After first having problems with voles in my vegetable garden this year and now that a mole seems to have moved in (yes, I can tell the difference... frustratingly, that’s more or less the only result search engines turn up for my initial question), I’ve been wondering whether voles and moles tolerate each other, or whether the mole’s presence prevents the voles from attacking my vegetables again? I couldn’t find an answer right away, what do you think?

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/16543966

Wētāpunga or Little Barrier Island giant wētā ( Deinacrida heteracantha : Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) underwent significant decline across Northland and Auckland, New Zealand, and by mid‐20th Century was restricted to Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi/Little Barrier Island. However, surveys of wētāpunga during the early 1990s reported low numbers and concerns that the population was declining. Subsequently, a recovery plan specified the need for at least four wild populations. After Pacific rat ( Rattus exulans ) eradication from Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi in 2004, the abundance of wētāpunga was resurveyed annually for 5 years from 2005 with low detection rates. Here we report the establishment of two ex situ colonies using cohorts of 12 individuals collected from Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi every 3–5 years. Over 11,000 wētāpunga were produced for translocations from 2010. Ten new populations have been founded on eight predator‐free islands and inside two predator‐proof fenced areas on the mainland. Post‐release monitoring on Motuora and Tiritiri Matangi Islands has verified fourth‐ or fifth‐generation individuals at two release areas on each island. Ranked as Nationally Endangered in the New Zealand Threat Classification System at the start of the recovery programme the threat ranking for wētāpunga has improved to Nationally Recovering.

Wētāpunga or Little Barrier Island giant wētā ( Deinacrida heteracantha : Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) underwent significant decline across Northland and Auckland, New Zealand, and by mid‐20th Century was restricted to Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi/Little Barrier Island. However, surveys of wētāpunga during the early 1990s reported low numbers and concerns that the population was declining. Subsequently, a recovery plan specified the need for at least four wild populations. After Pacific rat ( Rattus exulans ) eradication from Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi in 2004, the abundance of wētāpunga was resurveyed annually for 5 years from 2005 with low detection rates. Here we report the establishment of two ex situ colonies using cohorts of 12 individuals collected from Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi every 3–5 years. Over 11,000 wētāpunga were produced for translocations from 2010. Ten new populations have been founded on eight predator‐free islands and inside two predator‐proof fenced areas on the mainland. Post‐release monitoring on Motuora and Tiritiri Matangi Islands has verified fourth‐ or fifth‐generation individuals at two release areas on each island. Ranked as Nationally Endangered in the New Zealand Threat Classification System at the start of the recovery programme the threat ranking for wētāpunga has improved to Nationally Recovering.

Karure, the New Zealand’s black robin (petroica traversi) is an amazing story of how a species on the brink of extinction, with one breeding pair left, has now recovered to approximately 350 individuals in 2025. All of these individuals are descended from one female called Old Blue.

(Text from: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/old-blue-the-story-of-the-black-robin )

Karure, the New Zealand’s black robin (petroica traversi) is an amazing story of how a species on the brink of extinction, with one breeding pair left, has now recovered to approximately 350 individuals in 2025. All of these individuals are descended from one female called Old Blue.

(Text from: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/old-blue-the-story-of-the-black-robin )

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/16402696

geteilt von: https://lemmy.world/post/52617918

Hooray for the wildcat! Must be so exhilarating to see them in the cairngorms, crossing the spey no less!

geteilt von: https://lemmy.world/post/52617918

Hooray for the wildcat! Must be so exhilarating to see them in the cairngorms, crossing the spey no less!

Hey there,

How are your gardens doing? What’s gone well this year, and where are you having problems?

Things are looking good for me so far. Like every year, I had some trouble with black bean aphids on my fava beans, but that seems to have resolved itself (even though the affected plants aren’t yielding much).

I’m happy with my onions and potatoes… does anyone know why some of my onion sets are deciding to go to seed?

Wishing you all a great week!

Here's the thing: Last summer, obviously too late, I planted a few Brussels sprout plants. In fall/early winter, the sprouts were still too small to harvest, and, lazy as I am, I left the plants where they were. Now, at the beginning of February, I was actually able to harvest some decent sprouts.

What has been your experience? (I have often seen Brussels sprout plants overwinter in gardens, so I think it's fairly normal).

When is the best/latest time to harvest before the plant and its florets start to sprout? Should you definitely remove the lower leaves (seems to be the norm) or do they actually provide protection during harsh winter weather?

Maulwurfskuchen - Mole cake (You can guess where the name comes from :D )

A chocolate sponge cake, hollowed out and filled with bananas, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. The crumbs are then used to decorate the dome.

I will post the recipe if someone's interested.

(P.S. No moles were harmed in the making of this post!)

Basically a simple shortcrust pastry with a filling of walnuts and caramel cream. Very tasty... and also very long-lasting (if you have the necessary self-control).

I'll post the recipe if anyone is interested.