Water vole make a very distinctive “plop” when they enter the water and escape from threats by instantly diving into deep water and only surfacing when they are many metres away from where they entered. Rats do not make a noise and do not dive.
Water vole make a very distinctive “plop” when they enter the water and escape from threats by instantly diving into deep water and only surfacing when they are many metres away from where they entered. Rats do not make a noise and do not dive.
Water Vole
Water Vole
REGISTERED CHARITY NO.
11807241
PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
Purple Loosestrife growing in the countryside. (Credit: Steven Dewey
KEY FACTS
-
Purple-loosestrife can be found in wet habitats, such as reedbeds, fens, marshes and riverbanks, where its impressive spikes of magenta flowers rise up among the grasses.
-
It flowers between June and August, when its nectar becomes a valuable food source for long-tongued insects, such as Brimstone butterflies, Red-tailed Bumblebees and Elephant Hawk-moths.
-
Dense stands of purple loosestrife can threaten plant and animal diversity.
-
These weeds are tough! They can tolerate a wide range of weather conditions and will grow in standing water.
-
The seeds distribute through water, humans and animals, with a single plant producing over 2.5 million seeds that drop in early fall when temperatures cool.
-
They are vibrant in colour and can be spotted easily.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the past, the government used purple loosestrife to control roadside erosion.