Friday 12 January 2018

Thursday 30 November 2017

Oligolophus hanseni - the winter harvestman?

Found a couple of these over the last few days on tree trunks. Looking back I see I also found one at Cullaloe LNR last winter. It seems that this may be the prominent harvestman of winter (though there's still at least one Dicranopalpus ramosus on my office wall)


Wednesday 29 November 2017

Sunny Flies


Might have been frost on the ground but the woods towards St Bridget's kirk still had some sunny spots to offer to a host of flies. St Bridget's kirk did too but there were too many people around and I ran out of pots!

A sweep onf one tree netted half a dozen Polietes - I had only seen two before I swished the net. Also from a sunny trunk was a single Phaonia subventa. Calliphora vicina was the main fly on the kirk walls, though some smaller fare was also present.

Polietes lardarius - from one sweep!
Phanoia subventa female

Fossombronia pusilla - Common Frillwort

One of my favourite liverworts, a little frilly thing with fantastic spores. This was taken from the roadside at Moray Way South above Crow Hill Wood.



Tuesday 28 November 2017

Brachythecium rutabulum

Rough setae on the abundant fruits, one of our most common woodland species


Friday 24 November 2017

Plants

A few additional plants to the list from a brief wander along the coastal path. Some are ni pretty good shape considering it's November.


And where there's oak ...


Oak Spangle Gall wasp