Little Red

Fencepost of the Week #45

Bridled Guillemot

Wildlife Wednesday #38

Uria aalge - Guillemot

 Some guillemots have a distinctive white mark around their eye referred to as a bridle. In this colony on Lunga something like one in ten birds were bridled. The proportion of bridled birds increases in the north of their range.

The bridles give the birds an elegant air, at least most of the time...

Uria aalge - Guillemot

Amethyst Deceiver

Monday Mushroom #35

Had a great foray in the heaths and woodland around Worplesdon on Saturday. One of the stars of the show was a broad flush of amethyst deceivers - beautiful colours.

Laccaria amethystea - Amethyst Deceiver

They are often listed as a good edible mushroom, but contain unusually high concentrations of arsenic for a foodstuff.  Arsenic is a chemical that accumulates in the body, so ingesting small amounts over a long periodof time can lead to physical and mental degeneration, and while they do add a novel splash of colour to one's plate, they are not so remarkable on the palate.

Laccaria amethystea - Amethyst Deceiver

I met a couple of men with baskets in the woods - they were foraging for mushrooms, but - quite sensibly - were sticking to ceps.

Boletus edulis - Cep

Suburban Chainlink Fence

Fencepost of the Week #44

Baby Shield Bug

Wildlife Wednesday #37

This is a young shield bug - about half way between a hatchling and adult. Development occurs by means of staged metamorphoses rather than continuous growth - if you have a hard, inflexible exoskeleton, that is the easiest way to develop.

Five Beeches

Tree-fetish Tuesday #29

Gloopy Beefsteak

Monday Mushroom #34

Fistulina hepatica - Beefsteak Fungus

Beefsteak fungus usually exudes drops of a clear, ruby red liquid, but in this egregious specimen the drops have congealed to form an impressively oozing coat of red slime.