Friday, September 20, 2019

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.



Monday, September 16, 2019

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

Sunday, September 15, 2019

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

Monday, September 2, 2019

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