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| Long-Winged Conehead conocephalus discolor |
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| Grass Veneer Moth |
And another example of the Cross Spider, this one with a reddish hue below.
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| Araneus diadematus Garden Cross Spider |
The damp conditions of late have encouraged the woodland fungi to break out in this fine example of deadwood habitat.
30th Aug - Nearing the end of the month now, today feels like autumn is approaching, low temperatures and wet. Found my first Shaggy Inkcaps this morning near the railway embankment on the edge of the woodland.
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| Shaggy Inkcap |
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| Oak Apple Galls ? |
The Kestrel was seen on the wires over the glades again this morning with not much else to report.
28th Aug - Looking for inspiration among the dew laden spiderwebs on the edge of the woodlands today, came face to face with this little beauty, and judging by the size, a female Wasp Spider, first time I have found one here at Ashenbank, I need to look closer at this area which usally contains hundreds of common Garden Cross spiders.
If you look carefully, well not that carefully you can see a Cross spider very close to the Wasp Spiders web in the second photograph.
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| Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi |
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Garden Cross Spider Araneus diadematus
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A few Butterfly sightings around the woodland consisted of Large White, Comma, Red Admiral and a few Speckled Woods.
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| Speckled Wood |
No new Fungi caught my eye today.
As I left the park this morning, hundreds of Hirundines gathering on the telegraph wires, Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin.
14th Aug - A walk around the whole of the country park today revealed plenty of Butterfly sightings, Speckled Wood in the woodlands, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small White, Gatekeeper.
The Highlight was this Painted Lady still in reasonable condition basking in the sunshine by the old air raid shelters in the woodland.
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| Painted Lady |
13th Aug - Bright sunny morning with a few birds noted today, although nothing spectacular, Great Spotted woodpecker calling in the treetops, Ring Necked Parakeet flyover, Jackdaw and Wood pigeon, Blackbird and a silent Great Tit.
A brief view of a Hornet moving through the brambles was nice to see, a few Carder bees on the knapweed in the glades.
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| Hornet |
Butterflies seen today were a lone Speckled Wood and a few Meadow Browns.
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| Female Meadow Brown |
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| possible Rosy Brittlegill ? |
11th Aug - A quick look at the " Stinkhorn " this morning revealed the honeycombed cap as expected, the woodland flies and insects have done their job, the sticky 'Gleba' with the spores dispersed around the woodland, although I cannot think what purpose the Stinkhorn serves in this deadwood habitat.
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| Stinkhorn minus the Gleba |
A few other Fungi caught my eye again this morning, the first I think is possibly a ' Shaggy Parasol ' the second I have no idea at the moment.
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| Shaggy Parasol |
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| ? |
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| Speckled Wood |
Only Butterflies seen today were a few Speckled Woods, Bumblebees represented mainly by White Tailed and Carder, not sure about the Bumblebee in the photograph.
10th Aug - The highlight of today's walk was this freshly emerged Phallus impudicus or as its better known 'The Stinkhorn.'
These impressive fungi emerge from an underground egg, although they can be found at any time of the year they usually lay dormant until the summer months. I have never found one in pristine condition, that usually means freshly emerged with the fowl smelling 'gleba' intake.
Dawn is suppose to be the best time to find these, so at 09.30 this must have been a late emergence, the flies were just beginning to appear on the 'gleba'
This 'gleba' which covers the honeycombed cap is suppose to smell of dog faeces and rotting carrion, so pretty unpleasant, to be honest I couldn't detect any odour at all when I was trying to photograph it, which is slightly worrying.
This sticky 'gleba' which shows very well in the photograph is quickly attacked by insects, especially flies, which is why it's not usually seen in this state. The spores are in this sticky coating which sticks to the insects legs and transferred to different locations.
Hopefully I will be able to get a photograph of the honeycombed cap tomorrow if it's been left alone.
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| Stinkhorn |
1st to 9th Aug - The woodlands remain eerily quite at the moment, the odd glimpse of a Jay moving through the tree tops, a few Blackbird, Song Thrush and Juvenile Wrens disturbed in the undergrowth. Today's walk revealed a persistent Nuthatch calling unseen in the woodland.
The woodland management team have been in cutting back the undergrowth and bracken, the small herd of shorthorn cattle have not been making much headway in that department. I prefer to see the woodland in its natural state untouched, but I can understand the argument for management , just.
A few Dragonflies have been seen, mainly Ruddy Darter females, today I found three Migrant Hawkers warming up on the bracken after a damp night.
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| Migrant Hawkers |
Fungi is appearing all around the woodland, seems strange to see it at this point of the summer, I usally associate it with early autumn. Maybe its the rainfall we have had of late providing damp conditions on the deadwood. I checked August sightings last year and sure enough fungi was appearing then as well.
I am having great difficulty identifying some of these fungi with any certainty, so many similar looking fungi, especially to the novice observer. so I am going to leave them unlabeled until I am sure of there identity. no problem with the one below Chicken of the Woods.
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| " Chicken of the Woods " |
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| Beefsteak Fungi |
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| A species of poly pore fungi |
Some interesting colours and shapes there, still difficult to identify with any certainty though.
Most of my Butterfly sightings appear to be Gatekeepers of all sizes, some appearing quite small, just one sighting of a Common Blue in the glades, a few Red Admirals and some very faded Meadow Browns
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| Gatekeeper |
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| Common Blue |
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