Friday 20 January 2006

Wildlife Survey

When we first viewed the house last July we were amazed by the beautiful butterflies, wildflowers and insects across the fields. It seems important that we make some sort of formal record of the flora and fauna of the place and perhaps over time we will be able to identify how replacing hedges, planting more native species and our general gardening efforts have affected the original populations.

I'm not sure of the best way to gather and store the material. A simple record (like this blog) backed up with some pictures is a start but it would be nice to have a searchable database with the ability to cross reference and annotate as more information becomes available. There are database systems and wikis out there but I've not found one yet that seems comfortable for me. Writing our own isn't out the question but it might take longer than is sensible if we're to start taking notes immediately.

However it is accomplished it must be easy to use and reliable - which is a difficulty on any computer. Perhaps the Edwardian Lady had it right after all.

No comments: