7 nature things that happened this week
Chris Hitchings
BBC Springwatch Digital Team
1. You wait ages for a pine marten story - then you get two in a week!
It almost feels like pine martens are planning on staging a takeover of wildlife news. This week stunning footage emerged from Shropshire where the species is said to be thriving. It comes as the first confirmed sighting of a pine marten in Yorkshire for 35 years made headlines across the country last week.
2. Beautiful butterflies cross the border.
Butterfly Conservation say it has recorded a white-letter hairstreak butterfly in Scotland for the first time in more than 130 years. The discovery was made in a field on the 9th August at Paxton, Berwickshire by Iain Cowe who works as a butterfly recorder. The organisation is now working to find out if the butterfly has established a breeding colony in the area. Should such a colony be found it would mean there are 34 resident species of butterfly in Scotland.
3. Scientists have identified a new species of flower.
The 'Shetland monkeyflower' is said to be slightly larger than a 50p piece and is only found growing on the group of islands that lie north of mainland Scotland. The species is related to another found on Shetland but has double the number of chromosomes.
Read more (BBC)
4. A major hedgehog census has started.
The Guardian reported this week that people across the country are being encouraged to report data about what kind of homes hedgehogs are living in in their gardens. It's part of a nationwide effort to monitor the species and learn more about them.
Read more and take part (The Guardian)
5. How to ID a moth
If you crawl around the bushes in your garden at the moment you may find moths that are preparing to emerge. Many Watchers have been asking questions about what species they have spotted - fortunately the Wildlife Trusts for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire have tweeted a handy guide. Spotted one? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.
6. Invasive species filmed in Scottish river.
A Scottish fishery board says it has taken the "first ever footage" of a non-native species of salmon spawning in UK waters.
Read more (BBC)
Image from Ness Salmon Fishery Board
7. An 'impressive' Perseid meteor shower was seen over the UK - and the photos are stunning.
Stargazers took to social media to say they had seen the display, in which 100 meteors an hour streamed across the night sky. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every July and August as the Earth passes debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet.
BBC News website reader Keith Trueman captured the meteor shower against the background of the Milky Way on Exmoor
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About the author
Chris Hitchings is the social media lead for BBC Springwatch. He looks after the website, makes videos, sounds and updates the Watches Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. You can see more of his work for BBC Springwatch here.
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