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.