Poo

/dʌŋ/ [uncountable] solid waste from animals, especially from large ones synonym manure cow dung.

I went on a dung beetle safari the other day. Led by Claire, a vet, who originally hails from Liverpool, it was quite simply a revelation. Firstly, because Claire is immensely knowledgeable about the impact of ‘ectin’ wormer products and their potential impact on the environment, but also she is so engaging about the subject that one can’t wait to get stuck in, and have a rootle around a cow pat. We were on the hunt for dung beetles and their larvae.

There is a nascent community science project, a ‘Dung Beetle Assessment Pat Scorecard. An absolute must is to make sure you wear latex gloves before digging around in pats.

Reading this week: Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire