Rare Wildflower thrives in Hastings Castle!

One of the UK’s rarest wildflowers thrives in the historic ruins of Hastings Castle.

The Lesser Calamint (Calamintha nepata), is extremely rare and found in only a few sites in the UK. It is believed that, because the castle grounds have remained virtually undeveloped for centuries, this has allowed the flower to survive.

Hastings Castle’s Leanna Lawson said: “A member of our staff decided to find out more about this mysterious flowering shrub which appeared to be growing out of the side of one of the castle’s remaining walls.

“She sent a description and image of it to a local expert who confirmed it was lesser calamint and went on to say the castle was the only known site in the town where it grew. The plant is also only found at a few isolated sites across the country and is increasingly threatened by development and building works.

“We’re delighted the castle has been able to protect such a rare species for such a long time and we are doing our best to look after it and to encourage it to grow and spread within the castle grounds,” she added.

The leaves of this self-seeding plant smell of mint and oregano and, in Italy, the leaves are ground up and used as a culinary herb. The plant reaches a height of 18 inches and the lavender pink flowers attract bees and butterflies.

• Hastings Castle, Castle Hill Road, West Hill, Hastings TN34 3AR. For more information visit www.smugglersadventure.co.uk or call 01424 718776.

‘Smiling Tigers' at the Blue Reef Aquarium!

A pair of tiger salamanders has recently gone on display at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Rock-a-Nore. Originally from the USA, the tiger salamander is the world’s largest species and can reach lengths of up to 30 centimetres.

As well as being the biggest they also have the reputation for being the happiest as they appear to have a perpetual grin, as can be seen in the photograph above! They are part of the mole salamander family which also includes the Critically Endangered axolotl; known as the ‘Peter Pans’ of the animal world, axolotls remain in their tadpole stage for their entire lives.

Found throughout the USA, tiger salamanders live in burrows on the edge of swamps and other watery environments. They can live for up to 20 years and fully grown adults have been known to catch frogs and mice.

Blue Reef Aquarium’s Leanna Lawson said: “Mole salamanders like these are definitely one of the more unusual species of reptile. We already have some of their cousins, the axolotls, on display, but this is the first time we have had tiger salamanders as well. Although ours still have quite a lot of growing to do they are already impressive looking specimens. 

 “I think a lot of their popularity with visitors and the zoological team is they always look so happy. It’s difficult to look at them and not want to laugh because of these daft grins they’ve got,” she added.

Tiger salamanders get their name from the tan to yellow vertical bars on their dark brown to black bodies; the bars vary in thickness. They come from central Nebraska down to southern Texas, and west to central Colorado and New Mexico. The tiger salamander is the 'state amphibian' for Kansas. 

For more information, go to their website.

Casper in Rock-a-Nore...

Having been away up int' North (of here), I've missed a few things, such as the introduction of Casper, a rare albino shark, to the Blue Reef Aquarium!

Nicknamed ‘Casper’ by keepers, after the friendly ghost, the little white shark shares his spacious new home with a collection of triggerfish. “True albinism in marine species in general is highly unusual and it’s virtually unheard of in sharks,” said Blue Reef Aquarium’s Leanna Lawson.

“As well as being rare, white or albino sharks do not tend to survive for long in the wild as they rely on their natural camouflage to protect them from larger predators. For this particular shark to have successfully reached adulthood and to be in such good condition demonstrates Casper is either very lucky or very smart,” she added. 

Albinism is due to gene mutations that affect the production of pigmentation. True albino animals lack melanin, are white with no markings and have unpigmented pink eyes. In some species there is also a form known as blue-eyed albinism. 

Like all members of the shark family, lesser spotted dogfish do not have a skeleton made of bone, but instead have very tough cartilage to support their bodies. This makes them very flexible, and they can bend in any direction. They have teeth and jaws that are adapted to crushing up invertebrates and skin that is tougher and rougher than sand paper. 

Yet another reason to visit the Aquarium, enjoy!

Arachnophobia? Look away!

Snape at the Blue Reef Aquarium... 

Welcome to “Snape”, a 6 month-old Chilean Rose Tarantula, the newest addition to the Aquarium's Jungle Room display, which features exotic reptiles, insects and spiders from around the world. Snape is being named by staff in honour of the Harry Potter character played by the late star, Alan Rickman.  

The Chilean Rose originates in the deserts of Chile, as the name on the label suggests, and is a colourful spider with a leg span of around 15 centimetres. Its colour ranges from grey, to pink, to a reddish brown colour. Males live for about five years, whilst the female of the species can live for up to 20 years or more!  

The Aquarium’s Leanna Lawson said that “The Chilean Rose is one of the most colourful and impressive of the tarantulas and they thought it was the perfect name for such a spectacular spider.”  

There are approximately 900 different species of tarantula identified so far, and, despite their threatening reputation and size, no tarantula has been known to have a bite that is deadly to humans, though some bites may cause serious discomfort that might persist for several days (website).  

Many thanks to the Aquarium for sharing this information, I feel relieved!