Green Holidays

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Have you ever wanted to know what that beautiful orange butterfly was? 

You must have been sitting in the garden, or walking in the countryside and watched the most delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze.  But what was it?

Or maybe you followed it as it hopped from flower head to flower head, fanning it’s wings open and closed. And we have all tried to photograph them only to have them flutter away on a breeze.

So, why not take part in a survey this July (2010) to help identify some of our most common butterflies here in the UK – and get to learn what they are for your own benefit at the same time!

Butterfly Identification:
There are plenty of very distinct butterflies in the UK – but there are plenty of similar species too – so when trying to identify any butterflies, you need to be looking for key details like the placing or spots or the position and amount of white on the wings for example.

There are also more expert ways of identity – such as the shape of the wings, the coloring of the underside of the wings (normally totally boring compared to the the top) and which plants they are settling on.

Butterflies are very specific in the types of plants that they will eat and so this can sometimes be the key difference between two similar looking species.

Best course of action for the butterflies (as with all species id) is to start learning the most common species in your area and get these 100% right. Only then is it worth learning all the other similar species.

Butterfly Id Guide:
It is always great to have a simple colour guide to these common species that you can carry with you – and then refer to immediately you see the butterfly.

Peacock Butterfly - With Obvious Large Spots

This way you get to learn their patterns much quicker, For example the Peacock butterfly (above) and the Small Tortoiseshell (below) can both appear quite a reddy-orangy colour to the novice as they flutter about – but they are so different when you see them in display.

Small Tortoiseshell - With Distinct Patterning

So by knowing to look out for stripes on the one and spots on the other can make all the difference when trying to identify them. Then if a Painted Lady appears, you will be able to tell it apart from these 2 as well rather than getting all 3 muddled up!

Painted Lady Butterfly

Download the Butterfly Identification Guide off the Big Butterfly Count website and start practising!

The Butterfly Survey:
What a great opportunity to get outside and away from the busy town than to plan a walk or a picnic out in the countryside or local woods – than to go count butterflies!

Butterflies are a key indicator or damaged habitats and changing weather patterns as they depend on only a handful of specific plants for their lifecycle.

So a drop in numbers of one species can mean a drop in the numbers of the other species that live in the same area – including the mammals and birds that feed on the missing butterflies!

All you have to do for this survey is spend 15 minutes in the sunshine (and it has to be sunshine otherwise the butterflies won’t be flying) and log your sightings!

What easier way is there to help your local wildlife and have a great outdoor adventure at the same time!

Big Butterfly Count – Takes place between: 24th July and 1st August 2010

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Don’t just enjoy that rare wildlife moment all to yourself – tell the world!

Did you know that there are wildlife charities and businesses out there that would love to know what you see on your day to day trips out of town – and even what you see closer to home!

You don’t need to wait for a specific ‘wildlife survey’ to come up – you can just tell them what you see when you see it. Even if it isn’t that unusual.  I mean a fox in your garden, squirrels in the city centre or the odd bird of prey by the roadside: they are all important to someone!

The Problem:
I recently saw the scatter distribution maps of rabbit populations and thought; why are there so many areas without rabbits in them – I thought they were everywhere?

Well, they are everywhere, it’s just that some people think that rabbits are so common that they needn’t include them in the survey! As a result it looked like there were huge areas of the UK without any bunnies!

And of course, we all assumed that hedgehogs were in every-one’s back garden until they actually did a survey and found that they weren’t! They had gradually becoming less and less common – but we hadn’t noticed!

So why not start becoming a contributor to your local – and ultimately the national - database for our wildlife. And it could also help you to brush up on you species id!

Or you can just specialise a bit if you find that easier, like reporting all the species that you see in your garden only. Or reporting only the species you already know, or making a point of trying to find the unusual sightings!

It’s Easy To Do…
And quite addictive. I have found myself reporting everything I see apart from only the very very obvious – like herring gulls on the sea front and swans on the Thames! Everyone can see them every day – so I can leave those for someone else to report or wait for a general bird survey.

Only if I DON’T see them will I report anything!

There is always a space for other comments too, so you could say what the animal was doing at the time, how long it was doing it, and other times you have seen it there. Or even whether you were sitting still or making a noise. It could all be useful to the people at the other end.

So rather than you deciding what is important – leave it to the experts! And anyway – they take your email address on the form, so will no doubt politely ask you to stop sending certain sightings in if you get a bit too enthusiastic!

Nearly all these reporting systems will ask you what your location is based on the Ordnance Survey grid system as well – so find out yours at home for starters, and use Multi-map to find all the others (it has a OS version and gives you the exact location!).

Tiny Little Mouse

And if you can manage to get a photo of the said creature – that could well be a bonus, especially if it a rare sighting, and different colouration or a migratory species.  And then at least the experts can get their beady eyes on the specimen – it could be more unusual than you think……

So, it’s over to you to start emailing in your sightings!

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Ethical jobs can be very varied – and don’t have to involve the rainforest or building schools!

When we think of ‘ethical’ jobs – we always assume it is helping people or places around the world – but ethics can just as easily mean working for your local community, your county, state or anything. And you don’t have to speak a second language or live abroad to make a difference!

And getting paid a tidy sum for doing so as well – it’s not all about volunteering!

There are plenty of jobs right on your doorstep that can make a huge difference to your world and the world of others – and you may already be more than qualified to help!

Ethical Jobs:
If you have ever used an Internet search to find your next job, then you will know how difficult it can be to limit your search without missing any potentially great jobs – as for example – administrative jobs can be found in all sectors, so you can’t just look in the ‘Office Work’ section.

This has it’s advantages therefore when you are thinking about changing jobs and maybe your industry. By this I mean that all companies need someone who can do a whole range of jobs not necessarily highly experienced in the ‘ethical ‘field’ so to speak.

For example, an ethical company may need a graphic designer or someone who has sales experience – regardless of their previous employer. For example I knew a retail manager from a supermarket who became a retail manager for a high street branch of Oxfam, and I know of many people who had a degree or other qualifications in economics, planning, sociology or statistics – all valuable skills when planning ahead for sustainability and community projects.

Planning Your Move:
Obviously, to get a job for an ethical firm – you need to find out which firms are ethically run in the first place, and what skills are required.

There are many resources you can use to scale your companies for in terms of whether you want to help communities, reduce pollution, improve cityscapes, teach children, raise money for projects or working in the areas of law and finance.

And you need to find out where they advertise their jobs and what they advertise for. So go job hunting well in advance and take a look at their criteria way before you need it – and add it into your 2, 3 or 5 year plan!

For example training and interpretation roles now include a huge graphic and marketing element which wasn’t the way a few years back – so if you find that many such jobs ask for this skill – then start getting that experience in advance or sign up for a course to improve your chances.

Getting in through the bottom is always a great strategy if you are worried you don’t have the right skills, but want to learn. Volunteering is one of the entrances, as it a part time admin or PA job – but there are many other ways you can get involved in that company and meet the right people along the way.

Types of Ethical Roles:
There are 3 types of ethical roles if you narrow it right down, and they are 1) Campaigning: Getting things done in person – and with all the facts (and a touch of politics and funding)! This would suit a very pro-active person and can involve travel, confrontation and media work.

2) Personal Work: Actually working on the front line talking to individuals and working slowly towards a result. This include social work, working with disadvantaged people and communities, one to one rehabilitation and the like. Very personal – and very rewarding for the right person.

3) Ethical Business: Working behind the scenes – making the right thing still turn a profit and get the relevant funding. There is no point starting a project if you can’t make it work long term – and that’s where the business team come in. Without admin, accounts, marketing and research – the whole project could fall apart!

The Fourth Role?
There is always the hope that this special 4th type could be one of the most important: and it could be you.

Why not take it upon yourself to make your current role – and your current employer – think and act more ethically? Could you find some small areas of your business to make a difference? Could you help your boss put practices into place that can benefit wider communities or individuals?

I think you can – and I think you should!