Nowhere Else
@NowhereElseBook
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Nowhere Else - an exploration of Britain's endemic species; the plants, animals and fungi found nowhere else on Earth other than right here!
Britain
Joined June 2022
Over the next year I will be searching high and low to find a fascinating cross-section of Britain's endemic species - the species found nowhere else but right here! Follow me as the endemic quest unfurls... Photo is of the endemic Backs Goldilocks Buttercup
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... So if @AlexCarlTurner, @phoeb0 or @pgreenfielduk could just correct that then I'd be delighted 😊 As there's no shrew emoji (shameful!) I'll symbolise it with:🦔+🐁 5/5
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...Obviously, this shouldn't change anyone's opinion on Scilly Shrew conservation - just because it's not a unique, endemic taxon doesn't mean we shouldn't safeguard its future - but I would like to stop the myth from spreading (we have enough endemic myths already)... 4/5
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...The Scilly Shrew was once considered an endemic subspecies, Crocidura suaveolens cassiteridum, but this is no longer considered valid. Why is it called the Scilly Shrew then? Presumably because Scilly is the only site in England where this species is found... 3/5
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...However, this article - https://t.co/ZW55tstVph - by @AlexCarlTurner, whilst being a great read, mistakenly states that the Scilly Shrew is an endemic species - it's not! The Scilly Shrew is just another name for the Lesser White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura suaveolens... 2/5
theguardian.com
Invasive species on islands: when signs of the pests were discovered on the Scilly isle in January, a crack squad of conservationists mobilised to save threatened seabird colonies
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I read a great piece on rat eradication on Scilly; removal of rats from islands has hugely positive impacts on populations of native species, such as Manx Shearwaters and Puffins on Lundy (both of which I saw whilst searching for endemic Lundy Cabbage earlier this year)... 1/5
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Fortunately there is work going on to try and safeguard the future of the Menai Strait Whitebeam. Trees are being grown in cultivation to ensure an ‘ark’ population, and translocations to suitable wild sites are being considered. Find out more: https://t.co/z660RmJyqA
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This blew my mind. We have a critically endangered endemic species threatened by climate change – how have I not hear this story before? How is this not the poster-species of the impact of climate change in Britain? Why are we not all shouting about it all the time!
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However, this means that the trees are at risk from the erosion of the banks at the top of the shore. With climate-induced sea level rise, & erosion happening faster than before, the Menai Strait Whitebeam is incredibly threatened & is classed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN
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The trees do grow very close to the shore; the seedlings probably get established when a patch of ground slumps into the sea creating a bare patch for them to colonise.
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It’s also interesting that where the shore is crumbling into the sea and the trees are exposed to seawater the Common Whitebeams (Pics 1&2) look like they’re really suffering and the Menai Strait Whitebeams (Pics 3&4) look perfectly healthy. Are they more salt tolerant?
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The leaves of Common Whitebeam are more lobed and have stubbier, blunter teeth. The Menai Strait Whitebeam has unlobed leaves with sharper, more aggressive-looking teeth. Common Whitebeam on the left, Menai Strait Whitebeam on the right.
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Most trees are found at @North_Wales_WT's Nantporth Nature Reserve where it grows with Common Whitebeam. I’m glad Robbie was there to show me how to distinguish them – reasonably distinctive once you know, but I doubt I would have felt confident trying to identify them solo!
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This is the rarest endemic I have seen so far, and probably the rarest species that I have *ever* seen. There are only 30 (or so) individuals of this tree in the entire world, all within a stone’s-throw of the Menai Strait which separates Anglesey from the Welsh mainland.
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A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be shown the endemic Menai Strait Whitebeam (or Cerddin Menai) by the amazing @fossilplants
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This is so beautiful and fascinating - and as one of the parents is endemic so is the resulting hybrid. Hybrids might seem like strange one-offs or dead-ends, but many modern species have emerged from hybrid pairings and found their own niche.
27/6/22 Highland - Here's something super-rare. An intergeneric hybrid between the scarce Small White #Orchid (Pseudorchis albida) and the endemic Heath Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia borealis). Check out its intermediate features of the two! #wildflowerhour
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One thing I found really fascinating about False-toothed Lady's Mantle was how it favoured the edges of paths, seemingly liking the trampled sides (which presumably create bare ground for it to colonise?). Nice to think that there's a species that thrives off human activity!
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False-toothed Lady's Mantle has only been recently described as a new species; it spent about a century being confused with other lady's mantles before being finally settled by @AlchemillaMan. It does make you wonder though - how much is still out there to discover?!
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Of course, it does make it easier having the brand new Alchemilla book to hand... as well as having @AlchemillaMan, the guy who literally described the species, standing next to you and pointing out the features. (By the way, get the book, it's fantastic!)
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To my surprise it didn't take me long to get my eye in for the characteristic contorted leaf and silvery teeth of False-toothed Lady's Mantle. I mean, look at this? Isn't it characteristic, let alone absolutely stunning?!
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I have to admit that before yesterday I had only ever identified two lady's mantles; the distinctive Alpine Lady's Mantle, and the invasive Garden Lady's Mantle (boo! hiss!). But...
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