised queens will make their way to a winter refuge for "hibernation".  I sometimes salvage dead bumblebees to check on identification features as there are 24 species and I don't know them all. Yet.   See:

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/lifecycle/

Roger

 

Thats interesting re the bees, they seem to hold up in the holyhock flowers and slowly expire, covered in pollen. Perhaps its more noticable this year as there has been no rain to wash away the detritus of natures natural cycle?!

Dry again today, although the seemingly higher dew point meant the car was damp this morning. The humidity is pretty rough at the minute actually, yesterday felt much worse in the office than the 37/38'ish degree'er the other week!

Really willing on some kind of meaningful rain. If anything to fill up the water butts that have been empty for months now.

---

Thats interesting re the bees, they seem to hold up in the holyhock flowers and slowly expire, covered in pollen. Perhaps its more noticable this year as there has been no rain to wash away the detritus of natures natural cycle?!

Dry again today, although the seemingly higher dew point meant the car was damp this morning. The humidity is pretty rough at the minute actually, yesterday felt much worse in the office than the 37/38'ish degree'er the other week!

Really willing on some kind of meaningful rain. If anything to fill up the water butts that have been empty for months now.

I've heard comments about generally low insect numbers this year via my network, but nothing about massive drought-related mortality. I'll keep my ears open and let you know if I do. My feeling is the hot dry weather will accelerate the regular annual die off. Perhaps combined with a shortage of forage - but that's debatable. Let me know of you notice anything more. See this useful link:

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-faqs/finding-dead-bees/

Roger

---

Hi MRaz. I've just picked up on this story where Prof Dave Goulson suggests "high flying temperature" may be a factor for furry bumblebees. I'd not considered "temperature-related starvation" and maybe were have all been assuming end-of-season mortality as usual and overlooking this issue of overheating. That certainly ties in with your observations. See what you think.

From badgers to bumblebees: how drought is affecting Britain’s wildlife
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/03/from-badgers-to-bumblebees-how-drought-is-affecting-britains-wildlife

Roger

---

 

I've heard comments about generally low insect numbers this year via my network, but nothing about massive drought-related mortality. I'll keep my ears open and let you know if I do. My feeling is the hot dry weather will accelerate the regular annual die off. Perhaps combined with a shortage of forage - but that's debatable. Let me know of you notice anything more. See this useful link:

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-faqs/finding-dead-bees/

Roger

Went to one of my favourite small nature reserves at the weekend which is well known for its Kingfishers and is usually teaming with azure, common and blue tailed damsel flies, darters and migrant hawkers and the odd emperor. Saw two common blue damsel flies. I don't understand this as there was plenty of water in the larger ponds and marginal vegetation.

---

Went to one of my favourite small nature reserves at the weekend which is well known for its Kingfishers and is usually teaming with azure, common and blue tailed damsel flies, darters and migrant hawkers and the odd emperor. Saw two common blue damsel flies. I don't understand this as there was plenty of water in the larger ponds and marginal vegetation.

Same here FW - we did the Big Butterfly Count and only had 2 Small Whites and 2 Meadow Browns in the garden! But bats were going crackers last night from 21.25hrs - 2 echolocating at 55kHz - so they must have been eating something. You could hear it!

R.

---

Marks & Spencer will stop selling disposable barbecues in all of its UK stores due to the risk of fire they cause in drought

 

Went to one of my favourite small nature reserves at the weekend which is well known for its Kingfishers and is usually teaming with azure, common and blue tailed damsel flies, darters and migrant hawkers and the odd emperor. Saw two common blue damsel flies. I don't understand this as there was plenty of water in the larger ponds and marginal vegetation.

My local watersports lake was absolutely teeming with damselflies a couple of weeks ago, lots of them mating. Lots of dragonflies as well. And this year I have seen more stag beetles in my garden than in any other year I can remember. Plenty of butterflies too. So certainly no shortage of insects around here (including the blowflies that have been busy laying eggs in the bins in the hot weather )

---

We spotted a dragonfly in our street in the city earlier this week. That is the first time I have seen one in such an urban location.

---

We spotted a dragonfly in our street in the city earlier this week. That is the first time I have seen one in such an urban location.

They are the most extraordinary creatures DrM. You look at them and discover they are looking at you.

The British Dragonfly Society has an excellent website if you need answers to dragonfly questions!

https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/

Roger

---

 

They are the most extraordinary creatures DrM. You look at them and discover they are looking at you.

The British Dragonfly Society has an excellent website if you need answers to dragonfly questions!

https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/

Roger

Thanks for that Roger. 

---

If it's any help, I've been on the Brathay Estate mopping up after our wet couple of days. Lots of standing water and mud! I could sell it to Hampshire folk!

That would be nice. Nothing to pay with but straw!

Our garden provides a small but necessary part of our livelihood. For that reason we will water our soft fruits, fruit trees and vegetables and salads whatever the situation. Our water butt is now dry, and we like to use this as we have several species of hardwater intolerant plants including insectivores. But these are a luxury, as is the lawn which we haven't watered. We will now use tapwater for the food and pondwater for the nepenthes etc. It takes about 30 watering cans to cover the pots and veg beds. The other beds we have been doing every 2-3 days depending on the temperature, sunshine & humidity.

We are currently fit & well enough to do this. But I would have no qualms about other means if mobility were seriously reduced, with regards our food, whatever the 'rules'. Certain recent events have changed my mindset wrt whether the moral or official grounds are more important.

---

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-08-04&id=03817279-7440-479a-8af0-905ed3bc93c5&details 

---

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-08-04&id=03817279-7440-479a-8af0-905ed3bc93c5&details 

No chance of that happening, as everything needs to be happening a bit further south from where that warning area is located. If it rains in Dundee for example, that isn't going to help in any way with the situation here in Edinburgh.

What's really frustrating for me as someone who is trying to record these events and then report them on here, is I have been been seeing quite a bit more in the way of rain falling here in recent days and yet, none of the nearby official weather stations are actually picking that up as actual measurable rainfall.

That can happen if these falls of rain are very localised, or if so little of it is falling that it is registered as only a trace and is therefore, not enough to actually be reported as an actual amount in millimetres.

Yet, the rain which I have been seeing has been quite torrential at times, and is certainly a lot more than just a trace. However, these events are looking too widespread at the moment to be considered as being all that localised so to me, these local weather stations should be picking up on that.

 

---

I'm putting this link here rather than start a new thread elsewhere because I think more people will read it. (Mods please move if you think fit).

In particular Fairweather and Bledur. Bledur once mentioned the fall in Mayfly numbers on the Avon near him. A sign of water quality deterioration. Fairweather comes from a career in water quality at a time when it was better managed than today. Both might have seen this article. Apologies if so.

It's fascinating if disturbing reading but something many of us have realised. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/04/sewage-sleuths-river-pollution-slow-dirty-death-of-welsh-and-english-rivers

Oliver Bullough - I mainly write about corruption and kleptocracy, but what’s extraordinary is how similar the situation around environmental enforcement is to that around financial crime. On paper, the laws are perfectly acceptable and regularly updated. The problem is that they are rarely, if ever, enforced. The result is government by press release; Potemkin enforcement; regulatory theatre; decriminalisation by underresourcing.

 

---

Drought across Western Europe

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news/droughts-europe-july-2022-almost-half-eu-uk-territory-risk-2022-07-18_en 

I’m currently in the Italian lakes and can attest: the hillsides look like Autumn, most deciduous trees on the steeper slopes are orange and shedding leaves.

There was yellow grass across Belgium, Luxembourg, NE France, SW Germany and Switzerland. Actually probably at its worst here in Italy and in the Pas de Calais. A bit more residual green in between.

---

I'm putting this link here rather than start a new thread elsewhere because I think more people will read it. (Mods please move if you think fit).

In particular Fairweather and Bledur. Bledur once mentioned the fall in Mayfly numbers on the Avon near him. A sign of water quality deterioration. Fairweather comes from a career in water quality at a time when it was better managed than today. Both might have seen this article. Apologies if so.

It's fascinating if disturbing reading but something many of us have realised. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/04/sewage-sleuths-river-pollution-slow-dirty-death-of-welsh-and-english-rivers

Oliver Bullough - I mainly write about corruption and kleptocracy, but what’s extraordinary is how similar the situation around environmental enforcement is to that around financial crime. On paper, the laws are perfectly acceptable and regularly updated. The problem is that they are rarely, if ever, enforced. The result is government by press release; Potemkin enforcement; regulatory theatre; decriminalisation by underresourcing.

 

 No i had not read that article and it is utterly sickening the state English & Welsh rivers have got into in the last 40 years. The little Chalk stream which runs along some of our land is a shadow of its former self. Where Ranunculus once flourished now in the summer there is more and more chokeweed and very few fish. Water abstraction and nitrate run off from all the arable fields on the Downs has ruined it. When i tell people that 40 years ago you could see salmon in the little Mill race in the Autumn, they do not believe it. This year is the lowest i have seen it . even 75-76 it did not drop so much.

Hi MRaz. I've just picked up on this story where Prof Dave Goulson suggests "high flying temperature" may be a factor for furry bumblebees. I'd not considered "temperature-related starvation" and maybe were have all been assuming end-of-season mortality as usual and overlooking this issue of overheating. That certainly ties in with your observations. See what you think.

From badgers to bumblebees: how drought is affecting Britain’s wildlife
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/03/from-badgers-to-bumblebees-how-drought-is-affecting-britains-wildlife

Roger

 

Interesting article RP. Perhaps its a perfect storm of environmental pressures and natural life cycles at play. I work in horticulture as a profession and whilst i'm no ecologist I have noticed a lot more crispy dead bees than usual. On the flip side the buff tail numbers are very high at the minute in my area.

A brief look at the 0z gfs this morning shows a splodge of rain at +372 imby...

---

Roger, are you getting smoke from a tyre fire in Ranskill over your way?  We’re just South west of it and can clearly see the thick black smoke blowing S/E and have a faint smell of rubber burning.  Brother says he has a clear view from Saxilby as well.  Thankfully we’ve had a few showers over the past couple of weeks, so we’re not tinder dry now!  

Ranskill fire

---

Roger, are you getting smoke from a tyre fire in Ranskill over your way?  We’re just South west of it and can clearly see the thick black smoke blowing S/E and have a faint smell of rubber burning.  Brother says he has a clear view from Saxilby as well.  Thankfully we’ve had a few showers over the past couple of weeks, so we’re not tinder dry now!  

Ranskill fire

Hi Caz. We have a  moderate westerly wind - a bit variable. I've had a look and a sniff but can't detect anything. Ranskill is about 30 miles away. BBC Link:

Ranskill tyre fire prompts warning to residents

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62435319

Mind you that does not say much - we had a tyre fire in this village a few weeks back and I only noticed it when I was washing up and looked out the window - to see a plume of black smoke on the horizon.

There has been of an outbreak of arson locally. That event was kids playing silly idiots. See:

Grantham: More than 25 arson attacks in town in recent week

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-62339001

TikTok copycat crime?

Roger

 

---