As ever, I want to point out that invasive species are not intrinsically “bad”, but are extremely successful plants.  And it is entirely our fault that they are growing so well in non-native habitats where natural competition and predation isn’t present, controlling their spread.

Introduction: A Botanical Invader in Our Midst

Imagine a plant so resilient that it can break through concrete, thrive in hostile environments, and regenerate from a mere fragment. Welcome to the world of Japanese Knotweed, the UK’s most unwelcome guest. Once a beloved ornamental newcomer from Japan, this plant has morphed into public enemy number one, infiltrating gardens and wild areas across the country with a villainous prowess akin to a supervillain in a cape.

Origins and Spread: From Beauty to Beast

Japanese Knotweed was first brought to the UK from Japan in the mid-19th century by botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold. Initially celebrated for its ability to provide quick cover with its dense canopies, it was used extensively in landscaping. However, its highly adaptive nature and robust rhizome system allowed it to thrive in diverse environments—from riverbanks to railway embankments—spreading far beyond intended confines. Its aggressive growth allows it to overpower native plants, erode biodiversity, and disrupt ecosystems.

Habit drawing of Japanese knotweed Fallopia japonica 

Identification Guide: Recognising the Threat

Effective management of Japanese Knotweed starts with accurate identification. Here are key identifiers:

Leaves: Broadly oval, flat, and sharply pointed at the tip, resembling a shield.

Stems: Hollow and jointed, similar to bamboo, with a distinct green colour speckled with purple.

Flowers: Small, creamy-white flowers appear in elongated clusters during late summer and early autumn.

Growth Pattern: Knotweed can grow up to 10 centimetres per day during the growing season, quickly forming dense thickets.

Ecological Impact: A Formidable Foe

Sketchbook study of Japanese knotweed

The ecological consequences of Japanese Knotweed are severe. It forms dense thickets that overshadow and outcompete native vegetation, leading to reduced biodiversity. Its extensive root system can damage foundations, walls, pavements, and flood defences, causing significant economic costs for remediation and repair. The plant is especially problematic in urban areas, where it can grow through concrete and asphalt, leading to costly damages to property and infrastructure.

For more information on the ecological impact of invasive species, you can refer to the Royal Horticultural Society.

Economic and Property Impacts

The presence of Japanese Knotweed can severely impact property values, often reducing them by as much as 10%. Sellers are legally required to declare its presence under the TA6 form used in property transactions. Failure to manage or disclose its presence can lead to legal disputes and potential liability for homeowners. Mortgage lenders often refuse loans on properties affected by Knotweed unless there is a professional management plan in place, complicating sales and affecting the housing market.

Root crown of Japanese knotweed

Homeowners have reported difficulty in securing mortgages due to the presence of Knotweed. Some lenders outright refuse to finance properties with known infestations, while others demand comprehensive treatment plans. This has led to situations where potential sales fall through, leaving homeowners with the financial burden of treatment and a devalued property.

For more details on how invasive plants can affect property transactions, the UK Government’s website provides valuable insights.

Professional Removal and Management

Eradicating Japanese Knotweed is complex and typically requires professional intervention. Treatment involves:

Chemical Control: Systemic herbicides are applied over several growing seasons to ensure the rhizomes are thoroughly killed. This method often requires repeated applications to be effective.

Physical Removal: Involves excavating the entire root system, which can extend deep into the ground. This process is labour-intensive and more costly but necessary for severe infestations.

Biological Control: Research is ongoing into natural predators that can help control Knotweed. For instance, the Japanese knotweed psyllid is being tested for its effectiveness in reducing the plant’s spread without harming native species.

For those facing issues with this invasive plant, professional intervention is crucial. More information can be found on knotweed removal services to understand the full scope of effective treatment options.

Community Initiatives and Public Awareness

Combating Japanese Knotweed is not just an individual concern but a community-wide effort. Public awareness and cooperation are crucial in controlling its spread. Local councils and environmental groups often conduct awareness campaigns and removal initiatives to control its spread. Public participation in reporting sightings and adhering to disposal guidelines is crucial to managing this invasive species effectively.

Education and awareness campaigns play a vital role in preventing the spread of Japanese Knotweed. These campaigns often focus on teaching people how to identify the plant and the importance of not disturbing or spreading it. For example, Knotweed fragments can easily be transported on footwear, vehicles, and equipment, leading to new infestations in previously unaffected areas.

Pollinators visiting the flowers of Japanese knotweed

Community-led initiatives, such as organised removal events and monitoring programs, can significantly contribute to controlling Knotweed. By working together, residents can share resources and knowledge, making it easier to manage infestations and prevent further spread. Collaboration with local authorities and professional removal services ensures that efforts are coordinated and effective.

Innovative Solutions and Future Prospects

Research into new methods of controlling Japanese Knotweed is ongoing, with promising developments in both chemical and biological control strategies. One area of focus is the development of more targeted herbicides that can effectively kill Knotweed while minimising harm to other plants and animals. Advances in biotechnology may also offer new solutions, such as genetically modified organisms that can specifically target Knotweed without affecting other species.

Stand of Japanese knotweed

Another innovative approach being explored is the use of biological control agents. One such agent is the psyllid insect, which feeds exclusively on Japanese Knotweed and has been released in controlled trials to assess its effectiveness in reducing the plant’s growth. This method, if successful, could provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to manage Knotweed infestations.

For a deeper dive into ongoing research, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) offers extensive resources on biological control measures and other scientific approaches to managing invasive species.

The Role of Property Owners in Managing Knotweed

Homeowners and property managers play a critical role in the fight against Japanese Knotweed. Early detection and swift action are key to preventing the plant from establishing a foothold. Property owners should regularly inspect their land for signs of Knotweed, particularly in areas where it has previously been found or is known to occur.

Once identified, it is crucial to act quickly and engage professional services to ensure thorough and effective eradication. DIY attempts are often insufficient and can lead to further spread of the plant. Professional services, such as those provided by experts in knotweed removal, offer tailored solutions to each unique situation, ensuring the best chance of complete removal.

Book on Japanese knotweed featuring my illustrations by Nicolas Seal

Conclusion: A Call to Action Against an Invasive Giant

The battle against Japanese Knotweed in the UK underscores the broader challenges of managing invasive species in a globalised world. It calls for vigilance, responsible management, and community cooperation to mitigate its impacts. As we advance in our methods to control this plant, the lessons learned can help inform the management of other invasive species and protect our natural and built environments for future generations.

By staying informed and proactive, property owners can play a pivotal role in controlling the spread of Japanese Knotweed. Working with experts and engaging in community efforts will not only protect individual properties but also contribute to the wider effort to preserve the UK’s biodiversity and landscape integrity. Together, we can tackle this green invader and safeguard our environment for future generations.

Japanese knotweed Fallopia japonica seedling

The post Unearthing the Enigma: Japanese Knotweed’s Unstoppable March appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Flower shapes matter, culturally as well as botanically.  According to the 2016 Generations of Flowers Study 60% of Americans believe a gift of flowers has a special meaning.  This is unlike any other gift.  Many associate different colours with different meanings.   Red roses convey romance, for example.  However, the shape of different flowers carries significant meaning in various cultures around the world. Illustration works to bring delicate shapes and details to life. Understanding how different cultures interpret the symbolism of different flowers can bring deeper meaning and connection to blooms of all kinds.

Kali Puja and the Red hibiscus Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis

In Hinduism, flowers play a significant role. One Medium post by Kamaldeep Singh explains that Indian culture lays emphasis on natural elements, including air, soil, water, and flowers. “Special significance is given to flowers, which are so important that without them no auspicious work can ever be done.”

Singh explains how flowers are an integral part of the culture.  They form daily offerings to ancestors, appear at weddings, and are used in herbal medicines.  Jasmine, lotus, and even basil hold notable meanings.

Wild basil Clinopodium vulgare

Hibiscus is another  flower worth mentioning — particularly when it comes to the flower’s shape.  Singh notes that a garland of 108 red hibiscus flowers is offered for the prayer of Maa Kali, “as the flower’s shape is said to resemble her tongue.”

Red hibiscus Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis

Kali Puja is a festival dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali.  It is celebrated by honouring the goddess by giving various offerings, including rice, lentils, and of course, red hibiscus flowers.  CurlyTales notes that the puja is performed in order to erase negative energy and to welcome “spiritual progress and material prosperity“.  The main aim of the worship is to call on Kali to destroy both inner evil and the evil that resides in the outside world.

Hibiscus sketchbook study (not the Red hibiscus)

The positive symbolism of the sunflower Helianthus annus

The shape of a sunflower is reminiscent of the sun itself, with the petals akin to glowing rays of light.

In Spanish, the word for sunflower, “girasol,” translates to “sun turner,” quite literally referring to the flower’s nature of turning to the sun to soak up the sunshine.  As one Thursd post points out, this makes the flowers heliotropic, meaning they turn their flowers to follow the Sun.  They turn their flowering heads from east to west, resetting at night.  This means in the morning, as the sun rises in the east, they are in the correct position.

The sunflower holds great meaning across several cultures.  In Native American culture,  Thursd notes that the sunflower was used by tribes as a source of both food and dye.  The flower itself became a symbol of worship and spiritual faith.

In religion, sunflowers are known as an “emblem of God’s love” in Christianity.  In Islamic culture, the flower “depicts the believer’s devotion and desire to seek spiritual truth.”  Thursd goes on to highlight the sunflower’s significance in tattoo culture as well, where they serve as a symbol of positivity, strength, and warmth. “They reflect a vibrant spirit, a love for the sun, and a constant search for light, akin to the sunflower’s nature.”

How to grow sunflowers

Growing sunflowers right in your backyard is a great way to appreciate their unique shape and connect with their positive symbolism.  According to The Spruce, the only mandatory requirements for sunflowers are well-drained soil and a sunny location.  Choosing an area that is sheltered from strong winds is advised, as sunflowers can grow up to 10 feet tall when mature.  You can also plant them in groups in order to support one another.

If you already have sun-loving shrubs (like Loropetalum, which features clusters of pink-red flowers that bloom all year round), working sunflowers into your care routine shouldn’t be a problem. In addition to regular watering and staking tall sunflowers, keep the garden free of weeds, and mulch(to help maintain soil moisture.  These hints help ensure that sunflowers thrive. When caring for additional plants and shrubs, extending their lifespan can be achieved through simple and effective landscaping techniques.  These include occasional pruning, amending the soil to suit your shrubs, and proactively managing pests.  These can all be easily worked into a routine care regime.

Painting the seeds in the centre of a sunflower

Snapdragons Antirrhinum majus— a protective flower

The unique shape of snapdragons lends to the flower’s name.  They appearing like the mouth of a dragon when the sides are gently pressed together.  According to Country Living, snapdragons are said to symbolize graciousness in addition to deception, giving a double meaning to the dainty petals. “The latter attribute might have something to do with the old wives’ tale that concealing a snapdragon somewhere on your body makes you fascinating to others,” highlights the post.  However, the flower’s story goes much deeper than that.

Eternity Flower notes that in various European cultures, it was believed that the snapdragon flower had supernatural powers. “The flower’s peculiar mechanism, where the petals open and close like a dragon’s jaw when squeezed, led to tales of it being a protective entity.”  This led to snapdragons were spoken of in legends as having great powers in warding off deceit and curses.  Theywere even planted in gardens as a protective shield against evil.  Eternity Flower further highlights the meanings behind the different colours of snapdragons.  While red signifies passion, love, and desire; yellow represents positivity and joy.

Conclusion

Intricate shapes create delicate features on every flower, although each holds its own significance in different cultures. From snapdragons to sunflowers and hibiscus, understanding how the world views flowers and their shapes can bring a greater meaning to their unique nature.  It also deepens the significance of seeing these blooms in everyday life, whether in illustrations or in our own backyards.

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The mosquito is one of the most loathed of all insects, partly because of the itchy bites they cause, but also because of their deadly role as vectors for disease, especially malaria.  In 2021, according the the WHO World malaria report, there were 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths from malaria.  In the past I painted a quick  (slightly unsatisfactory) sketch of a mosquito.  However, it’s a subject I’ve been wanting to return to for many years, and recently I’ve managed to find time to illustrate a life cycle based on Anopheles gambiae, one of the most efficient spreaders of the most lethal strain of malaria.  Throughout researching this blog, I found the pages on Malaria from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invaluable.

Previous mosquito sketch

Problems and caveats

I’m not an epidemiologist, or even an entomologist.  I found, during research, a lot of  information on Anopheles mosquito species, although not an enormous amount on differences between the species. Much of it  is very technical.  So although the life cycle I’ve illustrated is accurate for an Anopheles, I can but hope it’s more relatable to Anopheles gambiae than to other similar species.  I also flirted with the idea of including the life cycle of the Malaria-giving parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.  But the amount of detail required to do it justice (it has two hosts and goes through a whole gamut of different life stages) means I’ve had to shelve it for a rainy day.  (For more on the Plasmodium parasite life cycle from Research Gate, click here.)

What is a mosquito?

Mosquitoes are flies, members of the Diptera. They’re cousins of the midges (Chiromonidae) and crane flies (Tipula).  Visually, they differ from the similar-looking gnats and midges in the angle at which they hold their legs, Chironomids holding them forward, mosquitoes holding them outward.

Chironomid midge adult Micropsectra radialis

In defence of mosquitoes

Please bear in mind that the vast majority of mosquitoes are not killers.  Only some of the known 3,500 plus species of Culicidae (Mosquitoes) feed on blood, of those only some target mammals (including us humans).  Most blood-feeders take blood from other mammals, some from birds, and even snakes can be the chosen prey.  In fact, some of the large Toxorhynchites mosquitoes feed on other mosquito larvae!

Only female mosquitoes take blood meals.  Males feed on nectar from flowers, and fruit juice.  So do females, unless preparing to lay eggs.  Although you may encounter male mosquitoes, buzzing and whining, they are incapable of, and have no interest in biting you.  (You can tell male mosquitoes as they tend to have far more elaborate and feathery antennae than the females.)

In defence of  female mosquitoes

Even female mosquitoes need to be better understood.  As with every living thing, they’re not out to get us, or planning to give us disease.  A female needs a blood meal in order to fully develop and lay her eggs.  She may well only take one big blood meal, and that may be at one sitting.  Repeated bites happen when she’s consistently interrupted, having to return over and over again to her meal.  It’s rather like a human being taken away from a pizza mid meal.  Then having to start the whole procurement process from scratch each time you try to have another bite.

And as for being a vector of disease, again, this is highly unfortunate for us, but in no way an evil master plan of the insect.  In fact, the Falciparum parasite damages mosquitoes too, compromising their gut lining and having to evade the immune system of these dipterans (PNAS Vol. 112 No. 5)

I know I’m fighting a losing battle here, and the havoc, damage and heartbreak caused by Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases is absolutely massive.  I’m just pointing out that only some mosquitoes cause these illnesses, and many are harmless pollinators.  I think that as a whole, they deserve respect, and a kinder reputation.

Pen and ink diagram showing the amazing feeding equipment of a female mosquito

To see footage of the mouthparts of a feeding mosquito in action please check out this NPR video.

Anopheles: One Genus of Mosquito

Anopheles, the genus I’m illustrating and the one responsible for malaria, are Marsh mosquitoes,  They are one type of these biting fly; others are the Culex and Aedes.  Although all three are able to carry disease, injecting directly into the bloodstream, only Anopheles can transmit malaria.  Even more specifically, of the 460 known Anopheles species, only 100 can give humans malaria.  Of these, only 30 or 40 carry the most lethal form of the disease, Plasmodium malaria.  And of these, it’s only the females who can infect you, as they’re the only ones that feed on blood. (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).)

Life cycle of Anopheles gambiae

Other mosquito genus: Culex

Culex are also vectors for disease, although not malaria.  They can carry West Nile virus, Japanese Encephalitis, and Elephantisis.  None of these is pleasant, and all can be fatal.  Unlike our Anopheles, their eggs are without floats (although laid singly). Larvae hang down at an angle from the water surface with their long breathing tufts breaking the meniscus.  Pupa are similar to Anopheles and Aedes species.  The adult females hold their proboscis at an angle to their bodies (rather like in the first illustration in this blog).

Other mosquito genus: Aedes

Aedes mosquitoes carry Yellow fever, Chikungunya, Zika fever, and Mayaro.  They’re easy to spot thanks to very striking black and white striped legs.  They also have a marking a bit like a harp on their thorax.  Again, only the females are disease vectors.  Aedes lay their eggs in a mass on the water surface, not singly.  Their larvae are like Culex, hanging down at an angle from the water surface and breathing with a tufted breathing tube (longer than the Culex species).  Pupa are similar to Anopheles and Culex.  Adults hold their proboscis at an angle to their bodies, which is similar to Culex species.  However, they tend to stand higher on their legs than Culex.  They may also lift their rear legs up.

Anopheles gambiae

This mosquito forms the basis of my mosquito life-cycle.  According to the CDC,  “Anopheles gambiae is the most efficient vector of human malaria in the Afrotropical Region (CDC 2010). Thus, it is commonly called the African malaria mosquito.”  And this is why it’s my mosquito of choice.  It lives in a band across the African continent, throughout sub-Saharan Africa and up to areas of southern Arabia.

Unfed female mosquito with paints and reference

The main features that distinguish it from other Anopheles relate to placement of hairs on the larva, and a greenish hue to the pupa.  Adults have pale bands on their palpus (mouthparts), spotted wings, and sparse speckling on their legs.  The abdomen doesn’t have little hair tufts on its sides (postlateral scale tufts).  There are often no abdominal scales on the mosquito back; if they are present they’re small.  For a splendid overview of mosquito morphology, please see the pdf from Nathan Burkett-Nadena of Florida University’s Entomology department.

Details of the life cycle of  A. gambiae come from the University of Florida’s “Featured Creature: African Malaria Mosquito”; and the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit.

Life cycle of A. gambiae: Eggs

Eggs are laid on the surface of clean water, in batches of 100 – 250.  Each one is laid singly, not as a raft.  Each is boat shaped, slightly domed, and supported by a system of lateral floats.  They’re brownish in colour and are about 0.5mm in length.  Eggs hatch after 1 or 2 days into free swimming larva.

Eggs of A. gambiae, seen from above

Life cycle of A. gambiae: larva

Larva grow from their first stage, after hatching, into a final size of 5 – 6mm long.  They moult repeatedly as they grow, passing through 4 instar stages before pupating.  Lying just below the water surface, they get oxygen through a rudimentary breathing tube which sits just before their tail end and a brush of hairs.  This is true for all Anopheles species; their short breathing tubes mean they all assume this distinctive posture, parallel to the water surface.  Other abdominal hairs help aid in floating.   They feed on algae and organic matter, and can be seen wriggling in still water with the naked eye.

Larva of A. gambiae

Life cycle of A. gambiae: Pupa

Comma-shaped and tending to rest at the surface of the water, all mosquito larva look similar.  They have a large cephalothorax (combined head and thorax) which is clear, or slightly coloured.  Their abdomens are segmented and thin, terminating in a tail fin.  They use this to rapidly swim away and escape when disturbed, which is an unusual ability in the (normally static) pupal form of an insect.  A tuft of hairs at the beginning of the abdomen helps the pupa stick to the water surface.  You can see the antennae and limbs growing within the cephalothorax, and eyes are large and obvious.  Pupa breathe with a pair of respiratory trumpets which project from the back of the cephalothorax, into the water meniscus.  They do not feed in this stage, which lasts another 2 – 3 days.

Pupa of A. gambiae

Life cycle of A. gambiae: Adult female

I’ve chosen to illustrate the female in unfed and in feeding poses.  This is to show the massive difference that a good blood meal can make to the mosquito’s appearance.  After a meal, the abdominal plates are stretched and expanded by the contents of the gut.  Before, the grey mottled markings are far easier to see.  The mosquito is grey to pale brown, dotted with pale yellow areas, cream-coloured scales.

Unfed female African Malaria mosquito

The unfed female has the typical angled pose of a resting Anopheles, with body held in a diagonal in line with the mouthparts.  As with many mosquitoes, her legs are held aloft.

A. gambiae have distinctive dark wing patches.  These occur at specific areas along each wing, which is tricky to capture in illustrations showing the wings folded and overlapping.  Wing margins are fringed with small hairs.  Being a smallish species, A. gambiae have wing span of about 3 – 4.5 mm.

Distinctive mottled wings of A. gambiae

  Another feature that helps identify this species is the striping of the palps, which are banded in a specific pattern and have white tips.  These organs sense odour, so are pretty prominent in mosquitoes who use smell as one way to find their prey.

Palps of A. gambiae

Life cycle of A. gambiae: Adult female and feeding

Mosquitoes are crepuscular and find their prey by sensing exhaled CO2, body temperature, and vibration.  Evidence suggests humans with blood type O, who breathe heavily, are pregnant, or who have a heavy load of skin bacteria may be more prone to mosquito bites; although there are genetic factors at play too.

Anticoagulants prevent the blood from clotting as she feeds, and the itch we feel comes from out our immune system’s response – the production of histamines which lead to inflamation and itching.

Feeding African malaria mosquito

The fed female holds the same pose as an unfed female at rest, although they often lower their bodies closer to the horizontal when feeding or when weighed down with blood.  The droplet at the tip of her abdomen occurs when excess water is exuded to make way for more solid parts of the continuing blood meal, but also has a role to play in reducing body temperature via evaporation (Current Biology Lahondere & Lazzari 2012)

Droplet of exuded water

Once fed, the female mosquito goes to digest her meal, laying eggs a couple of days later and thus continuing the cycle.

Conclusion

It’s no surprise that there’s an enormous amount of information on mosquitoes and malaria online.  Wading through it has been a delight as well as a headache. and the temptation to fall down endless fascinating rabbit-holes relating to disease prevention and control, or to the mechanisms of the mosquito mouth parts, has been hard to resist.  I nearly got diverted by Plasmodium falciparum, which I swear I remember illustrating for a project at college.

Completed mosquitoes with some reference and art materials

However, I’ve tried to retain focus, and stick to Anopheles gambiae.  How it lives, what it looks like in its’ different life stages, and why  it matters to us as humans.

For a good spring board, if you want to learn more about mosquitoes, you could do worse that check out the Wikipedia entry on mosquitoes.  And that’s not something I say every day.

I hope you’ve enjoyed visiting these biting flies with me, and haven’t ended up feeling itchy or listening out for that high-pitched and un-mistakable whining sound…

Illustrating the mosquito compound eye

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The Illustration this blog is based on depicts a “bad garden” in Sweden, where FOR (the commissioning client) are based.

Hard surfaces

Bad gardens are full of hard surfaces.  These can take the form of wooden decking, or lots of paving.

Wooden decking

Hard surfaces are detrimental in various ways.  In hot climates, paving absorbs heat, and really speeds up the drying out of surrounding soils and turf.  An area of soil covered with decking or paving slabs isn’t able to sustain any plants, nor the pollinators and other animals that rely on them.

There’s also the issue of flooding.  Rainwater, which with climate change is increasingly unpredictable and can be torrential, simply runs off paved or decked gardens.  This leads to soil erosion, and on a wider scale, contributes to flooding.

It’s also important to note that hard surfaces are pretty ubiquitous on a wider scale than just in our own gardens.  Local government often opt for concrete or paved areas as they’re a little easier to care for.  If possible, councils and those in charge on public spaces should be encouraged to take a more environmentally sound approach.

Paving

There’s also plenty of evidence that having a garden full of plants rather than timber and concrete, creates a healthier environment.  Plants absorb pollutants, and produce oxygen. And, of course, they often look a great deal prettier than an area of hard standing.  Hazel Dawe of the Oxfordshire Green Party discusses this in her letter to the Oxford Mail, concluding with, “This affliction can be avoided through a combination of action by property owners and perceptive support from local authorities and community groups to encourage planting.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Lack of trees and shrubs

A bad garden will be devoid of trees and shrubs.  Trees are important for a whole glut of wildlife.  Insects feed on their leaves, and hide in the cracks and crannies of their bark.  Birds use them for protection and nest sites, roost in them, and eat the insects feeding on tree foliage.

Long tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus

Mammals may hibernate in amongst the leaf litter that accumulates at the base of their trunks.

There’s also the wider issue of offsetting carbon dioxide.  Trees (like all plants) absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  Then help lock away the Co2 that’s contributing to the climate emergency.

Garden without trees

Then there’s an argument for planting trees which doesn’t have any message attached.  Trees are beautiful!  They also provide shade in a garden, and many have gorgeous foliage, especially in autumn.  For more on why to plant trees and shrubs, check out the Woodland Trust’s site.

Acer autumn leaf

Fencing

Fencing encloses your space effectively.  However, it provides nothing for wildlife or wild flowers.  The other alternative, hedges, provide walls of protection, nutrients, and nesting spaces for wildlife.  You can also choose any number of lovely hedging plants which give gorgeous flowers, scents, and leaf colour year round.

Fencing

Species such as Holly, Beech, Hazel, Hawthorn, Holm oak and Yew are popular for hedging in the UK.  You could also choose a conifer hedge.  Although better than a fence, Leylandii and Cypress hedging isn’t nearly as welcoming to wildlife as deciduous species.  It does still filter out air pollution (Leylandii is the best of all UK hedging plants at this) but it’s a greedy plant, taking nutrients from the soil and not replacing them.  Its’ evergreen leaves don’t fall and rot back into the earth.  For more on the famous Leyalndii check out the Guardian newspaper’s article.

In Sweden, where the client who commissioned this “bad garden” illustration is based, common hedge plants include Chokeberry, Potentilla, and Lilac.

Swedish lilac hedge

Water use

Bad gardens will use hose pipes for all their watering needs, often leaving sprinklers going far longer than is required, and wasting good drinking water even at times of drought.  Rainwater is also better for plant health than piped water from the mains.  Fitting and using water butts and watering cans is a better (if slightly harder) option.

Areas of water like ponds or even bird baths can prove really important for visiting wildlife.  Consider adding a pond to your garden.

Close mowing

A beautiful bowling-green lawn may look lovely.  But it’s a desert for wildlife.  No hiding places, no nectar-rich wildflowers, no moisture stores, no nutritious grass seeds to eat.  In the UK there’s a big push to encourage people to mow their lawns less, called “No-mow May” and it’s got tangible positive effects for butterflies and other insects.

Mown grass

If you must mow often, maybe limit the area you crop so closely, and leave some areas of longer grass for the wildlife.

A good idea is to leave the grass cutting in situ on the lawn, to rot down and add nutrients back into the soil.  You can also do this with fallen leaves, once dry.  Just mow them and leave them to rot down over winter.

Mulching leaves by mowing them into the lawn

Some people like the idea of a lawn, but feel that the upkeep of grass is too much trouble, or that patches of mud resulting from vigorous children’s play are unsightly.  They may choose to use plastic artificial lawns instead.  I’m not even going to pretend not to be judgemental here.  This is not only an appalling choice for wildlife, plant health, your plastic waste and eco-footprint; but it’s also darned ugly.  Please, please, if at all possible, avoid making this choice.  For an overview of why artificial lawns are so bad, check out this article from the University of Plymouth.

Pesticide and Herbicide use

In a non-eco friendly garden, you’ll find liberal use of pesticides and herbicides.  These kill many species as well as the target pest, and can accumulate in the food-chain.  Many of the plant species targeted by herbicides, such as the dandelion, are incredible sources of nectar and pollen for visiting insects.

Jersey Post Beetles Presentation Pack with Ladybird, House longhorn Hylotrupes bajulus and wasp beetle

There are other ways of discouraging pest plant and animal species.  Research companion planting, and biological control of pest species.  The latter include introducing nematode worms to deal with slugs, and ladybirds to control aphids.

Exposed Soil

Big patches of exposed soil aren’t a great idea, in general gardens are much healthier if there’s green cover over the substrate.  This means the soil is always being re-energized with rotting down matter.  Winter is a key time, when many vegetable plots will sit empty, soil exposed to the world.  As the Guardian says, “Your soil cannot lie bare over the winter months. The wind, rain and cold will damage the precious top layer; it will lose nutrients and structure, and start to erode.”

Bare feet on the soil with garden flowers behind, including marigold and forget me nots

Even in summer, make sure flower beds are allowed to grow weeds if it’s not planted with other things.  After all, a weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place!

Flower beds with lots of exposed soil

While we’re talking about bare soil, it should be pointed out that some soil covers, such as wood chip, are fine for wildlife.  But others, like broken slate or some gravel cover, can be yet another way to add to the hard surfaces in your garden.  Saying that, gravel gardens, if planted carefully, can be great for wildlife, especially in Mediterranean or drought-prone areas. For more on this, look at the Wildlife Trusts article.

Iris reticulata growing in gravel

And what to do with the weeds when you DO want to remove them?  Pull them up!  The latest thinking is to just let them stay on the soil, acting as mulch.

Plant choice

I realise this is a little contentious as people know very well what they do and don’t wish to grow in their gardens.  It goes without saying that some plants is better than having no plants.  Even if your garden is very small, consider container gardening.

Hostas funkia in a pot

However, if you’re avoiding a bad garden, there are some suggestions.  Generally, planting perennials is a better option than planting annuals.

Non-native annuals in pots

This is partly because the remnants of perennials can be allowed to sit over winter, helping nature and the soil.  It’s also because perennials are far less work for the gardener!  For more on this look at the Sunday Gardener’s blog.

When choosing what species to plant, try to go for flowers which are known to encourage wildlife.  Increasingly, these will be marked with a little motif of a bee or similar.

Many of our popular garden plants do nothing for wildlife.  Many roses, chrysanthemums, tulips, annuals, and bedding plants offer nothing to pollinators.  Some are even dangerous, either because they’ve been drenched in pesticides during their intensive growing phase, or because some plants can poison bees.  These include Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, and Carolina jessamine.  For a fuller list, click here.

Rhododendron ponticum, very beautiful, but known to be poisonous to bees

A brilliant list of pollinator-friendly flowers to use for inspiration comes from the lab of one of my heroes, Dave Goulson.

You might also want to put native wildflowers in your garden.  This will bring in a wider range of insects as they will have co-evolved with these plants.  Some beauties include the Foxglove, Knapweed, Primrose, Yarrow, Snakes-head fritillary, Bugle, Honeysuckle, and Forget-me-not.  For more, click here.  Many appear early in the year.

Snakeshead fritillary Fritillaria meleagris

Conclusion

Hopefully this blog will have given a few pointers on things to avoid if you want to garden in a way which is environmentally sound, and good for nature.  For far more on this topic, and how to work towards a really good garden, please look at my blog on  “good” garden .

The post The Bad Garden appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Front cover of my Great Aunty Nina’s Nature Notebook

Nature Notebook: The Fly

The nature notebook is clearly a school book, but I’m amazed by the depth of knoweldege shown in the writing, and the ability Nina had to draw.

The text for her entry on the fly is as follows:

“The fly is a very interesting little insect.  Its tongue is like the bees.  Many people have seen a fly walking on the ceiling, and wondered why it does not fall.  the reason why is because it has two pads on its feet which produce a sticky substance, enough to prevent the fly from falling, and it also has hairs on the pads, which also enables it to fall.  When the fly eats, it unrolls its tongue, and moving its head so as to eat.  The food dissolves whatever it intends to eat.  this work is done by some more sticky substance, which it produces from its mouth.”

Aunty Nina’s entry in the Nature Notebook on the fly

Not only is this all true, but I certainly had no idea of half of this when I was 10 years old.  Her illustration shows a pencil drawing of a fly, with a close up of the foot.  I would love to have listened in on this lesson, and the reception it got from a room of young girls at the tail end of the Edwardian era.

My illustration of a Bluebottle, showing the balancing “halteres”

Nature Notebook: Ants

Nina’s entry on wood ants was of especial interest to me as I illustrated a lot of wood ants earlier in the year for the Cairngorms National Park.

Not only has she drawn a worker and a queen ant; but has included an egg and a grub.  I don’t know how these nature lessons would have been taught in 1919, I assume with large posters featuring illustrations that the girls had to copy.  The idea of them having access to microscopes, let alone to ant larvae, seems unlikely.  Not least because they were living in the leafy suburbs of Birmingham!

Aunty Nina’s entry in the Nature Notebook on the Ant

Her text reads, “The wood ants live in ant hills.  These ant hills are divided into rooms and roads, they are all made by the ants themselves, they are very hard working little things.  Sometimes there are more than three queens in a hill.  When they are young they have beautiful wings, but when they get older the other ants pull them off, so as they won’t want to go about a lot.  The queens are always very busy laying eggs.  When they are larva, the other ants come and put them in little heaps.  The ants are very kind to the sick, and they always share their food.  They look after their queens very well, they never have to find their own food because the workers find it for them.  Ants look after their eggs very well, they put them in the sunny part of the hill.”

This interests me because (as far as I know!) it’s mostly factually correct.  However, I think the queens bite off their own wings after mating during their nuptial flight.  Perhaps things like mating were not deemed appropriate for young ladies to learn about?

My illustration of the Wood ant life cycle from the booklet published by The Cairngorms

Nature Notebook: The Wren

Nina covered birds too, the Green woodpecker, Kingfisher, and Wren.  In fact, her entry on the Kingfisher informed me that their nests are lined with fish scales and bones.  I totally disbelieved this until I checked online.  She was right, as this post from the Scottish Wildlife Trust shows.  Being told a nature fact, by my long dead Great Aunt, which she learnt and wrote down over 100 years ago as a 10 year old…?  I love it.

Aunty Nina’s entry in the Nature Notebook on the Wren

Her entry on the wren reads as follows: “The wren is a very timid bird.  It has a brown body, and the tail is also brown with darker brown lines.  it makes a very rough nest.  it mostly feeds on insects.  It has a very shrill song which can be heard all through the year.  the wren is a very common bird, and it can be seen in every country place in England.  the tail of the wren is very cocked up, this is how the wren can be noticed.”

My illustration of the Wren

Although there are many more entries in Aunty Nina’s Nature notebook, the last one I’m looking at is a botanical subject; the pansy.  By the way, if you want more blogs on her Nature notebook entries just say in the comments section, I’m more than happy to share more of them with you.

Nature Notebook: The Pansy

Not only do we get a ten year old’s watercolour of a pansy, but she has also recorded a typical leaf below the flower.  Above, there’s a tiny labelled drawing showing the stigma, stamen, and swollen seed base.   This reminds me of the way I work when I do my sketchbook studies, picking out aspects and drawing them separately from the main image.

Aunty Nina’s entry in the Nature Notebook on the Pansy

Her entry on the pansy reads, “The pansy comes out in flower in the spring.  It is a very beautiful little plant.  It has five petals, and its leaves grow from the root.  It will be noticed that there are some yellow and dark lines in the middle of the pansy.  These markings are to attract the bees to the honey bag [nectaries].  The honey bag is at the back of the flower.  Pansies make very pretty borders for the flower beds.  They are found wild sometimes, but the wild pansy is very small, and it is generally purple or white, but the garden pansy is mauve and white, purple, white, yellow, and blue.”

I love that she learned about nectaries.  And I wonder if the red and orange culitvars we can get today had not been bred yet, back in 1919?

My illustration of a Pansy

As far as I know, Great Aunty Nina didn’t draw or paint as an adult.  She was an incredibly glamorous figure in my youth.  We only saw her occasionally as she had no interest in children.  She only ever wore black and white, smoked from a long cigarette holder, had a short cropped hair cut, a collection of ex-husbands, and lived in Knightsbridge, London (and did her grocery shopping at Harrod’s.  No.  Really).

Nature Embroidery: My Maternal Grandmother

My maternal grandmother was a very arty lady.  She not only did embroidery, but we also have a metal work box she made, and some watercolours.  She embroidered lots of things; from greetings cards to sewing kits, napkins to dresses, needle cases to shoe bags (what even IS a shoe bag? And what would possess you to embroider one?).  I love her embroidery, and treasure the few pieces I own.

Embroidery by my Grandmother

Most of her work is like the example above.  Collections of beautifully observed wildflowers, easily recognizable to species level.  In the piece above there are hazel catkins, Germander speedwell, marsh forget me not, yarrow, and red clover, to name a few.  I think it’s the botanical accuracy along with the details that make me love her work so much.

Detail of one of my illustrations of meadow flowers

I adored my Grandmother, she was all indulgence and softness.  Although she was surrounded by her embroideries, I never really took stock of the fact that she had created so much art until long after she died.  I wish I’d told her how beautiful her work was.

Nature Collage: My Paternal Grandmother

My paternal grandmother was also artistic.  She worked in oils and pastels, and was a consumate fine artist.  Portraits, landscapes, and still lives were her main fare.  However, when we were growing up, we had this extraordinary 3D collage by her hanging in our bedroom

3D Sewn collage of a Hoverfly by my Grandmother

The fact that her chosen subject is a hoverfly, rather than a butterfly or traditionally appealing insect makes me warm to her.  The abdomen is made of fine velvet.  the wings are net.  Compound eyes are made of wooden beads.  The ocelli (I love that these are included!) are embroidered onto the leather of the head.  This is clearly a piece completed by someone with a love of, and respect for insects.

Hoverfly and bee with Japanese Knot weed blossom

I didn’t get on well with my Grandma, I was too irritating and she was perhaps a little too stern.  I often wish that she had lived longer; she died when I was 12.  As adults, we would have had so much to discuss, and doubtless would have got on wonderfully.  We might even have gone on painting trips together!

Nature Still Lives: My mum

Many people who know me personally already know what an excellent artist my mother was.  She is still with us, but unfortunately Alzheimer’s has taken away her pleasure in, and ability to draw; something that I mourn intensely.  This is also why, when I talk about mum as an artist, even though I try not to I often find I use the past tense.

Mum’s etching of the graveyard at Capel Y Ffin

Mum was always drawing, all through my childhood.  Piles of sketchbooks, etchings, life drawings, watercolours, painted furniture, lino cuts…  She was prolific and extremely able.  Mum’s favourite subjects are graveyards, American trucks, still lives of all white or all black crockery (the whites done on white paper, the blacks on black cartridge), cats, and thorn trees.  She exhibited widely as Susan Wedgewood Harper, and has a series of 12 architectural watercolours in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC (where we lived for 10 years).  She also illustrated books on cultural artifacts, designed logos for friends, and was a scene painter in Paris and Rome in her twenties.

Iris by my Mum

There’s more fluidity and movement to mum’s work than I see in my own, it’s something I’d like to work on.  Below is my Iris, Iris reticulata.

Mum did still lives of plants that interested her.  I love these, and wonder if her passion for the natural world, and her visual sensibilities helped inform my identify.  I don’t see how it can’t have done!  I think it’s the shape and colour that moved her, rather than the minute details, and there we differ a little.  Her compositional eye is excellent, as is her watercolour technique.

Pineapple by Susan Wedgewood Harper (mum)

The Future generations…?

It’s too early to know whether or not my children will take an interest in drawing, painting, or creating art.  When they draw, they draw beautifully, but neither does it with a passion…yet.

However, both my beloved niece Molly Lewis, and adored nephew Frank Lewis are excellent draftsmen and artists.  Molly has done an art history degree, and Frank is studying animation at college.

Still life with lemons by Molly Lewis

Frank has an excellent pen and ink style which I am extremely envious of.  Saying that, neither of them has become obsessed by illustrating natural objects.  I’d love to see what they could do with a clump of moss, or a beetle.  Perhaps I should commission them and see what they create?

Leaping person by Frank Lewis

Nature or nurture?

So here’s the question.  Is this ability to draw innate, a natural “talent” that can be inherited? I’m afraid I don’t think so.  I feel it’s rather more complicated than that.

If you grow up in a house where drawing is considered as important as reading and writing and maths, then you learn to draw as a child.  It’s another language that becomes available to you.  The more you draw, the better you get at drawing.  Having an artistic parent means the house will probably be full of art materials, and you’ll be encouraged to create.

Line drawing of a mushroom by Molly Lewis

There’s also a big positive feedback loop going on here, too.  This relates to families of artists, and to individuals.  I like to draw.  I draw.  I get better at drawing.  I like drawing even more.  I get even better at drawing….

Mushroom watercolour by Susan Wedgewood Harper

I’m not saying there’s no such thing as talent.  But I do believe that the way to get good at drawing is the same as everything else – practice.  And if you are raised in an environment where drawing is actively encouraged, and you see it happening all the time… it’s almost a self fufilling prophesy.

Field mushroom Agaricus campestris by yours truly

In homes where parents and carers are not engaged in creating art, you still get children (then adults) who are exceptionally able at drawing and painting.  This is another indication that “being good at art” is almost certainly not a genetic predisposition.  It simply suggests these youngsters have been encouraged to keep doing what they love, despite their adults not sharing their passion.

Take home message for adults looking after kids?  Always encourage your children to draw and paint.  Make art materials easily and readily accessible, if you can.  Be positive about their work.  And then you too may have a “talented” artist on your hands.

The post Nature Notebook & The Family Tree appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Holly tree Ilex aquifolium

Religion

Holly is a plant traditionally associated with Christmas, but do you know why?

The name derives from the old English word ‘holegn’ which means ‘to prick’.  This is a very fitting for name for a tree with hard, pointy leaves. The Druids regarded it as a symbol of fertility and eternal life, and thought it to have magical powers.

Christians adapted many pagan beliefs to fit into their religion, so holly was adopted as a symbol for Christmas. The sharp, pointed leaves are held to represent the crown of thorns worn by Christ, the berries represent his blood, and the evergreen nature of the plant is a metaphor for life after death.

Decorating with holly

The tradition for decorating homes with holly began with the ancient Celts, who believed the bright decorations brought them good luck. This was continued until the present day (perhaps because it’s hard to find other plants with colour at this time of year?).  ‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly’ is a popular Christmas carol that dates back to 1862. The English words are well known, but it is derived from a Welsh melody called ‘Nos Galan’ or ‘New Year’s Eve’ with somewhat different words but a generally similar sentiment.

Holly Ilex aquifolium leaf

Holly and Llyn Celyn resevoir

On the subject of Welsh, the Welsh word for holly is ‘celyn’.  The word occurs in many place names, most notably Capel Celyn (Holly Chapel). This place was a rural community to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley.

The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry.  This was despite almost unanimous Welsh political opposition and protest.

The flooding of the village inspired a Manic Street Preachers song  ‘Ready for Drowning’ and Enya’s song ‘Dan y Dŵr’ (Under the water).  Cofiwch Dryweryn (‘Remember Dryweryn’) is a motto referring to the drowning of Capel Celyn that urges Welsh speakers to remember the destruction of a Welsh-speaking community and to safeguard the language.

The most famous instance of this motto is as graffiti on the wall of a ruined stone cottage by the A487 at Llanrhystud, outside Aberystwyth, which has come to be regarded as a ‘national landmark’ and is regularly repainted.

Holly as a name – for Welsh and English speakers!

The popularity of the name Celyn has risen over the years, and as a result Welsh people (and others) give the name to young boys as part of their family heritage.

In English, the name became popular in the Victorian era when a trend emerged for naming baby girls after flowers.  In the Victorian language of flowers ‘holly’ means domestic happiness. Tell that to Holly Willoughby, Holly Hunter, Holly Valance – or Buddy Holly!

This is all a long way from Lizzie’s beautiful illustrations of our native Holly plant. However, it does go to show what cultural associations our wildlife have.

Holly as a dioecious plant

To return to the plant itself, Holly is dioecious.  Dioecious comes from the Greek for “two households”, meaning that each individual holly plant is either male or female. To guarantee berries, bushes of each type are needed to be found together.  This allows cross-pollination to occur.  Bushes laden with berries at Christmas are always female, while those without might be male, or an unfertilised female. Confusingly, the garden variety Golden King is female, while Golden Queen is male; which just goes to show that even plant breeders can get it wrong!

Holly Berries

The bright scarlet berries attract many birds; especially thrushes including blackbirds, fieldfares, redwings, mistle thrush, and song-thrushes. The berries are very hard and bitter in autumn and early winter due to the mildly toxic compounds they contain. As winter progresses, hard frosts serve to break down these chemicals. In late winter and early spring, when hedgerows are otherwise looking bare, the berries become more palatable. The berries still retain some toxicity, so birds eat just a few on each visit. Frequent visits with just a few berries eaten means that seeds are deposited in droppings in different places.  This expands sited for, and chances of germination. Isn’t nature brilliant?

The old folklore suggesting that “lots of holly berries on bushes, means it’s going to be a harsh winter” is thus a bit off the mark. It more likely means it hasn’t been a hard winter so far? Merry Christmas!

The post Holly: History, Folklore & Wales appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

My two errors: 1.  Not putting 2 Factor Authentification onto my account

The first mistake I made was not putting what is known as “2 Factor authentification” onto my account.  This basically means that if someone tries to log in to your account, they’ll need to enter a code before they can access anything.  The code can be linked to an app, or to your mobile phone number.  I didn’t have this in place, which is why the hacker got access to my account.  Funnily enough, I do have 2 Factor authentification up and running now.  On ALL my social media sites!

My two errors: 2. Clicking on a link sent in a Direct message (DM)

So this is the mistake I made.  I got a DM.  It told me to verify my account by clicking on a link (Don’t click on the link!).  It took me to a page which looked ever so official, even showing accounts I recognised as “followers”.  It prompted me to put in my login details (Don’t put your login details in!)  It asked me to confirm my details with my phone number and email. (Don’t confirm your details with your phone number and email!)  And the damage was done.

Realising I was hacked

It took some hours before I realised what had happened.  When I came to post something in the evening (a lyre bird, to be precise), I was asked to log in.

I logged in with my password.  Nope.  I was asked to confirm my phone number, and I’d be sent a text.  No text.  The whole thing spiralled out of control very fast, with every back-up option proving useless.  I could NOT access my account.

I noticed a message saying a phone I did not own had logged into my account from Manchester.  I don’t live in Manchester.  Uh-oh.

Then I got lots of messages about logging in.  In Turkish.  Bigger Uh-oh.

The Hacker says hello

I started to feel really worried, and was looking online for links to Instagram help desks.  I also furrowed my brow, and wondered if that DM link I’d clicked on might have something to do with it.

Up pops a What’sApp message from a number I didn’t recognize.  Area code Las Vegas.

Hello”, it says politely.  “If you want your Instagram account back you must pay me”.

Stomach churns.  The advice online says to keep the hacker chatting, even if you have no intention of paying them a penny.

After a little back and forth I got the message.

Unless I paid $150 in bitcoin to this stranger within 24hrs my account would be deleted.

PANIC

What I did next

Next, I contacted my computer expert buddies to ask for help.  Giles of Pixelshifters went above and beyond, trying to find a solution and repeatedly telling me to absolutely not pay any ransom.

I got the link to my Instagram taken off my website.

I put up posts on my Facebook  and Twitter accounts and on the blurb on my website saying that my Instagram was not in my hands, and to ignore any messages anyone was sent that purported to come from me.

I also took lots of screen shots of my last 40 posts on Instagram, cutting and pasting all my written content, and taking photos of the list of 95 people I was following.

I contacted Action Fraud who made a repot of this instance of “cyber crime”.  Later, I was phoned by my local police to talk about it.  It made for a depressing chat.  He said instances of this sort of scam had sky-rocketed during Covid lockdown, and that they were innundated with reports of cybercrime.  But in terms of catching the criminals?  As soon as a hacker is out of UK juristiction, there’s not a lot the police can do.  Coupled with which, most hackers hide their location.  He emphasized that, in truth, the only action was to be proactive, and to be certain you protected yourself.  In terms of reactive policing?  Nothing really can  be done.  Although I assumed this to be the case, it was rather sobering to hear it from someone working in cyber crime.

I spent hours (literally hours) going in a hellish circle with the auto-bots on the Instagram help desk.  I always got asked to enter some detail that the hacker had changed.  This situation remained like this for a few miserable days.

Finding a Human at Instagram

I knew I had to find a way to speak to a person, not a bot.  but how?

During one of my many desperate Google searches (“How to talk to a person at Instagram?”, “How can I fix a hacked Instagram account?” etc) I stumbled on a BBC News article.  A company had been hacked in August 2020.  The key words in the article were, “She is now working with Instagram to resolve the problem”.  Whaaat?  So there WAS a person there, somewhere.

I emailed the company (The English Stamp Company) and asked if they had a contact address, or a real person’s email?  This was a last roll of the dice.

Bless them, within the hour they’d replied and given me the email address of someone at Instagram.  The email address is this: sunilsinghvi@instagram.com

The Hacked account gets weird

Meanwhile, the hacker had accepted that I wasn’t coming through with the bitcoin.

They posted in mu Instagram story: “This account is for sale for $150”

Clearly, this was targeted at me.  My account would be worthless to anyone unless they were me, or wanted to pretend to be me (which is incredibly unlikely).

Another WhatsApp message, this time from another phone number (in New York).  “So are we deleting an account?”

I refused to engage and felt a bit sick.  They put the offer of the sale in the biogrpahy section.

Followers and friends were pinging off complaints to Instagram and getting in touch to ask why or if I really was selling my Instagram account?  Uh – no.  But this was all very useful and brought the damaged account to the attention of the behemoths at the help desk, I think.

It’s final weird reincarnation had my profile picture removed, an odd bit in the biography section, a totally new name (I think it was called “Verified Badgesl”), and a padlock to show that the account had been either deleted or taken down.

Resigned to my loss

There was no instant reply to my email.  I decided it had been a false lead.

By now I was very bored of feeling so stressed.  I decided I had to accept that the account and its’ 18k followers, 1083 posts, and 11 years of curation was gone.

So I built a new account, a new Instagram home.  It took a day, and I referred to the photos I’d taken of my old account.

By the next morning I had a majestic 3 followers.  Still, I resolved to be cheerful.

I did fire off one last email to sunilsinghvi@instagram.com saying that being unable to talk to anyone guaranteed lots of people would turn to hackers to resolve the issue.  I said I was going to go to the press (I would have done, too.  Although it’s not exactly a thrilling tale.  Unless you’re living it…).  I suggested Instagram’s customer service was not perfect.

Instagram send me an email

The next day, an email pops up.  From the Facebook helpdesk.

YES!

It took some untangling.  They were very helpful, and very slow.  I dealt with three different people, about 15 emails, and lots of password resets that didn’t work.

Finally, three or four days later, a reset link comes through that works!

Reclaiming my Instagram account

I was in again!  It felt a little like coming home, I couldn’t quite believe it.

I’d only lost a couple of hundred followers.  As far as I can see, nothing else weird has been done to the account.

A lot of DMs with links have been sent – I assume encouraging people to click on the same sort of scam that I fell for.  I’m hoping my followers avoided doing any such thing (they’re probably cleverer than me).

I moth-balled the new account, and posted on my reclaimed account that I had been hacked and was back.  I also shared this info on twitter and Facebook.

It had been almost exactly a full week since I clicked that fatal link.  I was back.

Lessons learned

So what have I learned?

First:  Put Two-factor authentification onto every single social media account you own.  It takes a matter of seconds, and gives you total peace of mind.

Second: Never click on any DM or link.  Don’t trust something like that.

Third: Get it in perspective!  One thing I did realise was that actually, in the grand scheme of things, losing an Instagram account was relatively meaningless.  My family was well.  The tulips were out in the garden, the blue-tit was singing in the tree.  The tree was smothered in cherry blossom.  Instagram?  Yeah.  Not really that important.

Fourth:  Once I got my account back, I found out that you can request a back-up of your content.  It might take a while to come through, but I’ve applied for one.  So if the hackers get me again, I’ve only lost my followers, not any content.

Conclusion

So, I’d suggest you implement Two-factor authentification, and back up your account right away.  If not, and the damage is done, you have the magic email to use, to access the humans at Instagram.  Just hoping the poor fella whose email it is doesn’t go and change jobs anytime soon!

And most important, it’s actually not worth getting that upset about.  In the grand scheme of things, the loss of an Instagram account doesn’t matter.  Your own health, happiness, and immediate world – as is, not as it is on your social media accounts – is much more important that all these pixels.

Massive thanks are due to everyone who got involved and reported the hack, and reached out to tell me what was going on, and to those who commiserated.

The post Being Hacked on Instagram appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

The Lilac Debacle

This exploit has a moral which, put simply, is Do Not Steal.

I was working on the illustrations for “The Garden Forager” by Adele Nozedar, going through the species list.  Next up was lilac, and wonderfully, the lilac was in bloom.  I have none in my garden, but there’s a lovely big bush just up the road, overhanging the wall by the pavement.  (It’s already sounding like a fairy-tale, isn’t it?)

The Lilac Debacle: Acting Decisively

Being a girl who likes to act swiftly, I nipped out early one morning and snipped a couple sprigs.  I brought it back to my studio, proceeded to illustrate it, and thought no more about it.  Error.

Quite often I’ll steal a tiny bit of a plant I’m asked to paint.  When I can, I ask permission.  But sometimes, if it’s a tiny bit of a much larger shrub, I’ll just steal it.  Or at least I used to.

Lilac and sketchbook study on the desk in my studio

The Lilac Debacle: The Debacle

The next day, my neighbour Jude came by looking worried.  “Lizzie”, she said, “have you been stealing lilac from Miss Jones’s garden?  I said you hadn’t, but she was insistent.  And very upset.”  I admitted my guilt.  My neighbour looked increasingly concerned.  “I think you ought to go round and apologise.  She’s threatening to call the police”.

Lilac sketchbook study

I was almost finished with the sketch, so I rushed over there straight away.  I didn’t want to serve a custodial sentence for sourcing good reference material, and was half wondering which of my reprobate friends would make a decent character witness in court (none).

I knocked on the door, and after a wait, Mrs Jones opened it.  Entirely naked, and very angry.  I apologised, assuming I’d got her out of the shower but no, the fury was entirely down to the stolen lilac.  The nudity was par for the course.

I showed her my illustration, apologised prolifically, begged for forgiveness, and asked her not to press charges.  Immediately she smiled broadly, pronounced herself “delighted to see the sketch”, forgave me on the spot and embraced me.  Which was all a bit much, to be honest (not least cause she was still nude).

The Lilac Debacle: Lessons Learnt

The book went to press.  I was forgiven.  The lilac appeared on the cover!  But I’ve learnt a lesson about stealing form people’s gardens: Do it at night!  (Names have been changed, like in all the best thrillers).

Fear of the Buffalo

This adventure is recent, and thus the terror is still fresh in my mind.  I was working on a series of illustrations for Wild Shreds Pet food, and one of the animals I had to illustrate was the American bison, or buffalo.

After extensive searching, I found a buffalo farm here in the UK.  Bush Farm is run by an extremely pleasant farmer, Lord Colin Seaforth, and I think is the only buffalo farm in Britain.  I planned a visit, and turned up armed with sketchbook and camera.

Pencil sketch of buffalo

Fear of The Buffalo: Adult Male

Lord Seaforth got me to pop on the back of his quad bike, and we drove to the first of two fields.  This one had a large herd of mature buffalo in, with one enormous male.  We saw him in the distance, down by a pool.  “He’s in a dreadful temper” commented Lord Seaforth, “driven mad by the heat and the flies.  We’re safe on the quad bike, but if you got off, he’d go for you.”  He was massive, even from a far.  “If you drive your car into this field, shut the gate; then wait.  He’ll come and investigate.  Don’t get out, whatever you do.”

I followed instructions.  I most certainly did not “get out”.  The monumental bull did indeed come and investigate.  He nosed at the car, and I felt it shake.  He pranced about nearby, and I felt the ground tremble.  I took photos.  I did quick sketches.  I was very, very frightened.  The buffalo sat about near the car for a long time.  No way could I get out, and certainly not to open the gate and make my escape.  It was a hot couple of hours.

Pencil sketch of buffalo

Fear of The Buffalo: Adolescent Males

After escaping, Lord Seaforth asked if I wanted to spend time with the adolescent males.  I needed to, the brief called for the body of an adult and the head of an adolescent.  This time he was more blase, “They’re pretty frisky, but you should be ok.  Just make sure you’re within running distance of your car, in case they, you know, play up.”  I don’t know how a buffalo “plays up” and wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

He disappeared, leaving me (and my car) in a field with about 15 young buffalo.  Now remember, the brief called for animals in a majestic and imperious pose.  Alas, this means they have to be seen from below.

I have rarely been so frightened in my life.  Lying in the dirt on my belly, pointing my camera up at enormous bison, waiting for the perfect shot.  To get the level of detail; things like direction of fur growth, angle of eyelid; I had to be close.  When they were still it was fine.  It was not fine when they got skittish.

Tonal pencil study of Buffalo

I lay in that field for a good four hours, switching between creeping forward on my elbows like some commando; and springing up and sprinting for dear life back to the car.  My eyes were prickly with tears.  I did think on several occasions what an absurd and entirely appropriate death it would be, trampled to death by a lively teen-age bison.

Fear of the Buffalo: Illustration achieved

I got my reference.  I thanked Lord Seaforth.  I drove home fast.  I completed my illustration.

Completed illustration of American Bison (copyright Spot Farms 2019)

I vowed to never again be so frightened by a job that it made me cry.  It’s a year on now, and so far I’ve stuck to my guns.  But who knows what the next 6 months will bring…?

Finding a Scab

One of the oddest illustration commissions I ever had was for a book called “Scab on My Knee” by Jenny Alexander.  The book has a good premise, explaining the healing process to kids using a skate-board graze as the focus.  The illustrations were complete.  However, the art director felt the series of scabs needed a more accurate approach.

Cover of “A Scab on the Knee”

I was asked to illustrate scabs, as scientifically as possible, at different stages.

The first was to be a fresh graze with dirt in.  The second was to be a healing scab.  The third was a picked scab and the fourth (and most unpleasant) was a scab peeling back to reveal healthy fresh skin underneath.

Finding a Scab: Getting Reference

It’s only when you desperately need to draw something that you realise how hard it can be to find.  This job was many years ago, and the internet wasn’t as full of useful imagery as it it these days.  I knew no children and hadn’t yet had my own; children are a good source of scabs.

Initial illustration of a healing scab

I tried to paint scabs without reference.  No way, it just looked wierd.

I asked my sister, a teacher at kindergarten for help.  Could she take some photos if any of her class fell over, focusing on the graze?  Could she ask her children to pick their scabs and take photos of the resulting chaos?  Could she slyly snap a photo or two of scabbed knees?  Quite rightly she sent me packing and said I sounded like a pervert.  What to do?

I started thinking about self inflicted grazes.  If I ran fast along a road with untied shoe-laces, could I supply my own reference?  I tried, and stayed firmly upright despite my best efforts.  Perhaps I could use a kitchen grater?  This didn’t work either, it hurt and also made me feel like I’d gone entirely mad.

Finding a Scab: Wellcome Photo Library

Suddenly I remembered the existence of photo libraries.  The Wellcome Trust has an image bank!  I got a train to London and had the sort of conversation one will only have once in a lifetime, with an extremely helpful woman in charge of image licensing.  Between us, we got out hands on exactly what I needed.

Fresh graze with dirt

The grim side of this enterprise was that minor grazes tend not to feature large in image banks used by doctors.  We found them as accessories to far more traumatic injuries.  A perfect fresh graze on the edge of a photo showing a horrific bike crash.  A region of healing scab next to a frankly revolting skin complaint.  Healing wounds alongside badly set fractures.  I had my reference.

Scab

Scab peeling off showing healthy fresh skin below

The illustrations were pasted onto the knees of the little lad in the story, and, for a while, I think the book sold comparatively well.  Although obviously to a niche market…

Conclusion

So you see, the life of a natural history and botanical illustrator is not all pretty meadows and cheeping birds.  It can involve tangling with neighbours and the law.  It can make you cry with terror as the herds of bison approach.  It can see you accused of being a wierdo and looking at gross reference photos.  But I love it, whether or not there are unexpeceted thrills.  I wouldn’t change my job for the world. (But I might not steal lilac or share a field with a buffalo again…)

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Nature is precious and we can never be thankful enough for it, no matter what.  It starts teaching us right from the moment we open our eyes. We learn a lot from nature and it makes us who we become. The beautiful green plants, tiny insects moving steadily, huge cotton-based clouds, and peaceful sunsets gives a calm feeling to everyone.  The bond we attain with nature over time makes us ever more grateful.

Nature gives us so much which we cannot even jot down in words.  It makes us see the world from a different perspective.  Here are some ways that we become more optimistic about life through nature.

Much of this article is based on “The Positive Effects of Nature” by Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury

Nature relieves stress

If an individual is stressed or depressed the best therapy one can have is to get out of that stressful situation and sit and observe nature.  A pure relationship with nature develops hope and optimistic thoughts in you.  Being in a relationship with nature and living beings helps to generate positive thoughts and feelings.  You could keep a pet or an emotional support animal, walk outdoors, watch the sunset, or sit beside a beach.   Positive thoughts and an optimistic nature is best achieved when a person is calm in their thoughts.

Companies such as Emotional support animals California allow people to keep and bond with a pet, and thus to let go off their stress and attain calmness of mind.

Nature helps to cater for diverse problems like mood swings, anxiety, and depression, attention disorders, and much more.  It not only favours optimism and relieves stress; but it also builds curiosity in a person to learn and understand more about it.  There is a flawless law of attraction in nature that develops an urge to be closer to the plants, insects, birds, and wildlife.  Nature is the best motivator to inspire creativity or to add colours to life’s picture.

More on this can be found in “Levels of Nature and Stress Response” by Ewert and Chang.

Nature can help Make a person psychologically sound

Morning walks beside a beach, watching sunrises, and listening to birds singing around you gives you the feeling of happiness and relief.  Psychology favours the concept that nature heals a person and may even help them achieve some inner peace.  It’s very common in our society to prefer reading a book on a terrace with a beautiful surrounding view.  People love having a room connected with a balcony, or with a huge window with a wide natural view.

Some hospitals give such rooms to patients and this seems to speed up healing and recovery (see “View from a Window may influence recovery from surgery” by Ulrich RS. Science (1984)/science.6143402).  Nature automatically gives a soothing effect to our soul when the cold or warm breezes touch us. It opens many different windows in our minds, allowing us to think patiently, to give us hope, to survive again.  Why do we always love the falling rain?   Because these occasions give us a feeling of relaxation and enjoyment, even for short periods.  It develops a feeling to wanting to live for one’s self.

Nature Enhances spirituality

Individuals who stay more connected with nature feel more obliged and grateful.  A study from Pennsylvania, by Dutcher and Finley, says that people who live more in nature believe that nature adds value to their personalities and well-being.  It also suggests they are more open to the feelings of wonder that happen in the form of nature.  They are more thankful for nature because of the fresh air they inhale and because of greenery and trees.  Because when an individual stays more in contact with nature, then he can observe more mindfully that what he is hearing, watching, thinking and feeling.  Such people are mostly more concerned, and happier in their relationships too.  And they feel more environmentally responsible.

 Nature makes you healthy physically and mentally

The research paper ‘Human-Nature Relationship And Its Impact On Health: A Critical Review’  by Valentine Seymour suggests that individuals who live near nature have fewer diseases such as hypertension, cardiac diseases, chronic pain, and muscle tension.  Nature lightens the feeling of isolation; individuals can feel nature is their best friend which automatically avoids feelings of loneliness. They may find it easier to make difficult decisions which may have proved impossible in less natural conditions.

Closeness with nature and living beings improves the quality of the mind, mental and physical health, and the well-being of the individual.  It builds an optimistic nature that helps a person to be motivated through all the crests and troughs of life.

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There are very few small creatures that make the headlines, but bees are one of them. Unfortunately, it’s almost always negative news. That’s why people keep asking: ‘how can we make our garden a safe haven for these ecological refugees?’

Bees are indispensable and crucial members of the ecosystem. As eco blogger Gus Stewart wrote in his guest post ‘Support the Bees and Save the World’, losing even a few fruit species could cause undue pressure to our own food production.  It could even hurt the economy.

Bees are in trouble around the world, as more species become lost and colonies collapse. An analysis of more than 700,000 records published on the BBC revealed that approximately a third of bee species are in decline in the UK alone. Around 11 species were lost, on average, for every square kilometre of the country between 1893 and 2013.

The White-tailed bumble bee pictured below is still a common garden visitor.  Other species have been less fortunate.

From climate change to the proliferation of pesticides toxic to them, this multi-factorial decline has huge repercussions. However, researchers also say that wildlife-friendly gardening can help mitigate this.  It can have a positive impact on bees. Here’s how you can help:

Avoid pesticides and (if possible) bug sprays

This should be obvious.  It should be noted: neonicotinoids found in pesticides are harmful and toxic to bees.  While the EU banned the chemicals from all crops in the region, a recent study from the University of Sussex found that suburban gardens remain contaminated with the bee-killing pesticide. This is because many bug sprays are not covered by the ban. Many of the plants friendly to bees are already bug resistant, so ditching its use in the garden should be easy.  Many plants (like bulbs) simply wouldn’t benefit from them.  Besides, what’s a few bug-bitten leaves when you can help protect an entire species?

Choose native

As mentioned above, bees are integral and co-evolved with the local biosphere.  Planting indigenous plants is the best way to boost their pollinator efficiency.  It also attracts a wide diversity of bee species.  This also means not mowing your garden too much.  A healthy lawn is a patchwork of wild species, not just grass.  Weeds, especially flowering ones, are beneficial to bees.

The illustration below shows a meadow, not a lawn.  However, if you have a larger garden perhaps you could consider including a wild-meadow area?

Diversity is key

A combination of different plant and flower types also helps attract a wide range of bee species. Planting non-native plants can extend the flowering season while woolly plants like lamb’s ears and mullein can attract species like the wool carder, the largest solitary bees in the UK. You should also plant as diverse as you can from flowering shrubs to vines—emulating the wild habitat bees look for. If you lack space for many different types of plants you should look to take advantage of plants that can grow to reasonable heights on vines or screens. The wide variety of garden screens that are listed on Screwfix show how many designs are made with natural materials such as reeds and bamboo. Natural garden screens can help more plants to grow high compared to individual vines, and are ideal for people in urban areas with little garden space. Plants that are able to climb up vines or screens also have the potential to have more flowers, which in turn will encourage more bees.

The diagram below was done for National geographic books and shows a garden planted with bees in mind.  Dviersity is indeeed key.

Mind the season

A good bee-friendly garden should flower from early spring to mid-autumn. This means you have to plan out the succession of blooms from your flowers.  By staggering flowering times, you’re ensuring that your garden offers enough nectar for the whole season.  Long blooming plants such as Snowberry and perennials help fill in the gaps between the short-term bloomers, such as this pear tree.  Early bloomers like lilac are good for long-tongued bumble bees.  For more tips on creating a bee garden, and what to plant, check out this blog on Tips for creating a Bee Garden.

Create habitats

If you want to extend a more hospitable hand to the bees, make sure your garden is more of a habitat than a pit stop.  Include water sources like birdbaths that they can use to digest food and regulate their body temperature.  You can create nests and bee hotels for bees (below) that are looking for hollow trees or holes to lay their eggs in.  Some species live underground so make sure you leave a small patch of land or sand where they can burrow in.  This way, you’re more proactive in providing them a home rather than a temporary place to pollenate.

While there are numerous initiatives that help the bees, creating a bee haven in your garden is one of the best ways homeowners can help.

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