Swettenham Meadows Nature Reserve
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Swettenham Meadows Nature Reserve
Swettenham Meadows is a nature reserve in Cheshire, England, on the north bank of Swettenham Brook, a short distance north east of Swettenham village and 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Holmes Chapel village (). The Swettenham Meadows reserve is managed by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. It covers an area of 21.5 acres (8.6 ha) and its species-rich grassland is particularly ecologically important as this type of habitat represents only 0.15% of the total land area of Cheshire. Common spotted orchid and marsh orchid thrive in the wet flushes of this highly variable grassland. Other important species include small skipper, common blue, small copper and orange tip butterflies, kingfishers, amphibians, and various Odonata. The reserve has great ecological, recreational and historical importance to local people and is also regularly used as a centre for conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities und ...
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Nature Reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves. History Cultural practices that roughly equate to the establishment and maintenance of reserved areas for animals date bac ...
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Common Blue
The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic. Butterflies in the Polyommatinae are collectively called blues, from the coloring of the wings. Common blue males usually have wings that are blue above with a black-brown border and a white fringe. The females are usually brown above with a blue dusting and orange spots. Taxonomy and phylogeny This species was first described by Siegmund Adrian von Rottemburg in 1775. Vernacular names that have been given to ''P. icarus'' include little blew argus, blew argus, mixed argus, selvedg’d argus, ultramarine blue, caerulean butterfly, and alexis. Subspecies Subspecies include: * ''P. i. icarus'' (Europe, Caucasus, Transcaucasia) * ''P. i. mariscolore'' ( Kane, 1893) (Ireland) * ''P. i. fuchsi'' ( Sheljuzhko, 1928) (South Siberia, Transbaikalia) * ''P. i. omelkoi'' Dubatolov & Korshunov, 199 ...
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Nature Reserves In Cheshire
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category from other natural phenomena. The word ''nature'' is borrowed from the Old French ''nature'' and is derived from the Latin word ''natura'', or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". In ancient philosophy, ''natura'' is mostly used as the Latin translation of the Greek word ''physis'' (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics of plants, animals, and other features of the world to develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Soc ...
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Thomas Hewlett, Baron Hewlett
Thomas Clyde Hewlett, Baron Hewlett, CBE (4 August 1923 – 2 July 1979) was a British industrialist and life peer. Hewlett was the son of Thomas Hewlett, an industrialist and Conservative Member of Parliament for Manchester Exchange. He was educated at Clifton College, before serving with the Royal Marines during World War II. After the war he attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was president of the Cambridge Union, defeating Peter Shore in the election, and chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association. Hewlett joined Anchor Chemical, the family business, in 1950, becoming a managing director in 1961 and its chairman in 1971. He was involved in Conservative politics, serving as Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations from 1961 to 1966. He was President of National Conservative Convention in 1976. He was also active in numerous charities. Having been appointed CBE in 1959 and knighted in 1964, on 26 April 1972 Hewlet ...
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Conservation Biology
Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on natural and social sciences, and the practice of natural resource management. The conservation ethic is based on the findings of conservation biology. Origins The term conservation biology and its conception as a new field originated with the convening of "The First International Conference on Research in Conservation Biology" held at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, California, in 1978 led by American biologists Bruce A. Wilcox and Michael E. Soulé with a group of leading university and zoo researchers and conservationists including Kurt Benirschke, Sir Otto Frankel, Thomas Lovejoy, and Jared Diamond. The meeting was prompted due to concern over tropical deforestation, disappearin ...
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Odonata
Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. Members of the group first appeared during the Triassic, though members of their total group, Odonatoptera, first appeared in Late Carboniferous. The two common groups are distinguished with dragonflies, placed in the suborder Epiprocta, usually being larger, with eyes together and wings up or out at rest, while damselflies, suborder Zygoptera, are usually smaller with eyes placed apart and wings along body at rest. All Odonata have aquatic larvae called naiads (nymphs), and all of them, larvae and adults, are carnivorous. The adults can land, but rarely walk. Their legs are specialised for catching prey. They are almost entirely insectivorous. Etymology and terminology Fabricius coined the term ''Odonata'' in 1793 from the Ancient Greek ( Ionic form of ) 'tooth'. One hypothesis is that it was because their maxillae are notably toothed. Most insects also have toothed mandibles. The wo ...
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Common Kingfisher
The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter. This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank. Taxonomy The common kingfisher was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758 as ''Gracula atthis''. The modern binomial name derives from the Latin ', 'kingfisher' (from Greek , '), and ''Atthis'', a beautiful young woman of Lesbos, and favourite of Sappho. The genus ''Alcedo'' comprises ...
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Anthocharis Cardamines
''Anthocharis cardamines'', the orange tip, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae, which contains about 1,100 species. ''A. cardamines'' is mainly found throughout Europe and temperate Asia (Palearctic) The males feature wings with a signature orange pigmentation, which is the origin of ''A. cardamines''' common name. Males and females of this species occupy different habitats: males mostly frequent the edges of forests whereas females frequent meadows. ''A. cardamines'' feeds on most plants found within its habitat but the females selectively oviposit on young inflorescence of crucifers. Mating is usually controlled by females as virgin females found in flight are always pursued by males immediately. Females can signal different meanings to the approaching males by using their abdomen. There is evidence that mated females have an anti-aphrodisiac and that their usage of the abdomen has a closely related function in presenting these pheromones to males. This species has been af ...
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Small Copper
''Lycaena phlaeas'', the small copper, American copper, or common copper, is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family. According to Guppy and Shepard (2001), its specific name ''phlaeas'' is said to be derived either from the Greek (''phlégo''), "to burn up", or from the Latin ''floreo'', "to flourish". Description The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots. The hindwings are dark with an orange border. Some females also have a row of blue spots inside the orange border and are known as form ''caeruleopunctata''. The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark colouring is replaced by a pale brownish grey. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. The caterpillars (larvae) are usually green, but some have a purple stripe down the middle of the back ...
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Small Skipper
The small skipper (''Thymelicus sylvestris'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Appearance It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below and it has a wingspan of 25–30 mm. This butterfly is very similar in appearance to the Essex skipper (''Thymelicus lineola''). In the small skipper, the undersides of the tips of the antennae are yellow orange, whereas they are black in the Essex skipper. The black area on the lower edge of the upper wings also differs. Like the other orange grass skippers the male has a distinctive black stripe made up of scent scales. Distribution This butterfly's range includes much of Europe (east to the Urals, including Ireland, Britain and Scandinavia), north Africa and the Middle East. It is typically occurring where grass has grown tall. Life cycle and food plants Eggs are laid loosely inside grass sheaths of the caterpillars food plants from July to August. The newly ...
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Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county town is the cathedral city of Chester, while its largest town by population is Warrington. Other towns in the county include Alsager, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Frodsham, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Middlewich, Nantwich, Neston, Northwich, Poynton, Runcorn, Sandbach, Widnes, Wilmslow, and Winsford. Cheshire is split into the administrative districts of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton, and Warrington. The county covers and has a population of around 1.1 million as of 2021. It is mostly rural, with a number of towns and villages supporting the agricultural and chemical industries; it is primarily known for producing chemicals, Cheshire cheese, salt, and silk. It has also had an impact on popular culture, producin ...
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Marsh Orchid
''Dactylorhiza'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Its species are commonly called marsh orchids or spotted orchids. ''Dactylorhiza'' were previously classified under ''Orchis'', which has two round tubers. Description They are hardy tuberous geophytes. In a thickened underground stem, they can store a large amount of water to survive arid conditions. The tuber is flattened and finger-like. The long leaves are lanceolate and, in most species, also speckled. They grow along a rather long stem which reaches a height of . Leaves higher on the stem are shorter than leaves lower on the stem. The inflorescence, compared to the length of the plant, is rather short. It consists of a compact raceme with 25-50 flowers. These develop from axillary buds. The dominant colors are white and all shades of pink to red, sprinkled with darker speckles. Taxonomy Etymology The name ''Dactylorhiza'' is derived from Greek words δάκτυλος ''daktylos'' 'finger' ...
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