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| 15th April - more fully developed crest and breeding season markings. |
Some photos of alpine newts - Ichthyosaura alpestris - in Argyll. A non-native species which was released into a garden pond a few decades ago, and is now spreading into the neighbouring hills. 27th March 2022
These strange growths on alder cones are cause by a fungus - Taphrina alni - but they are actually galls. Like the structures produced by gall-wasps, the natural growth of the plant is distorted by the fungus to produce distinctive structures for its benefit.
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| Taphrina alni - alder tongue |
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| Taphrina alni - alder tongue |
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| Taphrina alni - alder tongue |
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| Taphrina alni - alder tongue |
These are ruby bolettes - Hortiboletus rubellus. They seem to be emerging from the ground already coated in a thick layer of white mould.
