one of the main drivers for the nature network project was to find and map as many invasive species around the Oban area as possible. In the course of doing this we’ve all been shocked by how much Himalayan balsalm there is in and around the town. As it is quite an easy plant to…
May and June are the perfect months to be looking for the Green Hairstreak butterfly. They can often be seen sitting with their iridescent green wings closed. In flight you will see a flash of the brown upper wings. Males are very territorial and will ‘dog fight’ in a spiralling flight near shrubs to get…
After lots of planning we are now well underway with the woodland surveying. This is based on the Plantlife Rapid Rainforest Assessment forms, with extra information being gathered about mammals and birds. As well as assessing the species of trees in the woodland it also covers veteran trees, rocky features, indicator species for lichens, ferns…
The American skunk cabbage is a large and showy plant that looks great in gardens but is a menace once it gets into the wild. It is often planted along watercourses in gardens as it likes damp ground, and this enables it to spread easily down the water course into adjoining land. Once it gets…
We’ve set up a WhatsApp group so that we can share events and news from the Oban Nature Network in addition to the Facebook page. If you would like to be added please message us through Facebook or our online form.
We had a fantastic walk up to the Mast today to find this colony of the rare Transparent Burnet moth caterpillars. Thank you to all who came for the great atmosphere and interesting conversations. As well as the Burnet moth caterpillars we also found Marsh Fritillary caterpillars, a drinker moth caterpillar and heard a grasshopper…
As well as the extensive woodland at Dunollie, there are also smaller areas of native woodland within Oban and in the area around it. We know that there are some rare lichens within some of these woodlands, but that they are threatened by invasive non-native species such as Rhododendron ponticum. Some of these areas have been continually wooded for generations and are therefore more important for biodiversity.
There are a number of Statutory and Non-Statutory sites within the OCC area, plus Tree Preservation orders.
The first couple of weeks of the project have been taken up with building the website and making a start on dividing the Oban Community Council area up on the map into more manageable chunks. We’re also making a start on contacting local experts for their advice and input. If you feel you could contribute…