New Fungi Species - Wood Mushroom (Agaricus sylvicola)

I have wondered why I have not seen more fungi from the Agaricus genus here - not even the relatively common Field Mushroom. In fact prior to this find the only Agaricus I have recorded is the relatively uncommon grassland species Agaricus comtulus. This Wood Mushroom was in the compost heap in the West Field and I am pleased to say I used my new found microscopy skills to help confirm the id including spore measurements.

New Species - Palmate Newt

I have seen newts in the first pond I built but just brief glimses and I never established whether they were Smooth Newts or Palmate Newts. That pond is looking very degraded now with the water largely drained due to animal tears in the lining but to my surpise there are four Palmate Newts in the tiny rigid plastic pond I installed in the route of the spring that runs when it rains. THe Palmates can be distinguished from Smooth Newts by looking at the undersides as the Palmates have unspotted throats. Also the males have webbed back feet and a filament emerging from their tail. Photo - Female Palmate.

Orchid summary

There aren't many coming through now - the whole season is early presumably because of the hot weather/lack of rain. So now is a good moment to summarise the season. The good news is that despite the unpromising looking start there is a significant increase in total orchid numbers over last year, 15% up at the moment 937 orchids vs 812 last year. That was helped by the deer and rabbit proof test cage that allowed 178 Common Spotted Orchids to flower in one 10mx5m area lifting the number of orchids in the East Field from 247 to 319. There was also an solid increase in the West and North Fields (429 to 504 and 49 to 70 respectively). On the negative side the South Field continued its decline in orchid numbers - 123 two years ago, down to 76 last year and this year just 23. I'm thinking rabbits are a factor here. Also the number of Broad-leaved Helleborines continues to decline in the West Field - 37 two years ago 26 last year and only 15 (so far) this year. There has been an increase in B-l H's elswhere - a couple have appeared below the South Field on the bank and three appeared in the drive but did not survive rabbits. To finish on another positive note there has been a 100% increase in the magnificent Greater Butterfly Orchids - from one to two and the appearance of an orchid that has been classified as a Southern Marsh Orchid (although it probably had some other genes in it too). All in all I'll take that for an orchid season and maybe weather permitting and with at least one more cage we'll hit 1000 orchids next year.

Deer and Rabbit exclusion zone a roaring success

The Rabbit population is bigger than ever and Deer numbers continue to climb and so the experiment I set up of a cage about 10m x 5m excluding them has worked very well. I did it to protect Orchids but with this very dry summer so far and the Rabbit population it has in fact also protected the other flowers and grasses so that the sward looks much taller and more substantial than outside the cage. First the Orchids - when I set up the cage I counted the Orchid rosettes very closely. I managed to find 73 rosettes. Normally I would expect to nurse about half of those through to flowering through wire cages so I was hopeful that close to 73 would make it. The actual count yesterday was 172 flowering spikes of Common Spotted Orchid!! This shows that grazing pressure eliminates a lot of Orchids before I see them. The question now before me is how many such cages I set up next year! The photos show the cage externally and internally.

Tree Bumblebee nesting in the roof space

Lovely to see a Tree Bumblebee nest in our attic with access under the eaves where there was a gap. The males are buzzing around the entrance whilst the workers get on with collecting pollen. Slightly difficult timing as a scaffolder came round to size up the job for some roof work and I had a job convincing them they were neither wasps nor dangerous.

Flower Year so far

A mixed year - some great aspects such as the two Greater Butterfly Orchids and the Southern Marsh Orchid but some of the fields are looking a little forlorn due to dry weather and the rabbit apocalypse that is devouring much of what does grow. There is for example a huge difference in length of sward and number and varity of flora (and inverterbrates) in the test cage that excludes both rabbits and deer. However the West Field is doing OK (see photo above). As a summary it's been a great year for first Bluebells and then Meadow Buttercup and also Bird's Foot Trefoil so a good number of Common Blue Butterflies around. But not a good year for much else so far, although the Common Spotted Orchid situation is very good in parts but it's a complicated story so I'll deal with that in a separate post. We've also got the exciting new species in Fairy Flax. A little rain would be helpful right now......

New Flower Species - Hairy Woodrush

This was at the field edge in the North Field and it is a woodland species rather than a field species. There is a lot of the similar but smaller Field Woodrush here but this is the first time I have recorded the Hairy Woodrush.

New Flower Species - Fairy Flax

I could easily have missed this tiny flower in previous years but someone found a couple of tiny Fairy Flax plants in the East Field yesterday. I think even if I'd seen it I would in any case have assumed it was a tiny Mouse Ear of which there are lots in all the fields.

New Species - Southern Marsh Orchid

I usually get at least one definite HSO amongst the Common Spotted Orchids although there are usually a few that are somewhere in between as they hybridise. This Orchid definitely looked different to the norm and I had difficulty in deciding on its genetics but I got some help and it was decided by email to be a Heath Spotted Orchid. The difference were the lack of any spots on the leaves, the darker colour and the markings on the flower lip. The darker colour and lack of spots point towards a Southern Marsh Orchid but the lip pattern more Heath Spotted . However when the County Flower Recorder happened by she siad this was wholly or mainly Southern Marsh Orchid so that counts in my book as a seventh Orchid species. Nobody argues with the County Flower Recorder!