A Weather Mixture

Saturday, October 5th 2019

The weather is variable to say the least. A mixture of everything but snow! Hope I haven't spoken too soon! Flower quantity is low but there are still many species in flower. Hemp Agrimony is one and will still be available for some days yet, for any brave butterflies and bees who venture out on warm sunny days.

Some of the clumps have already set seed. I think the seed head is more atractive than the flower.

Devil's Bit Scabious is also flowering in the more sheltered areas. It is ideal for catching those fine drizzly rain drops.

Rain drops on grasses sometimes defy gravity.

Scrutiny of the forecast on Tuesday night suggested that we could have a good catch, mild early then cold. Not to be. We recorded four moths and one of those was on the Field Centre. A Red-line Quaker was released and was well camouflaged on the log.

Some moths on the wing at this time of year rely on Ivy for food and it is just coming into flower. Other insects also value it as a food source and a tiny fly can be seen. If you look closely there are silken threads across parts of the flower, so a spider is hiding somewhere.

Conditions are improving for fungi and small ones are beginning to appear. A small clump was growing on a decaying log, providing food, probably for slugs or snails.

Whilst examining this fungi we spotted a rare find, Green Elfcup. This fungi stains the wood green but we do not often find the fruiting bodies.

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