Playing Cards

Got home from work late this afternoon and realised that there was probably at least an hour's worth of daylight left for a change. I'd already clocked some evidence of spring awakening on the front garden daffs, with this Hairy Shieldbug in dull overwinter colours loitering on a flower head ....

So I quickly got changed, got me boots on and strode off down the lane. I had nothing with me other than camera and a few pots, and all I was intending to do was roll a few stones etc looking for carabids. I eventually got over to a small wooded copse at the back of the fields that is completely wild and unloved. I did get permission to go in there from the farmer a few years ago, though I'm sure he'd have forgotten by now. When I used to go down there, there was a bit of a track and the wood was quite open but with a dense canopy - mainly young ash and birch. That was a few years so, today it seems like most of the trees have blown or fallen over, with broken branches and trunks all over the place and almost more deadwood than live. Access not easy either. Still, I had a quick poke around the rotting logs and soon potted up a few Pterostichus spp. and others to work through.

The first one I checked through was Pterostichus madidus - predictably. Up until now I've never retained specimens in any structured way, as I prefer a photographic record, but it's something that I know I need to do eventually if I'm ever going to focus on coleoptera properly. So, I had a go my first carding attempt. A bit of a cack handed effort, slightly wonky on the hastily cut bit of card, but I'll work on it. I need to sort out how to minimise the glue and work out how to better arrange the legs and bits. This one is carded, but has a gobful of PVA and in reality it's not possible to re-work it through the key.

Slightly weird striae on left elytron

The next one was Nebria brevicollis, a slightly better effort (less glue!) - but only just.

Fine setae on dorsal surface of hind tarsi

I'll print labels tomorrow and add to the pinned cards in the storebox.

I'll key the others out, and I also found another Drymus-type ground bug to check.

Whilst in the dark deadwood, I noted a couple of fungi too ...

Common Eyelash sl

Lemon Disco sl

I'll have to have another poke around there sometime when there is a bit more light and warmth.

Square Fungi

Managed a quick foray into my home 1k square on Sunday morning, mainly looking for fungi. I headed straight down to a scrubby track at the back of fields where I knew there was a decent pile of felled tree trunks and branches, and sure enough I scored with some nice additions to the square list.

Small Stagshorn

Brown Cup

Common Eyelash

Candlesnuff

Also a few that I've already recorded this year, like Jelly Ear, Cramp Balls, Velvet Shank and these:

Crystal Brain

Shaggy Parasol

Fungus ...

... I WIN!

Don't panic, I've not gone completely mad though anyone who hasn't seen this mental blog will have no idea what I am on about. Have a look at the Field Guide as well.

This morning was one of the those superb bright crisp days with a frost. I decided to spend an hour or so our with the camera looking for fungi. Seeing as I had to go and pick up Isabelle from Ullesthorpe I decided to walk along the old railway cutting near Leire, known as the Jubilee Walk. Down in the cutting it was pretty damp and mossy with plenty of fallen branches hosting fungi. I found a few species, including at least three definitely new for me plus others that I haven't managed to ID as yet.

First up, this is Purple Jellydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides)

This one is Crystal Brain Fungus (Exida nucleata) - fungi have great vernaculars.

I only took one shot of this next one and didn't really see it properly, otherwise I'd have tried to get a better shot showing why it is called Common Eyelash (Scutellinia scutellata) - I've posted a close crop to show the lashes.

Not sure what this next one is, and not sure if it is a fungi or a slime mould of some sort - very velvety looking edge to the 'crust'. I'm sure it's the same thing growing in the moss on the following shot.

Shaded spots along the cutting were still frosted up. Here's a frost-crystal interlude ....

The next three species are not new to me, but it was a good opportunity to try and get new/better shots.

Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) - as is the opening shot on this post.

Common Jellyspot (Dacrymyces stillatus)

Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)

The next three bracket type fungi are all as yet unidentified - though none of them look especially exciting.