Malham Tarn

Just back from a week's ecology field trip at Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales. Wonderful place - if a little cold for the time of year!

Exhausting week trying out lots of field techniques from trapping (or not!) small mammals, to freshwater invertebrates (in the rain!), to insects (in the hail!) - and identifying bog plants (in the hail again!), looking at soils (in the sun - hurrah!) and doing lots of statistical tests.

We also got a chance to visit lots of different landscapes. Malham Tarn is on the limestone uplands of the Yorkshire Dales. There's an amazing array of limestone pavements around - this one is at Ing Scar. The limestone was deposited in a marine environment, which was then overlaid by peat. Tectonic movement has pushed the limestone upwards, causing it to fracture into 'slabs' - the peat was subsequently removed by glacial action during the last gracial period, leaving the pavement effect we see today. The crevices - or grykes - in the limestone are home to a unique community of ferns.

We also got to see the limestone from the bottom on a visit to Ingleborough Cave - this is an amazing subterranean environment which, as well as the limestone stalactites and stalagmites, actually boasts some fresh water shrimp in the underground streams.

All in all, a very enjoyable week - have come away full of ideas for my project - which is probably going to be looking at lichen coverage on trees. Got an opportunity to do a small group project while we were at Malham, looking at lichen in the woods there, which has thrown up lots of questions that I can use for my own project. Just got to get it organised a bit now....