Reynolds American Inc.’s Post

Small things are big things

Oxfordshire harbours some of the most species-rich grasslands in the UK, including limestone, chalk and acid grasslands. These habitats support nationally rare species of invertebrates and plants. Throughout the summer, you may be able to spot several rare species of wild orchids, bees, ants and hoverflies, as well as night-time bats and glowworms. Specifically, in Oxfordshire’s Calcareous Grassland meadows, you may spot two particularly rare species of butterfly (the Adonis Blue and Silver-Spotted Skipper) and the nationally rare Duke of Burgundy. The intensification of agriculture and fragmentation threatens calcareous grasslands, but many efforts are taking place to preserve these important habitats. Have you visited any grassland sites this summer, and if so, what did you see? #Wildlife #Nature #LetsGetRecording #UKConservation

How Bees Are Linked to Soil Usually, we think of bees as honey bees in apiaries. But in fact, most bee species do not nest above the ground, but underneath! These ground bees make their homes in the soil. Unfortunately, they are often viewed as pests, although they are native pollinators, better at pollinating native plants compared to other bee species. So next time when you find a nest of ground bees, don’t try to get rid of them – they may be helping you more than hurting you. #savesoil #bee #nature

Being a #consciousplanet is the need for the well being of entire humanity. Self centred development is not a progressive development but a regressive one. We should preserve the natural wealth given to us for future generations. #SaveSoil is the holistic and practically possible solution to most of our current ecological, health and water problems.

Have you ever heard of midges? Midges are often mistaken for mosquitoes due to their appearance, but they're actually quite different! They don't typically bite, and they serve as important pollinators for plants like orchids and other wildflowers. Midges are found in a wide range of habitats, including freshwater environments like lakes, ponds, rivers, and wetlands. #midges #insects #pestcontrol

As the UK dropped almost 10 degrees centigrade today we are sharply reminded of changing seasons.. It definitely feels like Aurumn now. Seasons are important for us and nature. Autumn is marked by changing colours of leaves, crisp skys, different vegetables, chestnuts, mushrooms and much more. Why shouldn't living walls be any different? It makes them in tune with the rest of our natural cycles. Ours you also get to follow the growing process from seed to full grown plants. We see our systems as part of the 'slow' movement. No instantaneous greening from us. We take you on a journey. #biodiversity #naturebasedsolutions #seasons

Honey bees are known for their construction of perennial colonial nests from wax, the large size of their colonies, and surplus production and storage of honey, distinguishing their hives as a prized foraging target of many animals, including honey badgers, bears and human hunter-gatherers. Only 8 surviving species of honey bee are recognized, with a total of 43 subspecies, though historically 7 to 11 species are recognized. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees #bee #honeybee #pestycontrol

We all rely on the survival of bees, don't we? Human activities are increasingly threatening bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. Pollination is a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystem. Trees for the bees: Willows (Salix), Ash tree (Fraxinus ornus), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), Fruit trees (Prunus, Malus and Pyrus) and many more. #plantatree #ecosystem #bees

This low water, pollinator friendly superstar is Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, or Fall Aster. You can find this plant in our Salado Ranch project, a homestead property and functioning ranch, and in our SITES certified CARTS project. Every fall season, no matter how hot the Summer was, Fall Aster creates a dazzling purple show as a perennial that spreads by stolons. Stolons - or runners - are plant stems which grow at or just below the soil surface that form advantageous roots at the nodes, and new plants from the buds. It's getting its due share of recognition for its hardiness throughout the country as one replacement species option for traditional lawns. Indigenous populations utilized the roots to make a tea to treat fevers! Learn more about our projects and others through this link: https://lnkd.in/gr_5hTdS #sustainability #resilience #pollinators #pollinatorhabitats #texaslandscapes #landscapearchitect #austin #studiobalcones #whatplantisthat #austinplants #nativelandscapes

It's #ForbFriday! This week, we are highlighting a beloved spring ephemeral of the Eastern United States, Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). This native spring wildflower is one of the many harbingers of spring across rich woodlands and floodplains. It's crystalline blue and purple blooms are delicate and colorful amongst the fresh green foliage and often, populations form dense colonies in coves and other damp areas. By mid-summer, they have died back and gone dormant until the following spring. While populations are generally stable, it is rare throughout some of its range, and considered an imperiled species throughout states like Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia, New Jersey, and Georgia. This species is one of 21 species in the United states, with most restricted in range to the Western United States or great plains region. The flowers are often pollinated by long-tongued bees like honeybees and bumblebees, as well as solitary bees like mason bees. Other insects like moths, butterflies, bee flies, and syrphid flies visit the early blooming flowers and the foliage creates protective cover for a variety of wildlife. They are fragile and sensitive to trampling and disruption, so please take care whenever in their presence, and a reminder to never remove native plants from the wild. Fortunately, bluebells can occasionally be found in local garden centers. 🌱 What is a forb? A #forb is an herbaceous (non-woody) flowering plant, excluding grasses which also flower, but are termed "graminoids." Like and follow our page, and Brinton Run Preserve for future Forb Friday highlights! #nativeplantsoftheunitedstates #nativeplants #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #easternnativeplants #southeastnativeplants #plants #nativeplantsruntheworld #landconservation #conservation #privateland #privatelandconservation #forbfriday #forb #plantconservation #nalt #northamericanlandtrust #flowers #wildflowers