Thorne; Brief update

Nothing added at Bridport since my last update but at Thorne, with a handful of fungi and moths added, the score creeps on to 938.

The main reason for this update is to say that I am away tomorrow for a 2 week birding trip to Foula. So my next planned update will not be until mid-October.
Ah yes a photo, I think one of a Fly Agaric (taken earlier this week at Thorne) is appropriate.

Cullaloe LNR - Fungus Fantasia

So in a busy weekend I managed to sneak out to the woods for an hour and a half - and what an hour and a half! 9 new fungus species for the reserve and 5 of them lifers for me.

First up, before the woods, was this pathside Volvopluteus gloiocephalus

Then into the woods the Oak Milkcap, sometimes called the Oakbug Milkcap, which is an oak mycorrhyzal species which smells of bugs. Its milk is white, only mildly turning yellow-ish on tissue.

There were Amethyst Deceivers

... and plain old Deceivers

There was Hydnum repandum

And Sulphur Knight, Tricholoma sulphureum, in amongst the roadside debris and litter (leaf litter and actual litter).

There was also the rather splendid Thelephora anthocephala

This already recorded Cortinarius bolaris (Dappled Webcap) was very pretty

There were the usual suspects of 1000 Russula nobilis (Beech Sickener) and Lactarius Blennius and Tricholoma sciodes (Beech Knight) and all in all it was a magnificent sight.

On Sunday I managed a lifer spider (Centromerita bicolor) from a grass pile and the little yellow springtail Dicyrtomina minuta 

All in all a productive weekend, with the reserve additions for this year now over 400, and the fungus list over 300

Latest additions to yearlist:

1098			R		diptera	Calliphora subalpina	Wood Bluebottle
1099			R		lep-moth	Epiblema costipunctata	A micro moth
1100			R	M	Fungus	Volvopluteus gloiocephalus	Stubble Rosegill
1101			R	M	Fungus	Hydnum repandum	Wood Hedgehog
1102			R	M	Fungus	Thelephora anthocephala
1103			R		Fungus	Tricholoma suplhureum	Sulphur Knight
1104			R		Fungus	Lactarius quietus	Oak Milkcap
1105			R		Fungus	Amanita submembranacea
1106			R	M	Fungus	Cortinarius torvus
1107			R	M	Fungus	Cortinarius elatior
1108			R		Fungus	Laccaria lacccata	The Decevier
1109					Fungus	Amanita rubescens
1110					Fungus	Cortinarius hinnuleus	Earth Webcap
1111					Fungus	Lactarius blennius	Beech Milkcap
1112					Fungus	Laccaria amethystina	Amethyst Deceiver
1113					Fungus	Russula atropurpurea
1114			R	M	spider	Centromerita bicolor	A linyphiid spider
1115			R		collembola	Dicyrtomina minuta	A springtail

Bridport & Thorne mid September update

Things seem to have slowed down quite a bit but still making some progress.

This weeks photo is of a Giant Polypore which appears at the edge of the lawn at Thorne each year. (presumably it is feeding on some tree roots under the lawn)

And the numbers are as follows;

Group	Thorne	Bridport	Group	Thorne	Bridport
Slime moulds	1	1	Hemiptera	38	9
Lichens	22	6	Coleoptera	37	12
Fungi	50	5	Diptera	52	15
Bryophytes	22	7	Hymenoptera	41	14
Plants	308	226	Butterflies	21	15
Molluscs	12	5	Moths	200	92
Annelids	3	0	Insects RSO	6	3
Arachnids	17	2	Fish	1	1
Myriapods	0	0	Amphibia	3	1
Crustacea	10	5	Reptiles	0	0
Springtails	2	0	Birds	59	48
Odonata	9	5	Mammals	8	6
Orthoptera	7	3	Total	929	482

Bridport & Thorne end of August update

A good couple of weeks at Thorne, including decent numbers of fungi after the recent rain.
Not taken many photos of anything that unusual so this weeks photo is of a Red Admiral at Thorne today.

And the numbers are as follows

Group	Thorne	Bridport	Group	Thorne	Bridport
Slime moulds	1	1	Hemiptera	37	9
Lichens	22	6	Coleoptera	37	12
Fungi	44	2	Diptera	50	15
Bryophytes	22	7	Hymenoptera	41	14
Plants	307	222	Butterflies	20	15
Molluscs	12	5	Moths	196	92
Annelids	3	0	Insects RSO	6	3
Arachnids	17	2	Fish	1	1
Myriapods	0	0	Amphibia	3	1
Crustacea	10	5	Reptiles	0	0
Springtails	2	0	Birds	59	48
Odonata	9	5	Mammals	8	6
Orthoptera	7	3	Total	914	475

Cullaloe LNR end of August -1090

After ignoring the site for a while and doing other things I returned to sweep up some fungi after the recent wet weather. The season is clearly in full swing and four species were added to the reserve list in one hour. Clearly lots of common fungi are still to be added. According to the recently published Fungi of Temperate Europe you should expect 5 times the number of fungi (was it 5...) as there are plants, which means I only have about another 1300 or so to find here. This is the best fungal book I've acquired for a good while and is an absolute steal for the money. It isn't a field guide, though - it's two heavy A4 volumes of great info and photos..

If you're interested in bothering fungi then you can get the aforementioned two vol set at a good price here:
https://www.nhbs.com/fungi-of-temperate-europe-2-volume-set-book

Russula xerampelina

Milking Bonnet - surprisingly new for reserve

Porcelain fungus - also new

Diatrype disciformis and Hypoxylon fragiforme on beech

Cortinarius bolaris - new

Beech Knight - abundant, as you can see

Hare's Ear

Latest additions:

1079			R		diptera	Platycheirus rosarum	A hover fly
1080					odonata	Aeshna juncea	Common Hawker
1081					flowering plant	Succisa pratensis	Devil’s-bit Scabious
1082					hemiptera	Picromerus bidens	Spined Shieldbug
1083					Fungus	Tricholoma sciodes	Beech Knight
1084					Fungus	Russula nobilis	Beechwood Sickener
1085			R		Fungus	Russula xerampelina	Crab brittlegill
1086			R		Fungus	Oudemansiella mucida	Porcelain Fungus
1087					Fungus	Otidea onotica	Hare's Ear
1088			R		Fungus	Cortinarius bolaris	Dappled Webcap
1089					Fungus	Diatrype disciformis	Beech Barkspot
1090			R		Fungus	Mycena galopus	Milking Bonnet