Yesterday morning was one of those brilliant clear, crisp sunny mornings that you don't want to be working in. As it happens, I wasn't - though I also wasn't spending lots of quality time in the square either. I volunteered to do the school run before we went off to do other important stuff, and I managed to pick up a few common trees and bits but nothing exciting. Today I was off and out early and had to head down to Sidcup on business. I got back home in the last of what little light there had been all day, and decided I was going out regardless. It was cold, and you could fully imagine a cloudless sky above the lingering fog. By the time I actually got out it was still light enough to see where you were walking, but I had my torch in any case and soon needed it (I got a
new torch recently, and it's brilliant!).
I found a few fungi, a couple of lichens, a spider, a few plants and a larval stage psychid moth. Out of that lot, perhaps the most surprising thing I found was a flowering Yarrow!! Using the torch/flash combo I got a couple of shots ....
Lecanora chlarotera
Jelly Ear / Jew's Ear
Velvet Shank
Over the two brief walks I added 24 species plus Bramble (what is everyone else doing with bramble - anyone actually managed to resolve which species they are looking at??).
I'm on 82 plus two aggregates.
I've just got (non-counted) bramble sp. I've no idea what to do with them. About time these DNA barcode readers came along (the ultimate smartphone plugin!)
ReplyDeleteBramble will stay an agg. for me too I think. Do we have the same problem with Common Dandelion Taraxacum officinale (another apomictic polyploid?)? I haven't listed this either despite our lawn being largely this and moss (which I also haven't got around to identifying).
ReplyDeleteI've currently noted at least 6 "aggregates" - bramble sp., dandelion sp., polypody sp., privet sp., Acleris ferrugana/notana and Limnephilus caddisfly sp.
ReplyDeleteOh, and two "evidence only" species as well - Mole and Stigmella aurella...
ReplyDeleteI've just bought myself a copy of "Dandelions of Great Britain & Ireland" by Dudman and Richards. It's a 1997 publication, and the authors say that many European species are turning up all the time and now outnumber natives, so it's not foolproof. Yet to put it to use, but should be fun to try it out. Cost me £15, so not too extortionate.
ReplyDeleteBloody books I find myself buying nowadays. Be caddisflies next. Oh hang on....