Pinks in

Just before I toddle off to Turkey the Pinkfeet are in. Thought I heard some the other night while mothing but the sound didn't persist after I started listening more carefully. This time they're here for sure though.Also a few Wigeon have been about recently, although they may not always be the same ones!

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Quite frequent around the reserve these days and this tree at the reserve entrance is a prime location to see one.

Mudwort and Canary-shouldered Thorn

Finally with the water levels remaining lowered a bit I wandered around the far side to check for Mudwort (Limosella aquatica). The mud hasn't been exposed for long and there are only a few signs of its presence. Here it is:

Spectacular isn't it? Even more so when the flowers come (you will have to use a search engine of your choice to see for the moment).

More spectacular is this Canary-shouldered Thorn, one of two caught on the 20th

Fungal fantasia

Only a small selection of the thousands (literally) of mushrooms on the reserve right now. There are thousands of Beech Milkcap alone! It's barely possible to walk in the woodland without standing on them. Missing from this collage is Sulphur Tuft, Clustered Toughshank and a host of others (including, ironically, Beech Milkcap)

(So ... English names except one ...
Amethyst Deceiver, Shaggy inkcap, Weeping Widow,
Beechwood Sickener, Stump Puffball, Poisonpie
Common Puffball, Russula farinipes, Common Rustgill and Beech Knight)

Beech Milkcaps:

Fungus #51

Just peeking through, this Shaggy Inkcap/Lawyer's Wig is in the same place on the path every year

Ashen Knight - fungus target reached!

Fungus number 50 for the year is Trocholoma virgatum (Ashen Knight), which was under the pines (as it was last year, when I didn't know what it was!). I'll add some more pics when I can get my PC to recognise my camera's memory card.

Predator and prey

Not sure what the spider is, but the hover looks like Syrphus ribesii

Fungus #49

So fungus number 49 would appear to be Russula sanguinea (like lots of mushrooms other names are also available!). This was under the pines and has a hot taste (inedible - tasting for ID only). ID seems to be fairly straightforward, but I am spore printing it anyway, especially since Russula spores look so cool at x1000.

Further Fungal Frolics

Let's see what we can get out of this pathside trio

(Russula sauinea, Trocholoma virgatum ...)

Hoverfly #45

This would appear to be Eristalis arbustorum. Wait for verification, but if so it will be species #45. Not bad when I initially hoped I would be able to record 10!

(was judged to have yellow feet and therefore be E.tenax! On the other hand I also found Didea fasciata, so there was a happy ending)

Annoying key slackness

It's been a while since I found something to have a mini-rant about, but this is such a beauty it has to be featured. Behold the following key from "Funga Nordica" in the Marasmius genus:

If you had, for instance, a toadstool which was 17mm in diameter you would assume that you had gone down the wrong side of the key according to question 3, which has as a MAXIMUM a cap of 15mm across both sides of the dichotomy. If, however, you persevered and went to question 4 anyway, you would find a fruit body could have diameter 20mm. How?! These lines are right next to each other - how could nobody notice there's a glaring error here? If the fruit body can be 20mm wide in question 4 then it can be 20mm wide in 3b.

Fortunately my fb was 25mm in diameter, so I was in the wrong place one way or another - maybe.

Return of the (a?) Green Sand

A Green Sand at the reserve this morning. Water levels still high, so it was pottering about on the grass mostly. Picked up some more mushrooms I no doubt can't identify too