Barnacle Feet

Found this washed up on the beach - I think it is the cirri of a barnacle - the modified feet they use in filter feeding.

Like many other arthropods, adult barnacles continue to grow, sheding their skin periodically. So this is probably a bit of cast-off skin.

More Velvet Shanks

Flammulina velutipes - Velvet Shank

Flammulina velutipes - velvet shank

Sea Ivory

Sea ivory - Ramalina siliquosa - a common lichen along rocky west-coast shorelines in Britain.

Concentric Jelly Rot

Monday Mushroom #94

More jelly rot fungus photos, this time showing some interesting concentric bands as they try and organise themselves into tiers on a vertical log surface.

Phlebia tremellosa - Jelly rot fungus

Phlebia tremellosa - Jelly rot fungus

Phlebia tremellosa - Jelly rot fungus

older photos here

Forest Sunset

Friston Forest, Sussex, UK.

Greeneye

Fencepost of the Week #96

Mousepee Pinkgill

Monday Mushroom #93

Entoloma incanum - Mousepee Pinkgill

Physocephala rufipes

Physocephala rufipes

All Along the Fenceposts

Fencepost of the Week #95

A gloriously heathery walk from some other december, when I was in Argyll.

Alt view:

The Blob

Monday Mushroom #92

I found this big glob of translucent slime on a rotting log in december. At first I wasn't sure what it was but the presence of hairy stereum - Stereum hirsutum - fungus on the same log was a clue.

Tremella - a genus of jelly fungi - are all parasitic on various crust fungi. The most commonly seen is Tremella mesenterica the yellow brain fungus, but three related fungi Tremella aurantia and Tremella foliacea parasitise Stereum Spp.

I've photographed them before, so here they are:

Tremella foliacea

Tremella aurantia

Tremella steidleri

I'm guessing my blob was probably a very old, decomposing Tremella steidleri...

Lizard Resuscitation Paisley

I found this cute & informative lizard health and safety sign on the internet today. A little bit of googling showed that it already has a long and illustrious career of being posted on the internet for giggles. There's even a tattoo...

The drawings are really quite special and so I give you: lizard resuscitation paisley *_*

Here it is:

Here's a clean, repeating tile if you need it for anything:

And the individual line drawings, just in case:

 

Sunset Pines

Friston Forest, Sussex, UK.

Lots of Lichens

Fencepost of the Week #94

Dolomedes dondalei

Dolomedes dondalei

Dolomedes dondalei is a large spider adapted for hunting on water - mostly catching insects struggling at the surface. It sometimes catches small fish. They can move at speed over the surface - like pond-skaters - and dive at need. They usually hunt at night and this is the only one I saw out on the water. It is holding station on the surface of a mountain stream in full sun.

Lovely Mokoroa

The Mokoroa Stream runs through Goldie Bush in Auckland - a lovely place for a walk.

Look out for big, old eels in the stream, also some crayfish, though they are much smaller.

At the upper end of Goldie Bush are the Mokoroa Falls - great place for a picnic:

 The stream-side track is really rough: slippery when wet and with several river crossings that would be dangerous when the river is in spate. Fortunately, you can also admire the river and access the falls from the Goldie Bush Walkway which is a much safer and easier path.