Some JCP Photos

Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris.  Jubilee Country Park, 30 April 2017.

There was a lichen walk in Jubilee Country Park last weekend, led by Ishpi Blatchley, or local lichen expert.  I took the opportunity to take some photos of a range of subjects .. this one shows the male "cones" of a Scots Pine, shedding pollen.  There are lots of little pollen grains stuck to the sort of spider webbing which you can find almost everywhere in the countryside.

Oak Apple gall.  Jubilee Country Park, 30 April 2017.

There were several of these galls, looking large and apple-like, on an oak tree that was right behind Isphi as she gave her introductory talk.  I was itching to take a shot but waited until later as that seemed more polite!  These growths are caused by the aptly-named  Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Biorhiza pallida.  There are hundreds of plant galls caused by a range of insects that make plants grow homes for them.  Oaks have more types of gall than most plants.

Larva of Orthosia cerasi, Common Quaker. Jubilee Country Park, 30 April 2017.

This caterpillar was munching on a Field Maple at the edge of the car park.  It was identified for me later (caterpillars are hard!) as a Common Quaker,  a type of moth that is easy to find early in the year.  I was pleased to get a shot that showed the head and the whole body structure so clearly.  It's not as easy as you might think, because they keep on the move and their heads go from side to side.

Parmelina pastillifera.  Parmeliaceae.   Jubilee Country Park, 1 May 2017.

Finally, an actual lichen!  Ishpi was pleased to find this Parmelina pastillifera as she only has three other sightings in the London Borough of Bromley (though it's not rare in the UK as a whole).  This was on an oak branch and Ishpi was drawn to it by its steely glint. 

Parmelina pastillifera.  Parmeliaceae.   Jubilee Country Park, 1 May 2017.

I wasn't happy with the photos I took on the day so I went back the next day to improve on them.  I opened the iris and sped up the shutter.  This gives less depth of field, but better sharpness and less motion blur.  (As I take these one-handed, holding the subject in place with my other hand, motion blur can be a problem, especially on a long springy tree branch.)

Those little bumps are isidia, little outgrowths containing both the fungus and alga component of the lichen.  It can reproduce if these growths break off and are scattered.  Their shape on this specimen helps to identify it.

Oak Leaf Galls - and a Festoon

Common Spangle Galls, gall wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum.  West Wickham Common, 14 September 2014.

Some oak leaf galls from the local commons.  These are fascinating things, created by tiny wasps that somehow cause the oak leaf to grow these shield-like shapes behind which the larvae grow.  At the end of the year, the galls drop off, and just now they can be seen scattered over the woodland floor.

Silk Button Spangle Galls, gall wasp Neuroterus numismalis.  West Wickham Common, 15 September 2014.

A different type of gall.  I went back the day after the gall walk to get some better shots, including this one and the next.

Smooth Spangle Galls, gall wasp Neuroterus albipes.  Hayes Common, 15 September 2014.

And yet a third, with one of the first type also in the picture at top right.  All these are created by different species of wasp.

And to prove that they drop off:

Fallen oak leaf galls.  Two Common Spangle Galls, one Smooth Spangle Gall.  Keston Common, 30 October 2014.

 Here are some fallen galls photographed in late October.

Larva of a Festoon, Apoda limacodes.  West Wickham Common, 14 September 2014.

While looking for galls, the walk leader found this, which I was very pleased to see.  It's the odd-looking larva of a Festoon moth.  Festoons are scarce taking the country as a whole, but where they do live, they are often numerous, and there are plenty around here.  There's a good shot of an adult at the bottom of this post showing moths in July, trapped less than 100 yards from where this photo was taken. 

Jubilee Country Park Wildflowers, 2012

Wildflower walk in Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

This was a regular annual walk in Jubilee Country Park, specifically to look at the wildflower population.  It was introduced by the Chairman of the Friends group, Jennie Randall, and led by John Bruce and Sally Morris.

It was a week earlier than the walk in 2011, and there was much less on show - there was less general development, even allowing for the week's difference. The odd weather pattern this year probably accounts for that.

But we still saw a lot, and I also managed to get some photos of invertebrates, though we  didn't see many, and in particular, not a single butterfly on this cold and overcast morning.

Bladder Campion, Silene vulgaris.   Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

This was my favourite flower of the day.  The delicate white lanterns of Bladder Campion, each with three long, mauve-tipped styles hanging from them.  We saw one cluster of these plants in one of the meadows.  On this plant you can also see what we used to call Cuckoo-spit; a cluster of bubbles which shelter the young of froghoppers, which live by sucking the plant's sap.

Common Swift, Hepalius lupulinus.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

And this was my favourite insect.  In the absence of butterflies, at least there were several moths.  This one was pointed out by the group; I followed and caught it, and held it gently in my hand while I chased and photographed yet another moth, shown below, then released this one where I could capture its image.  So this photo represents more work than usual.

It's not really a day-flying moth and must have been disturbed by the party.  It's one of a group of moths that hold their wings close to their sides when resting, whereas most of the larger moths hold their forewings out, flat to the ground.

Galls on Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, caused by a fungus, Taphrina pruni. Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

  We also saw a couple of interesting galls. This one turned up in a couple of places and puzzled the group,  but I was able to identify it at home with the aid of one of my books.  Those pods take the place of the expected sloes, and are empty.   This is caused by a fungus that infects the bush, destroying the seed and stone, and later the pods will turn grey or brown, covered with the tiny fruiting bodies of the fungus.  It infects the stems and will still be there next year.

Rose bush in the hedgerow.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

This prolific rose bush was also in a hedgerow.  It's probably a Dog Rose, Rosa canina, but I can't be sure without a closer examination.

After a while I felt as though my trainers had been filled with water and I was wading. The grass was soaked, and we made several forays off the paths to see interesting plants.  This one was the prize:

Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

Probably our commonest orchid, but not at all common in this park, which is mostly on acid soils.  It is likely that the large concrete slabs of the wartime gun emplacements have caused enough alkalinity to allow some orchids to grow even half a century later.  We found four flowering stems; this is what the top photo shows.

Here's another insect.

Malachite Beetle, Malachius bipustulatus.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

We saw a few of these Malachite Beetles.  They are small, but quite showy, with a shiny green carapace and orange body.  From above, you can see two orange spots at the ends of its wing-cases, which give it its Latin species name.   I don't suppose the spider on top of the buds was actually aware of it; it was probably more worried by the way I was bending the plant over to take the photo!

It's interesting that beetles, which seem so shiny and smooth to the naked eye, turn out to be hairy all over when you see them close up.

Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria graminea.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

Tiny white stars in the grass, as its Latin name suggests.

Melanostoma scalare, a Hoverfly, in a Meadow Buttercup flower.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

From head height these look like small black flies, but they actually have a typical Hoverfly coloration with yellow triangles on a black abdomen, in a shape that is typical of this species.  There is a gap between the eyes, so this is a female, and it has triangular "dust" marks on the front of its face, another identifier for the species.

Yellow Rattle, Rhinanthus minor.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

This was another one we slogged though the wet grass to see!  When the fruit dries out, it rattles, and this is supposed to indicate that it's harvest time.

Here's the other moth I chased:

Lime-speck Pug, Eupithecia centaureata.  Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

Like some other small moths, it looks rather like a bird dropping from any distance, and this should help it to fool predators. 

This quick run-through only shows a fraction of the things we saw.  Next year, we will probably go round one or two weeks later and it will be even better and more interesting, so if you are within reach you might like to join in.

Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus.  Last year's Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is in the background.
Ray's Pond, Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

These photos and a few others from the day are in an on-line Picasa album here: Jubilee Country Park, 2 June 2012.

A Popular Oak Leaf

Popular oak leaf on Hayes Common.  18 September 2011.

Oak trees support many other species and are ecosystems in themselves. This single leaf illustrates some of that!

I am no expert on galls, but they are interesting and some of them are easy to identify. Not these, unfortunately.  This leaf has up to three different types. The large round one on the right might be a Striped Pea Gall, caused by the gall wasp Cynips longiventris, though it is not as colourful as I would expect. There are also some small green galls lower down the midrib, possibly younger versions of the same, though if so their timing is odd; and some small black ribbed galls on the side veins.

The tip of the leaf, on the right, is covered with droppings and silk strands, showing that something has been living there, curling the edge of the leaf around for protection. The same has happened where the edge of the leaf is curled under at the bottom of the photo.

The white patch in the middle is where something has eaten out the green goodness from between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf.

There are holes where something has either eaten or taken away chunks of leaf.

There are some white cast-off skins showing where aphids have moulted.

And finally, I  leave it to you to spot the scale insect, tucked in and hanging on quite happily.

Nail Galls

Nail galls on Small-Leaved Lime, Tilia cordata, caused by the gall mite Eriophyes lateannulatus.
Farningham Wood, 2 October 2011.

Small-Leaved Limes are scarce in the UK. It is likely that the climate is not warm enough to allow them to seed successfully. But they are found in ancient woodlands, so were probably established there when the climate was warmer. They reproduce vegetatively, and young trees can often be found in the neighbourhood of older ones.

There are just two specimens in Farningham Wood, yet this is enough to support a species of nail gall mites that are unique to this species of tree. The nail galls on the more common lime tree, Tilia × europaea, are produced by a different mite and are noticeably larger at this time of year, as shown below!

Lime nail galls, caused by a mite, Eriophyes tiliae, on a lime tree in Cudham car park.   30 September 2011.

Robin's Pincushion

Robin's Pincushion gall, caused by the wasp Diplolepis rosae, on a wild rose on Hutchinson's Bank, 9 August 2011.

I saw quite a few of these on Hutchinson's Bank. I posted a photo of a bright red one earlier, here: Robin's Pincushion Gall. That one was in Riddlesdown Quarry. They aren't rare, but they're the sort of thing you might not notice unless you look.