Unlock the secrets of vegetation sampling methods to ensure accurate ecological research, but which approach will yield the most reliable results?

Ants visit a Sea Campion flower infected by a Microbotryum smut fungus. Disease is something few people love. There are exceptions though, particularly among those who appreciate the diversity and ecological role of plant disease.

Have you ever found yourself lost in a sea of green, wondering which plants are wild onions? Well, get ready to uncover the secrets of these elusive and versatile plants. From their distinctive appearance to their potential lookalikes, we will explore the characteristics of wild onions and provide you with the knowledge you need to confidently identify them.

Since 2022 I have been recording the flora of some islands in Strangford Lough. I received a Plant Study Grant from the BSBI to work on this in the Summer of 2022 but as it turned out I had committed to a much bigger project than I first thought! I recently submitted my records and can now finally say I have finished my first large recording project.

This is an adapted version of my poster, which is also available as a pdf or png. As with all my work on this site it is CC BY 4.0 (free for use/adaptation as long as I am credited). The Meadow Maker Yellow Rattle ( Rhinanthus minor ) has become well known in restoration ecology and wildlife gardening as a “meadow maker”, which can transform a species-poor patch of grasses into a biodiverse and flower-rich one.

Arizona is home to a diverse range of pine trees, each with its own unique characteristics and beauty. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of pine trees found in Arizona and showcase their distinct features through stunning pictures. From the slow-growing and drought-tolerant Bristlecone Pines to the quick-growing Longleaf Pines, these trees add grace and majesty to the landscape.

Slievenacloy Nature Reserve is an Ulster Wildlife reserve in Antrim. It is very well managed for upland grassland, with a wealth of Devil’s-Bit dominated grassland.

On the thirteenth of August, I was at Killard National Nature Reserve, Co. Down, with my mum. We were looking for Frog Orchids and other species rare in the county like Quaking Grass and Field Scabious. She found a plant she didn’t recognise and asked me what it was, and it was Autumn Lady’s Tresses. I knew I hadn’t seen it before and wasn’t sure it had been recorded anywhere near before.

The model in this post is based on the one in Cameron et al. (2009), improving how seed dispersal is modelled and the dynamics are visualised. I have become a bit obsessed with hemiparasitic plants recently. When I found Cameron et al.’s paper on how Yellow Rattle can create interesting spatial dynamics in grasslands¹, I got quite excited. I have been learning python this year so I thought I may as well try to replicate their model.

7/10/2023 UPDATE: I have discovered other authors came up with this idea before me, as noted by Press and Phoenix¹¹. At least two authors have mentioned it: in the context of mistletoes¹²; and a North American root hemiparasite, Triphysaria ¹³. However, as far as I can tell the hypothesis has never been tested.