Fungi on Beech

Fungi on a felled Beech in The Knoll, Hayes, on 24 December 2012.

This piece of a Beech tree has been growing fungi for a few years.  There's nothing individually spectacular here, but it does look quite colourful.  I think these fungi are Stereum hirsutum (Hairy Curtain Crust) - that's the orange one - and Trametes versicolor (Turkeytail).  

It's interesting that they seem to have colonised the wood in wedges, rather than in rings from the outside in.

Merry Christmas!

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric) under the glaucous form of the Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica forma glauca).
Kelsey Park, 30 October 2012.

This looks suitably Christmas-coloured, like a tree ornamented with Santa's red and white.   So, a merry Christmas to all my viewers!

Below is the same tree and fungus from further away.

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric) under the glaucous form of the Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica forma glauca).
Kelsey Park, 30 October 2012.

Tree Patterns

Sawn deadwood near Leaves Green, 15 December 2012.

These patterns are caused by fungal infections in the tree while it was still standing.

Snail Graveyard

Garden Snail, Helix aspersa, near Leaves Green, 15 December 2012.

All the signs are that this is not a lucky place for a snail to rest. 

Four Tits

Blue-tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, in my garden in Hayes.  30 November 2012.

Please don't think I am putting these up as examples of bird photography.  I took them through my window, often with branches obscuring parts of the birds, sometimes at odd angles or blurry.  They are here to show the fun I get from having a bird feeder in my garden.

I managed to get some sort of image of all four types of tit that come to the feeder.  The Bluetit is the commonest, a bright and pretty bird.  Blue cap, yellow breast.

Great Tit, Parus major.  In my garden in Hayes on 27 November 2012.

Next commonest it the Great Tit, with a shiny black cap and a broad black stripe down its breast.  All these birds love peanuts, which should not be fed to them in the spring in case they choke the chicks. They take them to  a branch and peck away at them.

Coal-tit, Periparus ater, in my garden in Hayes.  30 November 2012.

Coal Tits have a black cap with a white stripe.  They are less common, and I was pleased to see a pair.  They had been missing since a recent harsh winter. 

Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus, in my garden in Hayes.  27 November 2012.

I only just managed to get this shot, and I apologise for its blurriness.  Long-tailed Tits are smaller than the others.  They live in the woods, and move around in small flocks, usually accompanied by a few of the other species.  Just occasionally they will decide to foray around their local gardens, and they are only there for a few minutes, so you have to be lucky to see them.

I also see Robins, Dunnocks, Jays, Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, and occasionally Wrens.  Some of them like the feeder, and some forage below it for pieces dropped by the others, or turn over dead leaves elsewhere.  My garden is too small for the local crows to like it.  But I am pleased that I planted Hawthorns.  The small birds feel safe in the maze of thorny branches.

Knole Park

A valley in Knole Park, 22 September 2012

These photos go back to September, when a group from the Orpington Field Club went to look for fungi.  But it's a bad year for fungi - odd, given how wet it has been - and we found hardly any.  But I have just a few photos of what we did see.

Knole Park is a deer park surrounding a 15th century country house.  It is quite spacious, and we only saw the house once as we walked past the back of its formal gardens.   We saw some of the deer:

Fallow Deer, Dama dama.  Knole Park, 22 September 2012.

They didn't let us get very close, but they didn't seem to be too alarmed by our presence.

Most of the time we saw hardly any insect life as well as an absence of fungi.  But the scenery was very enjoyable.  Then as we passed by the back of the gardens, there were a few wildflowers with hoverflies and and butterflies.

Hoverfly, Helophilus pendulus.  Knole Park, 22 September 2012.

I didn't record the flower the hoverfly was on, but it looks like an Autumn Hawkbit. 

Two Small Coppers, Lycaena phlaeas, on Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea.  Knole Park, 22 September 2012.

There's a variety of the Small Copper that has reflective bluish patches towards the base of its hind wings, at the edge of the dark area, and you can just see a slight glitter of such a thing here.  I saw much more of this last year.

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas, on Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea.  Knole Park, 22 September 2012.

So we didn't see what we came for, but it was a lovely day for a walk in the park.

Stapelia variegata

Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012.

This is a South African plant consisting of inconspicuous green succulent stems.  It's easy to grow; this one sits outside on my balcony all summer.  The flowers are very showy, and quite lovely to look at. 

To look at, they are lovely.  But Stapelias are known as Carrion Flowers for a good reason.  They smell of rotting meat, and are pollinated by blowflies.

The flowers hang low, and I didn't spot this one straight away.  It was facing towards the light of the window, of course, and half hidden behind the pot.  But when I did see it, it explained the odd odour I had noticed the day before .. I had been wondering if my cat had brought in a little present for me and left it in some hidden spot.

Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012.  Centre detail.

Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012.  Detail of a petal.

Actually, the books say that the colour and texture of the petals resembles rotting meat.  I'm not so sure of that.  But it's good enough for the blowflies, which sometimes lay eggs on it. I don't have a picture of that.  That's a pity in a way, but I'm happy not to have egg-laying blowflies in the house.

Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012.  Back view.

Amethyst Deceiver

Amethyst Deceiver, Laccaria amethystina.  Hayes Common, 25 November 2012.

I don't see many species of fungi while walking through the wood closest to me, though plenty are to be found not far away.   But I often find this one.  The mauve colour catches the eye.

These are old specimens.  When they are young, the cap is flatter and the rim does not curve up.  It's a common and widespread species, and according to the book, it's both edible (i.e., not poisonous) and tasty.

Amethyst Deceiver, Laccaria amethystina.  Hayes Common, 25 November 2012.

The Knoll, Hayes

Beech trees with Meripilus giganteus (Giant Polypore) at the base of the closest one.  The Knoll, Hayes, 6 November 2012.

These are a couple of photos I took while recording the progress of the fungus around the base of the nearest tree, the Giant Polypore.  It's a pleasant aspect of the small park, and these photos show the difference in the mood of the place between sunlight and shadow.  You can see that both days were sunny, but the shot above was taken at about 12:30 pm, whereas that below was taken much earlier in the day, at about 10 am, when shadows were longer and more pervasive.

In the lighter photo, the well-lit and colourful leaves dominate the picture.  Beech leaves in Autumn are beautiful.  In the darker one, even though some leaves are brightly lit, the closer viewpoint, and the fact that the leaves weren't yet turning colour, ensure that the gloomy trunks loom up. 

The photo I linked to above records the fungus nicely, but it seems rather bland.  I like both of these shots much better, because they show what the park is really like.  It's a pity that the big tree is doomed by the root-rotting fungus.

Beech trees with Meripilus giganteus (Giant Polypore) at the base of the closest one.  The Knoll, Hayes, 17 October 2012.

Diaea dorsata

Spider, Diaea dorsata, female.  Spring Park, 17 November 2012.  Brought back to Hayes for photography.

While we're on spiders, here is a pretty little specimen that one of the Orpington Field Club spotted on a walk in Spring Park.   It's a crab spider, a type that catches prey by lurking on spots they will visit and pouncing when they arrive.

The best known crab spiders wait in flowers, and catch the insects that come for nectar or pollen.   This one waits on tree leaves, typically Oak.  Like some other crab spiders, she can make some changes to her colour.  It takes a few days.  But this mixture of green, yellow and brown should work well in autumn.

Wasp Spider

Wasp Spider, Argiope bruennichi.  Keston Common, 15 September 2012.

I posted a photo of one of these earlier, from a visit to the Ashdown Forest, but they are so remarkable that I think this one is also worth showing.  It's not a native species, but seems to be well established in the UK.

This one was in a wet meadow on Keston Common.  They seem to like wet places.  I can't be sure what it's eating, but it looks as though it could be a bumblebee, Bombus pascuorum.  I saw several of those bees buzzing around the Water Mints in this area.

Broad-leaved Helleborine

Broad-Leaved Helleborine, Epipactis helleborine, on Keston Common.  14 July 2011.

Once again, I am pulling out some old photos that are worth a look.

This is an orchid that likes woodland edges, a habitat where several interesting plants like to grow.  There are more woodland edges than you might think, when you include the sides of paths and clearings. 

Broad-Leaved Helleborine, Epipactis helleborine, with two Seven-Spot Ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata.
Blackbush Shaw, Cudham, 19 November 2011.

The first photo shows part of the flower spike in full bloom, right by the roadside on Keston Common.  It's part of a very small group, and I am always concerned that this one will get trampled by passers-by!  The second shot, from much later in the year, is from Blackbush Shaw, where there are many plants in a hedgerow beside a path. 

Common Darter

Male Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum.  Mill House, Keston, 31 August 2012.

In 2011 I didn't get many dragonfly photos, but I managed a few nice ones in 2012.  This was a Common Darter I saw resting on a stone that bordered the lawn of the Mill House in Keston, during a trip to see Keston Mill.   It might be disconcerting to groups I'm with when I dash off and photograph something, but the insects won't wait.

One day, I was walking past Keston Ponds and I saw that the lake was buzzing with Common Darters, pairing off and laying eggs.  Dragonflies really do form into pairs.  The male clasps the female and guides her over the water, dipping down occasionally so that she can lay an egg.

Common Darters in tandem, ovipositing.  Keston Common, 8 September 2012.

We know it's the male who chooses when to lay, because it has been observed that even if the female being clasped is dead, the pair still make the same dipping motions.   Perhaps I should have posted this on Halloween ...

Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum.  Female.  Keston Common, 15 September 2012.

Bleeding Mushrooms

Mycena crocata.  Keston Common, 7 October 2012.

It seems to me that most fungi are almost impossible do identify in the field.  There are some pretty experienced people in the Orpington Field Club, but often the best even they can do is get the genus and maybe a good guess at the species.  You need to get the spores under a microscope.  But a few are unmistakeable once you know what to look for, even among the smaller and less easily distinguishable groups.

For example, Mycenas, often called Bonnets.  They are small, and mostly very much alike.  But a couple of them bleed when damaged.  Mycena crocata, shown above, bleeds vivid  saffron-coloured drops.  Mycena haematopus, below, bleeds burgundy-coloured drops.  The books give them obvious "common" names, Saffrondrop Bonnet and Burgundydrop Bonnet, but most of these names are recent inventions unknown to actual countryside dwellers.

Mycena haematopus.  Keston Common, 11 November 2012.

The second one was in a troop of fungi growing over my head along the trunk of a dead Oak tree.  They were attractive, but just like many others until I managed to knock one off, bruising it in the process, and look at it closely.

Mycena haematopus.  Keston Common, 11 November 2012.

Crumpet?

Phlebia tremellosa (Jelly Rot) - underside.  Knole Park, 3 November 2012

How can something grow into an intricate pattern like this, weaving over and under alternate ribs?  This is the underside of a fungus from a fallen treetrunk.  It had a soft texture and reminded me of an uncooked crumpet.  The upper side was also creamy white, but hairy rather than patterned.

Phlebia tremellosa (Jelly Rot) - upper side.  Knole Park, 3 November 2012

Small White

Small White, Pieris rapae, laying an egg.   Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

While I was looking through my Riverside Country Park photos I was reminded of this Small White.  The other members of the group, being botanists, were looking at something else (and I didn't ignore that - it was the Sea-spurrey in my last post) ,  but butterflies always catch my eye and I spotted this to one side.  Small Whites lay single eggs on plants related to cabbages, like this wild crucifer.   This includes the Nasturtiums in your garden, though there you are more likely to find a big cluster of Large White eggs.  

This one is actually in the process of laying an egg, and though you can't see that one, another is visible, at the very top of the photo a little from the right.  

Seaside Succulents

Sea Beet, Beta vulgaris.  Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

This is going back in time a bit, to August, a set of photos that I have only blogged a couple of moths from.  But it's interesting and I don't want it to get lost.  I am going to show details of four plants that grow right by the sea, close enough to be wet by salt spray and maybe even have waves wash over them sometimes.  The first one is Sea Beet, a close relative to sugar beet.

Annual Sea-blite, Suaeda maritima.  Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

The next is Sea Blite, a quite different plant despite the similarity of the names.

Golden Samphire, Inula crithmoides.  Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

These Golden Samphires were in full flower, and looking very pretty.  I was at Riverside Country Park, near Gillingham in Kent, on a field trip with my wildflower class and a very knowledgeable teacher, so I am quite confident of the names of these plants even though I had never seen them before.

Greater Sea-spurrey, Spergularia media.  Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

Despite its name, the Greater Sea-spurrey is quite a small, low-growing plant.

I have shown these together because they all have a certain similarity.  They have waxy-looking, more or less succulent leaves.  Why should it be that they have the same sort of look as desert plants, when they are right next to the most water they could possibly find?   Well, salt water is a very unfriendly environment for land plants.  They find it hard to separate the water from the salt.  And then, the shoreline above sea level can sometimes be very dry, rather like a desert, because the sandy soil drains so freely.  Between these two factors, the plants need to hang on to all the salt-free water they get, and store it up when they have an excess.

To prove that it's not just the dryness of sandy soil that makes this a useful adaptation, here is a Glasswort.

Glasswort.  Riverside Country Park, 10 August 2012

This grows in a salt marsh and always has its roots in the water.

Grey Herons in Kelsey Park

Young Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, in Kelsey Park on 27 October 2012

I am not a bird-watcher, but occasionally they present themselves to be photogpaphed, like this young Grey Heron.  There are several heron nests in Kelsey Park and the young ones seem to be less concerned about people than their more experienced elders.

The bird below seems to be going for a stroll.

Young Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, in Kelsey Park on 27 October 2012

Shaggy Inkcap

Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig). Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

This little group, standing about 8 inches tall, was right at the entrance to Beacon Wood near a rubbish bin.  They like disturbed ground. Last year I saw a clump growing through the gravel of a friend's driveway.

They grow fast, and you can see clumps of earth on top that have been raised out of the soil.  The skin of the cap breaks up into shaggy scales as the fungus grows, revealing the fibrous hair-like understructure which gives it its species name.

Originally they are quite white, and the cap is attached to the stipe by a membrane called a partial veil, which protects the immature spores.  At the stage shown here, the only remaining trace of the veil is the loose ring which has fallen down the stem.  (Not all fungus stipe rings are mobile like this.)

As the fungus matures and black spores ripen, the edges of the cap liquefy and drip as a black liquid. You can see this clearly in a related species I showed last year: Magpie Ink Cap.

Here's a closer shot of the largest cap from a different angle.  I am reluctant to pay a lot of heed to those amber-coloured droplets on the caps; they are not mentioned in my books, and for all I know they might be dog urine. 

Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig). Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

Amanita Muscaria

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric).   Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

This is not what you expect to see under this name.  That's because it's a baby, just pushing out of the ground, and is still covered with its universal veil.  We found these in Beacon Wood Country Park, near Bean.  There is an extensive area of Silver Birch woodland on what used to be the bottom of a commercial clay pit, and there were hundreds of these startling fungi in clusters and in long crescents.

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric).   Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

The red cap starts to push through the scaly yellow veil.

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric).   Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

You probably see it most often like this, with a white stipe, domed scarlet cap and yellow scales.  It's not fully mature yet, but often it doesn't get much further because slugs just love it.  In fact you can see that the one on the left has lost a chunk of the stipe.  If there were not so many of them all at once I would probably not have got to see this ...

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric).   Beacon Wood Country Park, 20 October 2012.

A fully mature specimen nearly a foot across, quite a giant for this species.

Some Myxomycetes

Lycogala epidendrum var. terrestre.

I mentioned Myxomycetes a couple of posts ago.  They are also called Slime Moulds, and have a life cycle in which they grow from spores into little amoeba-like creatures, come together into a larger and still mobile slime, then put up spore cases and spread their spores again.  (I have omitted much detail.)   Their slimy stage, called a plasmodium, can be small or quite large.  Most of those you can find in the UK are small.

There was a Myxo foray at Sevenoaks on the 14th of October, and at the start we were shown some examples by one of the group who had brought them along from elsewhere.  The first photo is a group of fruiting bodies, and you can see the small scale from the part of my thumbnail visible on the left.

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa var. poroides

Here's another, a slightly smaller specimen.  You can see some plasmodium on the left, and some patches of a honeycomb-like fruiting structure.

Tubifera ferruginosa

Another of about the same size, on which you can see plasmodium and both young and mature fruiting bodies.

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 14 October 2012.

This is one we found on the day, and is a fruiting structure.  It's a different variety of the second one, apparently - I can only repeat what I am told about Myxomycetes.  But they do look fascinating.