News Archive 2010

The programme of events for the 2010 Dumfries and Galloway Wildlife Festival is now available. The Festival is a showcase for some of the special wildlife found in Dumfries and Galloway, with local groups, organisations, businesses and visitor attractions putting on special events to enable more people to learn about and enjoy the plants and animals that live in the region.

Volunteers have long played a major part in biological recording in the UK. From the amateur naturalists of the 1800s to the present day, their contribution to the knowledge of our flora and fauna cannot be understated. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have now commissioned a study to look into the current extent of voluntary biological recording in Scotland and at its potential value

A highly invasive marine species, the sea squirt Didemnum vexillum, has recently been discovered for the first time in Scottish waters. A colonial species, it has been spreading around the world in recent years, colonizing marine structures, ships’ hulls, and natural marine habitats.

A new field guide to mosses and liverworts has just been published by the British Bryological Society (BBS), with new keys, photos and illustrations.

Butterfly Conservation have published a new free guide to help with identification of the butterflies and moths of Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire.

The national mayfly recording scheme are asking for help in recording one of the distinctive mayflies that will emerge on our rivers this spring.

Solway Heritage is seeking to employ an enthusiastic Project Officer to deliver the Bugs in Gardens project.

Dumfries and Galloway now appears to have a new species of reptile resident in the region.

Invasive plants along our river corridors are the focus of a new project in Dumfries and Galloway. DGERC are helping to map records of invasive species on behalf of the project partnership, and project officers are working with landowners to facilitate its control

The Environmental Resources Centre launched its new project “Bugs in Gardens” in July at Allanton Peace Sanctuary. The project is looking to encourage people to take more of an interest in the invertebrates they come across in their gardens and to send in these records. Many invertebrates play vital roles in helping to keep our gardens healthy and productive through pollination, pest control and soil conditioning. However lots of species are in decline due to loss of habitat and changes in how our countryside is managed.