A threatened species of moth with fabled weather predicting skills was just one of the 14,000 sightings which put Scotland top of the league tables during British Waterways annual Wildlife Survey.
Autumn 2009
According to folklore of the Eastern United States, the severity of the forthcoming winter can be predicted by the variance in the colouring of the fondly named ‘Wooly Bear’ or ‘Wooly Worm’ caterpillar of the Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja). Myth has it that a Wooly Bear with more brown than orange ‘stripes’, like the sighting by Sandy Paton, Carron Sea Lock Keeper, at the eastern end of the Forth & Clyde Canal near Grangemouth, heralds a warmer winter!
A wealth of water loving birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and insects thrive in and around our canals in Scotland. As the 6th nationwide British Waterways Wildlife Survey which this year has a special focus on endangered native bumblebees, draws to a close, the rich variety of sightings have included bats and bugs, swans and squirrels, ladybirds and lapwings.
Some of the most interesting sightings came from 150 schoolchildren who took part in the Wildlife Safari boat trips along the Forth & Clyde Canal organised by the Waterways Trust Scotland and British Waterways Scotland at the start of the Wildlife Survey.
As well as a fun activity on the waterways, the annual survey helps British Waterways Scotland ensure that the 137 miles of canal in Scotland continue to be a safe haven for a rich diversity of wildlife and an attractive and pleasant environment for people of all ages to enjoy year round.
