How do fairy rings come about?
Rui Simão, from the Ecofungos Mycological Association, helps us unravel the mystery of these strange mushroom formations are visible parts of an underground world that hides, out of sight.
A naturalist in the Gulbenkian Garden
Once a month, over the course of a year, Wilder magazine revealed curiosities you shouldn’t miss in the Gulbenkian Garden and made a challenge: to discover and photograph or draw each discovery. The following year, based on the garden’s biodiversity and with the help of experts, we answered to several “how and why” questions on birds, insects, mammals, amphibians and plants.
Why are flies so much faster than humans?
The answer is surprising. Rui Andrade, a specialist in these small insects and a promoter of the Portuguese group Diptera on Facebook, explains what makes flies so difficult to catch.
Why do bats roost upside down?
At this time of year, amid all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, there are bats roosting in hidden shelters, waiting for nightfall to go out and feed on insects.
Why are male mallards more colourful than the females?
Nobody is fooled by the bright green feathers on the heads of certain ducks, it’s the male mallards, very different to the females that are much more discreet. João Eduardo Rabaça explains the reason for this difference.
Do tortoises hibernate in Portugal?
During the years when it is coldest in Portugal, when the winter sets in, tortoises trigger a strategy that is crucial to them: hibernation. The researcher José Teixeira explains the process.
How do birds survive the rain and cold?
João Eduardo Rabaça explains how these species cope with lower temperatures. With the arrival of winter many birds migrate to Africa but others remain where they were born, including small passerines.
Why do some trees keep their leaves in autumn and winter?
Rosa Pinho, curator of the Herbarium, of the Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, explains the reasons why they no longer dominate Portuguese forests.
What do butterflies feed on?
Patrícia Garcia-Pereira, researcher at the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, at the Science Faculty of the University of Lisbon (FCUL), explains what it is, after all, that these very special insects eat.
Do crickets sing more in the summer? And do all crickets sing?
Eva Monteiro, researcher at the Biodiversity Stations Network and at Tagis , -the Centre for the Conservation of Butterflies in Portugal, helps you to become an expert on these charming insects.
How do dragonflies and damselflies grow and start to fly?
Their bright colours and delicate wings leave few people indifferent to these insects of the Order Odonata. In Portugal, 65 species can be found but very few people know about their life cycle, which all begins with some very unique behaviour.
How can swifts sleep in flight?
These incredible birds reach Portugal in March, coming from Africa. Ricardo Brandão and Daniela Costa, from CERVAS, explain how they do almost everything in flight, including sleeping.
How do plants disperse their seeds?
Filipe Covelo, a fellow in science and technology management in the field of botany, explains what happens during the plants reproduction process, from the formation of future seeds to their germination.
How do migratory birds find their way?
For a long time, bird migration remained a mystery to humans. It is only in the last hundred years that we have begun to understand this regular movement. However, despite technological advances, there is still a lot that we don't know.
Why is it that one rarely sees butterflies in winter?
Patrícia Garcia-Pereira, researcher at cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, explains what happens to these very special insects when the colder weather arrives.
Why do some trees have galls?
In this article, Maria João Horta Parreira, from the Associação Plantar uma Arvore (Plant a Tree Association), explains what galls are, where they grow and what purpose they serve.
How do mushrooms reproduce?
Rui Simão, from the Ecofungos – Mycological Association, helps us unravel some of the mysteries of these curious beings from the natural world.
Why are moths attracted to artificial light?
One of the great little mysteries of the natural world is still moths’ attraction to artificial light. Street and garden lamps and lights on the balconies of houses are hotbeds of attraction and concentration for these insects.
How do bats hunt at night?
As it gets dark and night sets in, we sometimes see small fluttering shadows near street lights. It is bats that come out of their shelters at about this time to hunt insects, catching mosquitoes and butterflies attracted by artificial light.
Why do dragonflies and damselflies have such big eyes?
No summer stroll is complete without spotting colourful dragonflies or damselflies on their fast and somewhat erratic flights.
Why does the green frog croak?
The Iberian green frog is the most common amphibian in Portugal. One of the places where it lives is in the Gulbenkian Garden, in Lisbon.
Why are some birds’ eggs coloured and patterned?
White, blue, yellow, brown, spotted or striped. Birds’ eggs have a huge variety of colours and designs. We went to try to figure out why.
How can you distinguish bird songs from bird calls?
The sound birds make is is one of the natural world’s most impressive soundtracks. To really appreciate it, however, it is important to learn more.
Five songbirds to listen to in the Garden in March and April
When you hear a bird singing, stop for a few minutes and listen carefully. Can you distinguish one species from the other by sound?
Five signs that spring is on its way to look out for in February and March
Look for these and other signs of the change of season in the Gulbenkian Garden and other green areas.