Slimy Spike-cap

Monday Mushroom #8

Slimy Spike-cap - Gomphidius glutinosus

I hope you appreciate this photo - I had to lie face down in a muddy ditch to take it. Well, I didn't have to...

Winter's Grip

Scenic Sundays #7

Knothole

Fencepost of the Week #7

I Can Eat It All By Myself

Wildlife Wednesdays #7

Insect larvae tend to be less easily distinguished than their parents - I have no idea what kind of insect this larva will turn into, but as long as it likes stink horns, it should not want for nourishment.

Forest Edge Beeches

Tree-fetish Tuesday #7

Tremella foliacea

Monday Mushroom #7

Leafy Jelly Fungus - Tremella foliacea

It took me a while to identify this fungus as it was not included in any of my field guides. Given that it is quite large and distinctive, that suggests that it might be quite uncommon in Britain.

Sligrachan Hill

Scenic Sundays #6

Sligrachan Hill on a gloomy February evening.

Mossy Landscape

Fencepost of the Week #6

Black and White and Gecko

Wildlife Wednesdays #6

Moorish Gecko - Tarentola mauritanica

A moorish gecko catching a few rays at the mouth of its lair - a large letterbox. Moorish geckos thrive in urban environments.

Eucalyptus

Tree-fetish Tuesday #6

One of the beautiful Eucalyptus trees in Kilmun Arboretum, adding some welcome green to a winter scene.

Everyone's Favourite

Monday Mushroom #6

Cep or Penny Bun - Boletus edulis

The Cep seems to be everyone's favourite mushroom...

...in fact, it's hard to find one that hasn't already been riddled with wrigglers, hollowed out by gastropods and nibbled by rodents!

Over the Ruel Estuary

Scenic Sundays #5

Looking east over the head of Loch Riddon, Beinn Mhor in the far distance.

Too High For This Post

Fencepost of the Week #5

MP2 to MP3 converter

Just a quick tech note to anyone with MP2 files that they want to convert into MP3s:

You can get freeware/shareware converter utilities to do it, but if you have iTunes already, simply put the MP2 files in an iTunes play list Right Click (or Ctrl Click) on them to open the contextual menu and choose 'Create MP3 Version' job done!

It will put the newly created MP3s in the same place it saves new music imported from CDs - usually the 'iTunes Music' folder.

Basking on a Dull Day

Wildlife Wednesdays #5

Adder - Vipera berus

Adders will bask even when the sun is occluded by thick cloud as part of their thermoregulatory regime, though they tend to bunch up into tighter coils as the amount of solar radiation decreases.

Unlike most other European snakes, male and female adders can usually be distinguished by their scale colour - males being greyish with black markings while females are brownish with dark brown markings. However, both sexes show very varied colouration. The female above looking really quite grey,  while males often have greyish, rather than black markings. Below is a male adder for reference.

Chainsaw

I have written a small chainsaw simulation toy for iPhone and iPad!

It's available for free with adverts and 4 textures to cut up, or for 59p with no adverts and a broader selection of materials.

http://itunes.apple.com/app/a-chainsaw-lite/id414880605

A more generic power tools simulator is in the works.

Riverside Alders

Tree-fetish Tuesday #5

A riparian alder wood. Alders tend to be relatively short-lived trees growing up fast, then rotting away rapidly.

Agaricus campestris

Monday Mushroom #5

Field Mushroom - Agaricus campestris

Forest Giant

Scenic Sundays #4

Forest Giant

Grassy Post

Fencepost of the Week #4

Cinnabar Caterpillar

Wildlife Wednesdays #4

A cinnabar moth caterpillar - Tyria jacobaeae feeding on Ragweed.

West Coast Oaks

Tree-festish Tuesday #4

Twisted, stunted oaks of the Atlantic seaboard.