Tansy beetlemania, fluoridation and fracking
Plus the latest on water, wildlife and more from across North Yorkshire and the North East
Good morning! I’m Sarah Hartley and this is The Northern Eco weekly update. As you’ve received this newsletter then either you subscribed, or someone forwarded it to you. If the latter, then you can click on this handy little button below.
We’re once again taking a look at that intersection between art and the environment to start today with a feature about an artist who tells the fascinating story of a rare beetle found only in a tiny patch of Yorkshire. But there’s also plenty of eco news to share this week including:
Fund raising success in Northumberland
Ofwat legal action
Decision day on solar farm
Please note: The environmental impact of the major shipping collision off the east coast of Yorkshire was still emerging last night. We’ll follow up and bring you more as the situation becomes clearer.
A conservation success celebrated in sculpture
When Victorians made special trips to a short stretch of York riverbank to find the source of sparkling ‘sequins’ for their attire, little could they know of the lasting attraction of the rare Tansy Beetles.
But fascination with the iridescent body armour of the Jewel of York lives on for conservationists and artists alike. Now the diminutive and endangered creature will be celebrated as part of a wide ranging art exhibition taking place just 20 miles from their territory.
Sarah Schiewe is one of 36 artists showing work in Thirsk and her Tansy Beetle sculptures are certain to be a talking point.
She said: “The Tansy Beetle is a fascinating and vital part of our natural heritage. Their striking iridescent green reminds us of the beauty hidden in the smallest corners of our world, yet their rarity highlights the fragility of our ecosystems.
“Through my sculptures, I aim to bring attention to their plight, using art to spark conversations about conservation and the rich, often overlooked stories of York’s past and present. The Tansy Beetle’s journey is one of resilience and survival, something I hope to celebrate and protect.
“By creating these sculptures, I want to encourage people to not only admire these incredible creatures but also to consider their place in our shared history and environment. Art has the power to make people see things differently, and if my work can inspire even a small shift in awareness or action, then it has served its purpose.”
Tansy Beetles are an endangered species that only occur along the banks of a 45km stretch of the River Ouse around York, with much smaller populations in East Anglia.
As well as using their shiny wing cases as sequins, records show that, for hundreds of years, Victorian beetle enthusiasts used to make special trips to Clifton Ings to source them for collections.
They take their name from their main food source of Tansy, a perennial herb, on which they depend for survival.
Population rise
Conservationists have been working hard to protect the species for more than a decade and celebrated a couple of years ago when their endeavours showed a large increase in the population.
Volunteers organised by the Tansy Beetle Action Group (TBAG) reported in 2023 that the annual survey had revealed a population estimate of 91,000 – nearly double the previous highest estimate of 46,000 back in 2016.
The positive news was welcomed by conservationists who said it demonstrates the success of changes to the riverbank’s management. Working together with local landowners they have made sure that its essential Tansy food plant is left growing to help the beetles complete their lifecycle. However, despite the record numbers, there are still concerns about how the Tansy Beetle might cope with the increase in summer flooding events that are expected with climate change; as well as the threat of Tansy being outcompeted by invasive plants, such as Himalayan Balsam.
Sarah isn’t the only artist to be inspired by the special leaf beetle, in recent years the coleoptera has been the subject of a York mural, by street artist ATM, and has inspired countless other artistic endeavours.
The North as a goal
The beetles can be seen as part of an evocative exhibition at The Courthouse, Rural Arts’ base and arts centre in Thirsk, which includes artwork in a variety of mediums.
Organised by North Yorkshire Open Studios (NYOS), the show will span a wide range of styles, media and subjects as the artists show their responses to author Peter Davidson's theory that ‘Everyone carries their own idea of North within them’.
The exhibition takes its title from Davidson’s book, The Idea of North, published in 2005, which shows the North to be a goal rather than a destination, a place of revelation that is always somewhere absolute and austere - and eternally just out of reach.
The featured artists, all of them NYOS members, re-imagine the North as an idea that shapes the creativity of its residents.
Garth Bayley, Project Manager at NYOS and who is showing work in the exhibition.
“NYOS is dedicated to celebrating the incredible wealth of talent in North Yorkshire and increasing the number of opportunities for artists to exhibit.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Rural Arts to showcase the work of some of our members, who have been inspired to consider such a stimulating subject as their own idea of the concept of ‘North’.”
Idea of North is at The Courthouse, Thirsk until Saturday, March 22.
The three most clicked links from last week were:
What’s on: Eco events for March
Public invited to have say on water sector fit for the future
In the news
🌿 Jonny Manning of the BBC reports on how a Northumberland wildlife group has raised £6m to purchase the Rothbury Estate.
⛵︎ The Port of Tyne has purchased the UK’s first fully electric foiling pilot vessel – a significant milestone both for the port and for the UK’s maritime sector. Graeme Anderson at the Climate Post has more.
📝 BP has shelved its flagship green hydrogen project on Teesside, with more than 700 promised jobs at Teesworks now set to vanish writes Leigh Jones at the Teesside Lead.
💦 Government commits to clean up England’s largest lake with environment secretary Steve Reed vowing to ensure ‘only rainwater’ enters Windermere, writes Helen William at The Independent.
💦 Daniel Hordon at The Northern Echo reports that the biggest expansion of water fluoridation in England since the 1980s, which will see the mineral added to water across Darlington, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Teesside is to go ahead.
💦 An environmental group is to take legal action against Ofwat, the water regulator, accusing it of unlawfully making customers pay for decades of neglect by the water industry, writes Sandra Laville at The Guardian.
💦 Northumbrian Water has invested £11m in the construction of a new 6km pipeline to protect a County Durham burn from sewage pollution. Gavin Engelbrecht at The Northern Echo has more.
Solar farm on protected green belt land set for approval
A solar farm the size of more than 80 football pitches is set to be given the go-ahead despite concerns it would be built on protected green belt land.
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