Waxcaps #5, #6, #7 and #8

All found today on the occasion of the Gwent Fungi Group foray (although three of the new ones were found by me - I do have a knack with Waxcaps). The species added are Parrot Waxcap. Spangle Waxcap, Yellow Foot Waxcap and Honey Waxcap (photo). A bit more respectable on the Waxcap front but still more to go I hope.

New Species - Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis)

This was a surprising new species for me - a true bug from America that I found in our bathroom! It turns out that these bugs were inadvertently introduced to the UK in 2007 and have spread widely since. They also like to get somewhere warm for the winter, hence it entering the house. They feed on conifer sap of which there must be plenty around here due to the Larch and Douglass Fir (and other conifers) in Manor Wood

Waxcaps #3 and #4 for 2026

The dearth nof Waxcaps this year lerd me to forgetting to note that Waxcap #3 Golden Waxcap which has been appearing in large numbers for several weeks now. It was joined yesterday by the Snowy Waxcap - just a couple of small ones so far. The Gwent Fungus group are coming in a few days and I'm hoping there are more than two waxcaps for them to record. Last time they came at thgis time of year they recorded `16 waxcaps in an hour and a half! Photo - Snowy Waxcap (old photo)

Chaste Pinkgill

Not one that I encounter very often here but one of a few Pingills that are starting to fruit. In fact with just two Waxcaps fruiting there are actually more Pingills than Waxcaps at present. That's a first. The Chaste Pinkgill (entoloma infula) typically has the concentric rings effect on the cap.

New moth species - Agonopterix arenella

Most additions to The Beeches Moths list (currently 134 species) come about after my occasional moth trapping nights but sometimes I come across a moth in other circumstances. This micro moth was found when I opened up a folding table that had been stored in the barn. I took a quick photo and then asked my local moth expert who was able to identify as Agonopterix arenella (no English name).

Goldcrest nest

I have seen Goldcrests here just once or twice in fifteen years. To be fair their song is at a higher frequency than my old ears can hear and they are a tiny elusive bird. However when clearing creeper from the walls I found an old very tiny nest and showing it to some experts tell me it is Goldcrest nest. The central area is about 2cm in diameter! I shall try and keep a sharper eye out for this fabulous bird next year.

Dryad's Saddle

It comes back every year - seemingly bigger each time and feeding on a poorly looking Ash. I think when the tree it is growing on succumbs to the disease affecting most Ash trees I am going to have a lot of firewood!

Lesser Horseshoe news

I've been delighted that a Lesser Horseshoe bat has been rossting in our shed for 12 years now even though it means I try not to use the shed when he's in residence. Single males I understood tend to roost alone and he was always in the same spot so I was happy that this was one individual. LH Bats can live up to 20 or 30 years of age but in the wild this is usually shorter. I opened the shed door today to see at least three Lesser Horseshoes - I quickly shut the door again so it's possible there were more. After a google I was told that males can be live alone in the summer but can also be found in small numbers together so that probably explains the increased numbers. He's brought some friends back! I'll go out this evening and see if I see any bats leaving the shed.

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).