Christmas Time...

Education Team on training at Blists Hill 2019.

Here at FSC Preston Montford we are like a family. We support each other by sharing the workload, we care about each other’s wellbeing and the wellbeing of our guests, and our Office Manager knows everything and organises the diary. Yes, sometimes we create a mess (walking boots on the carpet), forget to communicate our whereabouts and walk in late to dinner (apologies). However, each of these actions and characteristics makes us the unique, slightly eccentric family that we are and one that we enjoy being part of.

Therefore, we encourage you to be part of your ‘family’ at this festive time – whoever they may be. Remove the distractions of everyday life, revel in the fact that for a few days you don’t have to live your life by the clock (we advise using a clock whilst cooking, counting out-loud isn’t so accurate and gets boring way before the 3,600 second mark) and enjoy the simple things in life.

We have kept this blog short for a reason, now…walk/board game anyone?

Merry Christmas and looking forward to seeing you in 2020!

The staff at FSC Preston Montford x

Deck the halls...with sustainable decorations this year

As winter draws in and the incessant rain of this autumn gives way to sleet, snow and a frosty glaze covering the morning earth, preparations for the Christmas festivities are appearing all around us. Towns and villages across Shropshire have been putting up their Christmas lights and decorations for a few weeks now; whilst as I write this, Shrewsbury itself prepares for the big switch on of Christmas lights this evening (20^th November). A few of the FSC Preston Montford team will be in attendance to enjoy the music, lights and joy – by the time you’ve read this we won’t still be there, but if you want to imagine us to still be at the Christmas lights party, feel free. This however, started me thinking about how I’ll decorate my flat and how we will decorate FSC Preston Montford as sustainably as possible.

One of the most straight forward ways for us as a centre to achieve this is to use the natural materials around us to create some lovely wreaths. All that is required is some willow or bendy hazel and a range of plants that can be attached to the willow / hazel ring. We tend to use ivy, holly, teasels, pine cones, raffia, dried fruit, dried flowers and grasses – anything you can work into the wreath to make it look pretty. Here are a few examples of our wreaths and some of materials that we use to make them.

Foraged materials from around our centre and our own gardens.

Natural wreaths have texture and interest. You can dd foliage and holly with berries to yours for more colour.

Natural wreath and Christmas tree decorations.

Aside from wreaths, there are plenty more decorations that can be made from wood and the nature you find around you. Here are some small Christmas trees, stars and animals created with a bit of willow weaving or with pine cones and twigs.

Pine cone reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347692033711650729/

If you want to take it up a level, Arran our Education Team Leader informs me that he has previously made reindeer out of blocks of wood and twigs / small branches, like the ones below. I think they’re pretty awesome!

Log reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/357614026644245698/

Meanwhile, Jenny our Growing Confidence Project Officer brings some ideas from the country renowned for its Christmas celebrations – Germany – which I might attempt to make this year.

Christmas tree ladder hanging - a great craft activity to do with children, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134685845082312141/

I hope you can appreciate all the different natural decorations you can start making to brighten up your homes this Christmas – many of which will adorn our centre (keep an eye out on twitter for photos!). The last and, perhaps most important decoration in any home or Field Centre is of course the Christmas tree! Like me, you may have been struggling with the thorny – some might say needley! – issue of natural or artificial tree for some time. Here is a link to a BBC News article on the subject. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38129835. It seems that to ensure your artificial tree has a lower carbon footprint you need to use it for at least 10 years, otherwise a natural tree is best. Of course there are other issues like how biodegradable each is.

You may be asking, like I was before joining FSC Preston Montford, where we get the material from to make these wreaths and other wonderful decorations. Well, I’m glad you asked, because winter is the perfect time of year to undertake a number of conservation tasks which contribute to both encouraging new shoots and wonderful materials for Christmas decorations – as well as other objects like fences. I am talking about coppicing, which we started a couple of weeks ago with our Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers. They have enjoyed coppicing both hazel and willow, some of which can be used in decorations, some in fencing and the rest is being used to supplement our dead hedge. A dead hedge is a hedge sized barrier made from dead wood and provides a perfect home for insects, fungi and small mammals and birds and thus is an important biodiversity enhancing feature in our grounds. Winter is an important time to coppice as the trees are dormant and so it reduces the chance of stump mortality as well as providing the time in spring for new shoots to grow next year and over time develop into wood we can use for some of the uses already outlined.

If you want to get into the spirit of winter and have a go at creating your very own wintery art, we have a fabulous upcoming course on Saturday 7^th December led by Sara Lanyon and Mike Ashton. You will have the opportunity to make gifts, decorations and just have a fun time. Follow this link to find out more. https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/

Whilst you nature lovers may be lamenting the colder weather, longer nights, and the loss of the spring and summer flowers, take festive joy in getting close to nature this winter with some wonderful, natural, Christmas decorations.

Phil Wilson (Tutor)

Autumn Glory

Last year Autumnwatch visited and aired from New Hampshire, America, to show off the fantastic display of colour that the deciduous trees were providing. Here at FSC Preston Montford we have been exploring the beauty of the landscape on a smaller scale and trying to capture some of those autumnal changes with our young visitors.

Early in October, the Growing Confidence project ran a ‘Landscape through a lens’ day, focussing on observing the landscape and improving photography skills. It was led by Sara Lanyon, an award-winning environmental educator, and Mike Ashton, an artist, photographer and graphic designer. Mike began the day by talking about composition – the way the elements in a scene are arranged within the frame – and how there are different guidelines to help you to achieve a more attractive picture.

One such guideline is the ‘Rule of Thirds’. This is the idea that you divide the frame into a grid of nine equal rectangles and place an interesting element on one or more of the lines or where the lines intersect. In the example below, the berry has been placed on the first vertical line (the photographer was going for the intersection but miss-judged it slightly).

Credit: Charlotte Timerick

Another guideline is using paths, walls, etc, to guide the viewer through the picture and to focus their attention on important elements of the photo; this is called ‘leading lines’. Leading lines do not need to be straight.

Texture and certain colour combinations can work well too. The latter is often over-looked as a composition tool for getting the best out of your photos.

The blue-green of the lichen contrasts well with the pink of the rock. Credit: CharlotteTimerick

After the brief photography lesson, the team headed out to Corbet Wood and Grinshill to put the guidelines, and their various cameras (smartphones, compact camera and DSLR), to the test. The results were fantastic, and it was interesting to see what different people noticed in the landscape. Sara’s challenge of photographing certain elements of the landscape certainly helped to hone the team’s observation skills, as they tried to spy them out.

 

 
 
 

Photo credit: Vicky Brown

Have you been noticing the little changes near you? Why not have a go at capturing them and uploading them onto Instagram or Twitter with the tag #wildphotochallenge – that way we can see them too. Not a Social Media fan? That’s okay, spread the joy by showing friends, family and work colleagues instead. Happy Autumn watching!

Our tutor team love watching the Beech tree outside the Education Office slowly change colour and loose it’s leaves. Credit: Charlotte Timerick

To find out more about the Growing Confidence Project and how to get involved, please go to https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/.

Darwins of the future...

This August, FSC Preston Montford welcomed a new cohort of fifteen Young Darwin Scholars (YDS) to the centre - its seventh since the scholarship began in 2012. The scholars had all successfully applied for the scholarship, which aims to bring together young people aged 16 and 17 who have a keen interest in the natural world, encouraging and supporting them to hopefully develop into the next generation of ‘Darwins’.

Charles Darwin was born on the 12^th February 1809 at The Mount in Shrewsbury, approximately 3.5 miles from FSC Preston Montford and was, amongst other things, a scientist, geologist, explorer and naturalist. These aspects of Darwin’s character were woven into the introductory YDS course and here’s what a few of our Young Darwins’ thoughts of the experience:

Tallulah

I first found out about the Young Darwin Scholarship when looking online for courses to do with the environment and wildlife. I wanted to expand my interests and gain new experiences.

I’ve learnt lots of new skills on this residential, from setting up Longworth traps to canoeing, and finding out about different species. The first full day we visited Snailbeach Mine to explore the area and learn about the work people did there, before heading off to the Stiperstones to learn a bit about its geology and to explore the landscape. Another morning, we went to investigate if we had caught any mammals in our Longworth traps - seeing my first wood mouse and bank vole was really interesting and exciting. We also learned how to track mammals, like badgers and foxes, and looked around a local badger sett.

Overall this scholarship has been a really positive experience – I’ve been able to meet lots of new people and learn lots of new skills.

Admiring a wood mouse that the YDS' caught using a Longworth trap.

Learning about mammal signs and tracks.

Amber

I particularly enjoyed my experience as a Young Darwin Scholar due to the fact that I am local to the area. I found it interesting to see and understand my own native area in a more in-depth view and to recognise things in the natural world around me that I wouldn’t have without having had this experience.

It was fascinating to hear from such a range of experts, from moths to plants, bees to spiders, and all in-between. One of my favourite activities was walking through the disused lead mine; I wasn’t expecting it to be that exciting, but actually being in the huge caverns and seeing just what the miners had to experience was eye-opening, as was the geology of the area. My main interest in the natural world is plants, and the activity discovering as many wildflower species onsite was very captivating for me. It introduced me to many species that I have always seen around but can now identify. Moth trapping was also an unexpected interest as I was able to see moths up close that I would never normally see.

I would recommend that if you’re passionate about the natural world to apply for this course, as it can both introduce you to new aspects of nature you’ve never focused on, as well as expand your knowledge and understanding of the things you’re personally interested in.

We're going in...to Snailbeach lead mine.

Exploring the geology and the landscape of the Stiperstones.

Abby
When I applied for the Young Darwin Scholarship, I knew that I would be in for a great few days doing what I loved most - being at one with nature and learning new things. Yet in these few days, I experienced more than just that - from canoeing in Welshpool, where we looked at many invertebrates, to exploring some local lead mines. Not only did I enjoy myself greatly, but I also gained some highly valuable skills such as how to do biological recordings, and how to work well in a team. In addition, I feel that this trip has helped to boost my confidence, since I met lots of new people who I bonded really well with. I would hate for anyone to miss out on such an opportunity to make great friends with like-minded people. Additionally, this scholarship lead me to be even more interested in wildlife, since I found out so much from amazing experts working here at FSC, who I feel so lucky to have met. Overall, this was a fantastic few days that I will never forget, and I can’t wait to re-join this group in the future at reunions, ready to explore my passion even more.

Identifying freshwater invertebrates.

Canoeing at Welshpool.

Looking for Hymenoptera with an FSC expert.

For the FSC Preston Montford staff, it was really rewarding to see these young people grow in confidence during the course of the five day residential. We are glad that they have forged new friendships and have some fabulous memories that will hopefully spur them on to continue to develop their passions in the natural world.

To find out more about the Young Darwin Scholarship and how to apply, please use the following link: https://www.field-studies-council.org/about/young-darwin-scholarship.aspx

Hello from Arran...

How long have you been working at Preston Montford? Hello, my name is Arran and I started at Preston Montford on May 1^st this year, as Education Team Leader. I soon discovered that May was the busiest time of year to join the FSC Education Team and found myself immersed immediately into the variety of challenges that face me in my new role. It has been a bit of a ‘whirlwind’ start, but I must say, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it due to the fact that I have joined a very competent and knowledgeable team, who have been answering my many questions and providing lots of valuable support.

Favourite subject in school? Geography was always my favourite subject at school, particularly physical geography…learning about the landscape of rivers and hills near where I grew up in Clitheroe, in Lancashire.

What did you do after leaving school? I took a year out and cycled to France with very little money, a small tent, and my guitar on my back, and spent the year in the Alps working as an au pair, a waiter and washing up in a hotel… and busking every now and again when funds were low!

Where did you go to University? I went to Birmingham University and studied Geography and Sport. It was a great 3 years where I met some very good lifelong friends and following many visits to the University’s outdoor centre in Coniston, I became hooked on mountaineering, climbing and kayaking.

What did you do after university? I started as a Trainee Instructor at The Kent Mountain Centre in Llanberis. I was out with groups each day, learning from some great outdoor teachers, and out climbing or running in the mountains every evening. Every group that came to the centre wanted to climb Snowdon, so after nearly 2 years of working at the centre, I think I must have climbed it at least 100 times!

When did you become a teacher? Whilst working at the centre, I decided to apply to Leeds University to do a PGCE in Geography and Outdoor Education. I found myself teaching Geography in an ‘inner city’ school in Leeds, cycling in each morning whatever the weather, and sitting up each night planning lessons and marking books. That then became my life for the next 4 years, as I started teaching Geography at Shire Oak school in Walsall.

When did you move to this area? I met my wife whilst teaching in Walsall and after spending nearly every weekend driving up to Snowdonia to go on climbing or walking adventures, we finally decided to move to Wales in 2001. We have been here ever since, and we are now a family of five.

Where have you worked before starting at Preston Montford? When we first moved to Wales, I returned to working in the outdoors and started teaching at Bryntysilio Outdoor Education centre in Llangollen. I was there for almost 10 years, and for the last 3 of those, I took on the role of Deputy Head of Centre. When another organisation took over the running of the centre, I decided it was time to move on. I did another year teaching Geography in a school in Oswestry and then started working with the British Red Cross, delivering Humanitarian Education sessions in Schools for 3 years across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Following an organisational restructure at the Red Cross, I moved on again and became Head of Land Based Studies at Derwen Specialist College in Oswestry, where I was teaching woodwork, conservation and horticulture sessions with students with additional needs. When the Land Based Studies department amalgamated with two other departments at Derwen, I left and taught for a term in another specialist college near Shrewsbury. That brings me up to the present and starting here at FSC Preston Montford.

What do you like about working here at Preston Montford? I have had quite a varied career to this point, but certain themes have always run through the things that I have done… geography, teaching, and outdoor education. I have enjoyed each in different measure, at different times, and in different settings. I now find myself in this role, enjoying them all in equal measure, which is great.

I have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to developing my knowledge of the range of subjects that we teach and working with the education and wider centre team, to continually develop and improve the learning experience that we provide. I am a passionate advocate for the benefits of learning in the outdoors and having the chance to be part of a team that delivers high quality outdoor learning experiences in such a fantastic setting, is a real privilege.

For the love of Latin

It’s all fascinating the world around us. But one of the biggest issues that often puts people off learning more about the outdoors and the wildlife is the terminology and in particular, the use of scientific names. But have you ever wondered what the Latin names of animals and plants actually mean and where they came from?

The naming system:

Every species has a scientific, binomial name given to it, which helps us to identify it, and it is the same no matter where you come from or what language you speak.

Each scientific name has two parts (hence the term binomial, meaning ‘two-names’) - the first is the Genus name and the second is the species name. So for example, human beings have the Latin name Homo sapien; Homo is the genus group in which we belong and means ‘human being’ or ‘man’ and sapien is our species and means ‘modern’ or ‘wise’.

Did you know? Carl von Linné was the father of the binomial classification system, which provides a scientific name for every living organism. To make his own name sound more like the organisms he was classifying, he began to sign his name as ‘Carolus Linnaeus’, the surname by which we now know him by.

So what do they mean?

Since every species has its own unique scientific name, I am not going to be able to cover them all. However, I can show you some of the easier, more common words that you come across to get you started. However, a key bit of knowledge you need is that most names are not just Latin; many are a mixture of Latin and Greek.

Scientific names are regularly given to a species based on a whole variety of factors, such as its colour, size, shape, its behaviour, the location or habitat in which it was found, or even named after the person who discovered it. By breaking down a scientific name into its various Latin or Greek parts, you can work out what it means.

Colours:

Latin	Greek	Meaning	Example
Albus / alba / album	Leuc-	White	Quercus alba (White oak)
Ruber / rubr- / rufus / ruf- / cardinalis	Erythro-	Red  / Scarlet	Erithacus rubecula (European Robin – red chest) Tringa erythropus (Spotted redshank)
Caeruleus / caerule-	Cyano / cyan-	Blue / Blue-green	Cyanistes caeruleus (Blue tit) Aganisia cyanea (Blue orchid)
Flavus / gilvus / luteus	Xanthos / crocos	Yellow  (Various shades)	Crocus sativus (Saffron crocus) Apodemus flavicollis (Yellow-necked mouse)
Niger / nigr- / Ater / atra / atrum	Melano- / Melan- / Mauro-	Black / dull black	Pinus nigra (Black pine) Fulica atra (Eurasian coot)
Viridis / Viride	Chloro-	Green / pale green	Labrus viridis (Green wrasse) Gallinula chloropus (Common moorhen)

Location:

Locations (often in Latin) are generally obvious and easy to work out, as the countries / continents / areas of the world where they are found are normally included in the name (e.g. Erinaceus europaeus - European hedgehog, and Ursus americanus - American black bear). Generic areas might include ‘australlis’ which means ‘southern’, ‘borealis’ which means ‘northern’. If something has ‘vagans’ in its name, it means ‘widely disributed’. More specific habitat locations may also form part of the name, as in the table below.

Latin (L) / Greek (G)	Meaning (of the…)	Example
Arvensis / agrestis / campestris (L)	Field / open plain	Alauda arvensis (Skylark)
Ammophilus / arenarius (L)	Sandy places	Leymus arenarius (Sand ryegrass)
Domesticus / familiaris (L)	House / domesticated	Passer domesticus (House Sparrow)
Aquaticus (L) / Hydro- (G)	Water (freshwater)	Mentha aquatica (Water mint)
Hali- / Halio- (G), Maritima (L), pelagicus (L,G)	Sea (saltwater)	Halichoerus grypus (Grey seal) Ursus maritimus (Polar bear)
Hortensis (L)	Garden	Anemone hortensis (Broad-leaved anemone)
Monantus / alpicola (L)	Mountains	Passer montanus (Tree Sparrow)
Sylvaticus / sylvestris / nemoralis (L)	Woodland / forest	Anemone nemorosa (Wood anemone) Apodemus sylvaticus (Wood mouse)

Defining characteristics and features:

Most species are named due to a defining characteristic or features that makes it unique and different to other and similar species. This might be its shape, size, calls / songs, or particular body parts that vary, just to name a few. Below are just a few examples:

Latin (L) / Greek (G)	Meaning	Example
Major / magnus / maximus / grandis (L) Macro- / mega- (G)	Large / largest / long / great / greater / big	Parus major (Great tit)
Minor / minimus / minuta / parvus (L) / Micro (G)	Small / smaller / smallest / lesser / dwarf	Micromys minutus (Harvest mouse)
Trivialis / Vulgaris (L)	Common / ordinary	Sturnus vulgaris (Starling)
Punctatus / macuatus (L)	Spotted	Coccinella septempunctata (Seven-spot ladybird)
Platy- (G)	Broad / wide and flat	Anas platyrhyncos (Malllard) (rhyncos is ‘beak or snout’ in Greek)
Ped- / -pes (L) / Pod- (G)	Foot / footed	Eleocharis erythropoda (Red-footed spikesedge)
Volans (L)	Flying	Draco Volans (Flying dragon)

Uses / properties:

Latin (L) / Greek (G)	Meaning	Example
Edulis / esculentus (L)	Edible (although always double check before eating)	Ostrea edulis (Oyster)
Fragrans / aromaticus (L)	Fragrant / aromatic	Syzygium aromaticum (Clove)
Melliferus (L)	Produces honey	Apis mellifera (Western honey bee)
Virosus (L)	Toxic / poisonous	Cicuta virosa (Cowbane)
Officinalis (L)	For the workshop / shop, useful (vegetable, culinary, medicinal)	Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Borago officinalis (Borage)
Tinctorius (L)	Used as a dye	Genista tinctoria (Dyer’s Greenwood)
Medicus (L)	Medicinal	Citrus medica (Citron fruit)

Time:

Annuus (L)	Annual (single year)		Aestivualis (L)	Relating to Summer
Biennis (L)	Biennial (two-years)		Autumnalis (L)	Relating to Autumn
Perennis (L)	Perennial (many years)		Vernalis / vernum / veris (L)	Relating to Spring
Nocturnus (L)	Of the night / nocturnal
Praecox (L)	Early		Hyemalis / Hiemalis (L)	Relating to Winter
Tardus (L)	Late

People’s names:

The surnames of famous people, or the explorers who discovered a species can often be found in the scientific name. For example, ‘darwinii’ shows that a species was named after Charles Darwin. A recent example was in 2007, when a new tree species (Blakea attenboroughii) was discovered and named after David Attenborough.

Greek / Latin numbers are often used in names which also gives clues to a species’ characteristics, for example, the number of petals or leaves, how many spots or legs it has, etc.

1	Mono- (G)	3	Tri- (G)	5	Penta- (G)	7	Septum- (L)	9	Ennea- (G) Novum (L)
2	Di- (G) Bi- /Duo- (L)	4	Quadri- (L) Tetra- (G)	6	Hexa- (G)	8	Octo- (G)	10	Deca- (G) Decem- (L)

So I have shown you just a few examples of how Latin and Greek terms can be used to put a scientific name together. If you therefore ever get stuck, try breaking the name into smaller chunks and work out each individual meaning. Then piece them back together and you may be able to match the scientific name to the common name. For example, ‘Trifolium repens’ describes a plant – ‘tri’ is three, ‘folium’ is leafed, and ‘repens’ is creeping. Therefore put together, this forms ‘three-leafed creeping’, which describes white clover. Diceros bicornis is divided into ‘di‘ means two and ‘ceros’ is horn in Greek, and ‘bi’ is two and ‘cornis’ is horn in Latin. Therefore, this animal is literally translated as ‘two-horns, two-horns’ and is the black rhino.

Having now seen how names are classified and the meanings behind them, what would your binomial name be?

For further information and help here are some books and websites I recommend:

Armitage, J. and the RHS (2016) RHS Practical Latin for Gardeners: More than 1,500 Essential Plant Names and the Secrets They Contain.

Lederer, J. and Burr, C. (2014) Latin for Bird Lovers: Over 3,000 bird names explored and explained.

Wright, John (2015) The Naming of the Shrew: A Curious History of Latin Names.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/latin-plant-names.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_and_Greek_words_commonly_used_in_systematic_names

Me with a Brown Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna grandis)

By Vicky Brown, Tutor