Week 22: Hogweed (‘Heracleum Sphondylium’)

Hogweed was @SpeciesofUK from 5^th to 11^th May, 2013.

Common hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium, is found all across Europe (except Iceland) and into Asia and North Africa.[1]

Hogweed is commonly found in UK hedgerows, meadows and woods. Indeed, it's familiar even to many who don't know its name.[2]

Hogweed, a common British plant
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Rhisiart Hincks >>> IPERNITY]

The genus name Heracleum refers to the Greek mythic hero Heracles, on account of the plant’s size. The species name sphondylium means 'vertebrae' and refers to the shape of its segmented stem.[3]

Week 15: Grey Squirrel (Scuridae Carolinensis)

The grey squirrel was @SpeciesofUK from 10^th to 16^th March 2013.

Grey squirrels (or Eastern Grey Squirrels to give them their full name) are part of the family Scuridae which contains circa 285 squirrel species in total. The only other Scuridae species found in the UK is the red squirrel.

Grey Squirrel
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Dean Thorpe]

Grey squirrels are not UK natives. They were introduced to the UK from the USA in the late 1800s. They’ve been rampantly successful, out-competing native red squirrels and driving them into ever smaller outposts.[1]

Week 9: Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus)

The mountain hare was @SpeciesofUK from 27^th January to 2^nd February 2013.

The mountain hare, ‘Lepus timidus,’ is found from eastern Siberia to Norway. There are isolated pockets elsewhere, including in Scotland in the UK, the Alps, Ireland, the Baltics, Poland and, remarkably, the island of Hokkaido in Japan.

Mountain Hare, Scotland
[Source: Andrew Easton]

The mountain hare is also known as the blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare and alpine hare. (Just don't mix the mountain hare up with the arctic hare! That's a native of Canada/Greenland and a different species altogether.) 

Week 7: Common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

The snowdrop was @SpeciesofUK from 13th to 19th January 2013.

Common Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, are the most widespread of the 19 species in the genus Galanthus, all of which are known as “snowdrops.”

Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis
[Source: Caroig]

Snowdrops occur from the Ukraine to the Pyrenees, and from Greece to Poland. They are not actually native to the UK. The snowdrop wasn’t recorded wild in the UK until the 1770s.¹