Changes to benefit the environment...

Roen

kollegeknight wrote: »

Not one germinated. I threw out a few boxes of wild flower seed yesterday. We used a cloche a few weeks ago for a fairy garden for the small lady and they’re flying up so we widened our scope.

Bit of a trend emerging with those things.

80sDiesel

Was under some mature synamore trees today and they were abuzz with bees. Seemingly they flower early and are a great source of polen and nectar.

And I was so tempted to cut them down some day but will leave them now.

wrangler

80sDiesel wrote: »

Was under some mature synamore trees today and they were abuzz with bees. Seemingly they flower early and are a great source of polen and nectar.

And I was so tempted to cut them down some day but will leave them now.

We've a cotoneaster hedge in the yard here and it has been thick with bees the last few days, massive buzzing noise out of it all day

uck51js9zml2yt

wrangler wrote: »

We've a cotoneaster hedge in the yard here and it has been thick with bees the last few days, massive buzzing noise out of it all day

I've the same. About 20-30 bumbles at one plant the last few days

PoorFarmer

wrangler wrote:

We've a cotoneaster hedge in the yard here and it has been thick with bees the last few days, massive buzzing noise out of it all day

We have it here too. Hate the look of it but is black with bees for most of the summer so I let it be.

Muckit

Base price wrote: »

I didn't know what those flowers were either. I haven't heard the cuckoo......

Here is pic of my cattle in the LIPP. Place covered in the cuckoo flowers. I 've heard
the cuckoo around here yesterday evening

kollegeknight

Plenty of cuckoo flowers here too. Mostly in the bog. Just heard the cuckoo for the first time this year last week.

Birdnuts

Muckit wrote: »

Here is pic of my cattle in the LIPP. Place covered in the cuckoo flowers. I 've heard
the cuckoo around here yesterday evening

Main foodplant for the wonderfull Orange Tip Butterfly. From now on your should be able to see the tiny orange eggs near the flower head

Base price

Birdnuts wrote: »

Main foodplant for the wonderfull Orange Tip Butterfly. From now on your should be able to see the tiny orange eggs near the flower head

TBH I don't have a clue about the majority of our non-mammalian species.
However I decided to try and educate myself and recently bought two swatches from Biodiversity Ireland (http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/shop/). One is for flutterbys and the other is for bees.

gozunda

Base price wrote: »

TBH I don't have a clue about the majority of our non-mammalian species.
However I decided to try and educate myself and recently bought two swatches from Biodiversity Ireland (http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/shop/). One is for flutterbys and the other is for bees.

Its an interest from the time I was a kid. I'd borrow a guide book from the library and disappear down the fields. Still try to do a bit when I've time.

80sDiesel

Birdnuts wrote: »

Muckit wrote: »

Here is pic of my cattle in the LIPP. Place covered in the cuckoo flowers.  I 've heard
the cuckoo around here yesterday evening

Main foodplant for the wonderfull Orange Tip Butterfly. From now on your should be able to see the tiny orange eggs near the flower head

Will see if I can find any in my fields.

80sDiesel

Double post

80sDiesel

Double post

PoorFarmer

Seen the first Cinnibar moth of the year this morning. Hopefully will keep my neighbours ragworth down

yosemitesam1

Birdnuts wrote: »

Main foodplant for the wonderfull Orange Tip Butterfly. From now on your should be able to see the tiny orange eggs near the flower head

Seen a lot of those at a few different spots this year. Didn't notice any cuckoo flowers anywhere

uck51js9zml2yt

I just threw a few packs of wildflower and bee mix on the verges of my veg plot.

Will see what happens.

Gawddawggonnit

28ha field and not going to get the chainsaw to this little oak tree. That’s my contribution for now.

Willfarman

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

28ha field and not going to get the chainsaw to this little oak tree. That’s my contribution for now.

I’d transplant him to a more suitable location next November all the same!

grassroot1

Wouldn't it be a grand place for row of oaks

PoorFarmer

I wonder will the climate emergency announced yesterday be administered to farmers with a stick or a carrot? TBH I cant see government spending big on any changes they want us to make.

gozunda

PoorFarmer wrote: »

I wonder will the climate emergency announced yesterday be administered to farmers with a stick or a carrot? TBH I cant see government spending big on any changes they want us to make.

It's a sop to placate the screamers. Thats all.

grassroot1

PoorFarmer wrote:

I wonder will the climate emergency announced yesterday be administered to farmers with a stick or a carrot? TBH I cant see government spending big on any changes they want us to make.

Plus 100% If the government want change in farming methods or livestock numbers they need to pay farmers to change practice. We cannot do it without compensation.
The rest of society will also have to make lifestyle changes and cut back in energy and natural resource use.
Can't see either happening, yesterday was just a ploy to be seen to be doing something rather than actually taking action

Capercaillie

gozunda wrote: »

It's a sop to placate the screamers. Thats all.

Government/IFA have zero interest in biodiversity.

Say my name

PoorFarmer wrote: »

I wonder will the climate emergency announced yesterday be administered to farmers with a stick or a carrot? TBH I cant see government spending big on any changes they want us to make.

It's teagasc advice going to government offices so it'll be based on maintaining revenue and output coming out of agriculture to government, secondary industries and management advice.
Carbon tax will be looked for to boost government coffers and then some schemes will be introduced to get farmers to jump through hoops to get some back.

Carbon sequestration or carbon trading won't get a look in.
Money is the ruler. There's no real interest in climate change from this government. It's a window dressing exercise.

Carbon should be the currency.

_Brian

PoorFarmer wrote: »

I wonder will the climate emergency announced yesterday be administered to farmers with a stick or a carrot? TBH I cant see government spending big on any changes they want us to make.

I read the Oireachtas Report that is being used, Section 8 relates to farming and from what I can see mostly it just recommends setting up some quangos to further research and more knowledge transfer stuff from Teagasc


It recognises the low margins in the business and so questions if taxation is the way forward..



I also recently read an interesting article about Greta Thunburg and other cases where children were used to spearhead changes. The jist was that its often undemocratic as nobody can really be seen to challenge a child publicly even of they are correct in doing so, personally I think she is being used as a puppet to further this cause for that very reason..


Start questioning a kid like that in public and you'll very quickly be deemed a total monster.


We have two corners that have been allowed to wild out, their not big but we don't farm that much land so everything has to be in proportion.


We grow on hedges big and bushy.


While we have eliminated lots of gorse, one patch remains and providing the dept dont request it we probably won't scrub it out.


I've started paying more attention and recording our wildlife on the biodiversity website, seeing new things, finding out what they are and recording them is a great way to see just how diverse your farm is.
https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/


Was digging a trench and laying a hedge recently on the edge of a site on the farm, I was disappointed at how few worms we see, this isnt a heavily fertilised or slurried area - nothing in years in this site, just very few earthworms.

gozunda

_Brian wrote: »

I..
Was digging a trench and laying a hedge recently on the edge of a site on the farm, I was disappointed at how few worms we see, this isnt a heavily fertilised or slurried area - nothing in years in this site, just very few earthworms.

Regarding the earthworms. Earthworms like soils with lots of organic matter. Soils prone to flooding or gley type soils in areas with even a seasonally high watertable discourages earthworm activity. A great way to encourage earthworms is to add humus such as well rotted fym to an area - guaranteed they will turn up like holiday makers on a beach in July

PoorFarmer

_Brian wrote:

I've started paying more attention and recording our wildlife on the biodiversity website, seeing new things, finding out what they are and recording them is a great way to see just how diverse your farm is.

Do this myself and just save them on an excel file but didnt realise there was an app/website to record on. Thanks

_Brian

gozunda wrote: »

Regarding the earthworms. Earthworms like soils with lots of organic matter. Soils prone to flooding or gley type soils in areas with even a seasonally high watertable discourages earthworm activity. A great way to encourage earthworms is to add humus such as well rotted fym to an area - guaranteed they will turn up like holiday makers on a beach in July

Yea.
Part of this had the blue glar right to the surface, wouldn’t encourage much 🙄

_Brian

PoorFarmer wrote: »

Do this myself and just save them on an excel file but didnt realise there was an app/website to record on. Thanks

I’ve downloaded the app on iPhone but it’s not great tbh, the website is easy though.

_Brian

I thought this “citizen science” project was a great way to collect loads of data.
Farmers and people were encouraged to sample their land and submit the results on earthworm populations in 20cm cube digs.
Showed a decline in earthworms which I suppose is what we would all expect to see considering so much slurry and artificial fertiliser compared to FYM that used to be spread.

https://www.earthwormwatch.org/welcome-science-education