Category Archives: Sightings
Marble white butterflies
Mick Francis recorded 14 Marble white butterflies at Crossgate Quarry on Monday 3 July.
22 April 2014 – Field Trip at Forge Valley
On a very overcast evening 14 members met at the main car park in Forge Valley and walked North along the board walk and riverside.
The Botanists were successful finding the following.: Herb paris (paris quadrifolia); Great Horsetail (Equisetum telmataea ); Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium alternifolium); Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (c.oppositifolium); Large Bittercress ( Cardanune amara) and Early Purple Orchid (Orchis nuascula).
Fungi found was Microbotyrum violaceum (A Rust) and Polyporus squamosus (Dryad’s saddle).
The Birders struggled in the deteriorating light but 3 separate Tawny Owls were heard and a Curlew flew over. Other birds seen; 2 Song Thrushes; Blackcap; Wren; Goldcrest; Pheasant; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Marsh tit; Robin; Chaffinch and 3 Mallard.
Returning south we walked to a viewing area where Brian Walker and Brian Cockerill used the Bat detector to tape some Pipistrelle bats flying along the river.
After an enjoyable evening the meeting closed at 21-15 hrs
Harbour porpoises
I spotted a group of harbour porpoises close to Scarborough harbour on Friday 4 April at about 6.30pm. Some came in to within maybe 20 metres of the harbour wall, so I got some very nice views of their dorsal fins. Definitely 6 (2 groups of 3) , but probably rather more than that, but I could only count them when they were breaching at the same time …. they seemed to head off towards North Bay.
Frogspawn
The first frogspawn of the Spring appeared in my garden pond at Sawdon yesterday, complete with frog. Hopefully we won't get too much ice from now on.
Harlequin ladybird, and red kite and weasel
Red kite seen at North Moor, riding the air currents on the forest edge, before unwisely drifting eastwards in the direction of a pheasant shoot … 31 January
Harlequin ladybird (alive) seen on the paving at the harbour, Scarborough South Bay, 6 February.
Weasel chasing what appeared to be a rat (possibly already injured by the weasel as it was rolling and lurching around) into the main road near the Irton/GCHQ junction on the A170. I managed to swerve to avoid them, but suspect they were hit by cars behind me. 6 February.
Fungi parasitic on other fungi
A number of groups of the black Snakes Tongue Truffleclub (Elaphocordyceps ophioglossoides) which are parasitic on False Truffles (Elaphomyces) were visible in the leaf/needle litter in Wykeham Forest in early January. Unfortunately the truffles were too far gone to establish which species they were. Not far away on gorse were the very visible orange fruit bodies of Tremella mesenterica (Yellow Brain fungus) which are parasitic on Peniophora incarnata (Rosy Crust). They are often seen on gorse at this time of the year.
Very early/late(?) flowers
Fungi colonisation of felled logs
Thought I'd post these images of the cut ends of felled pine in Wykeham Forest taken on 24 November. The trees were felled last winter. The fungus is young Stereum sanguinolentum, a white rot, which is common on conifer brash but can also infect living conifers through wounds. Not a favourite fungus of foresters! It shows how the heartwood is much more resistant to fungal attack than the sapwood. It also shows that the fungus spreads radially far quicker than around the annual rings. Although the colonies are of the same species, each will remain distinct, and where each one meets its neighbours there will be a battle and boundary lines marked out!
Harlequin ladybird
Harlequin ladybird seen at Scalby Mills on 13th November.
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