Sulphur Tuft

A common enough fungus and one that is easy to identify. It is often found on conifer stumps.

Another fox vs fawns incident

Following the interactions in August there was another sort of attempt by a fox to take down a fawn. This time there were a few fawns scattered in the field and a single fox appeared. This alerted the deer and they sort of moved closer. The fox attempted several times to take a run at the smallest fawn but the deer stood together and started moving towards it en masse. After three attempts to frighten the deer the fox just sat down and thought for a while before running off. The photo is later the same day - the fawns are chilling in the same field but have brought along some adults including a big buck for protection!

Bluefooted Bolete

Still no Waxcaps yet but there are some Boletes. I identified one from the East Field near Beech as Bluefooted Bolete (Xerocomellus cisalpinus). This is the one that shows red cracking cap, yellowish flesh and it stains blue. This is part of a complex group of Boletes and one other I found I was unsure of.

New Species - Black Bulgar

I left some medium sized Oak logs in a pile for some months and when I came to put them in store they had numerous small black cup fungi on them. It turns out to be a common fungi called Black Bulgar or Batchelor's Buttons or even Black Jelly Drop. Its scientific name is Bulgaria inquinans. Interestingly it is suggested it is an endophyte living harmlessly inside the living tree but fruiting when the tree dies or in large branches which are cut off.

Giant Puffballs

Not here but in a field about a mile away - some serious Giant Puffballs ( Calvatia gigantea). Not a species I have found on site here yet.

Snowy Inkcap

In the absence of grassland fungi here I thought I would show a species from a local site a couple of miles away. This is a specialist on cowpats but can also be seen on horse dung sometimes. There were hundreds of these at Trellech Wet Meadow as the site is being grazed by 18 Belted Galloway cattle. Like a lot of inkcaps it is an ephemeral species lasting a few days at most.

Deer welcome for a change.

The sheep that normally come to do some aftermath grazing are not coming for the first time since we moved here. That has meant I am now welcoming the deer who are doing that job. There were about ten fallow deer in the Est Field this morning all grazing so that should help keep nutrients low.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Delighted to see him in residence today. This is his (I know it's a male) thirteenth year in residence in my shed. I saw hin May this year so that's another summer he has made it through. It feels such a privilige to have one of the UK's rarest bats living here.

Weevil - Acorn Weevil?

The moth trapping also caught a weevil, which is I think the first one on my invertebrates list. We think it is an Acorn Weevil (Curculio glandium) but it might be the Nut Weevil (C. nucum). An expert has been asked the question as the differences between the two are minute.

Moth Trapping (4) - Straw Underwing

We trapped 10 Large Yellow Underwings but only one Straw Underwing. As it was kind enough to display its underwing briefly and I managed to get a photo I thought it would be a good idea to include a blog post on it.

Moth Trapping (3) - Brimstone Moth

I have recorded this species before but it gets a mention because it is a stunning looking moth that deserves to get its photo published.

Moth Trapping (2) - Chinese Character

Another stunning looking moth that is a new species for the site - great name as well. The Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata).

Moth Trapping (1) - Scorched Wing

I did manage to record `17 new moth species following my trapping overnight on 16th August which surprised me as I have trapped a couple of times in August before. However the weather has been exceptionally hot so would expect some different species including migrants. The best looking of the new ones has got to be the Scorched Wing (Pagodis dolabraria).

Caddis Fly - Limnephilus vittatus

Another bicatch from Sunday's moth trap was a Caddis Fly. Having someone to id it for me was crucial as there are around 200 species in the UK and most don't have English names. This one is one of the group known as Cinnamon Sedges due to the colours.

Shield Bugs

I have seen Shield Bugs around but haven't stopped to identify and record them. Yesterday I recorded moths from a moth trap and ampngst the moths were two Shield Bugs so I bothered to identify them this time. They were Red-legged Shield Bug (Pentotoma rufipes) and Birch Shield Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus). There are 40 plus species in the UK so this may just be the start!

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpeckers are definitely one of the smartest looking birds and one we see a lot of here. This is a juivenile who has not developed its final colours yet.

Banquet for the spiders

The wasp colony has obviously grown a lot in size over the summer with a result that somehow a few wasps are fining their way indoors. Good news for these spiders who have wrapped one up for later consumption.

Slow Worms

This seems to be a good year for them - I keep seeing them on a regular basis. I think the large compost heaps of hay provide a great winter site for them and I guess the range of slugs and snails we have is a good food source for them. Old photo

Foxes and fawns interacting

I woke up early at 6am and looking out the window saw the Fallow Deer fawns playing in the East Field. It is entertaining watching them leap vertically kicking out their back legs as they egg each other on. As I was watching suddenly two foxes entered the scene and I suspect they were eyeing up their chances with one of the fawns so we had a swirl of deer and foxes like something out of a Disney film. The fawns weren't having it and even chased a fox briefly. After a few minutes the foxes retreated and sat in the long grass wondering what to do next. I imagined they were looking glum! Only managed one photo that included both animals and it's not a very good one.

New Species - Plum Fruit Moth

It's a bumper plum year this year so I am currently filling the freezer with them. Every so often there is a tiny orange and pink caterpillar in the plum and looking this up I find it is the Plum Fruit Moth larva (Grapholita funebrana) which was not on my moth list. We have four plum and damson trees but the moth also uses Blackthorn as a larval food plant so I expect there are plenty around here.