Nature Round Up!

Sunday, August 10th 2014

On the 30th July, Chicken in the Wood (a fungus) was reported growing on a log.

By yesterday, this was the size it had reached!

Usually we find only a few Robin's Pincushion Galls on roses, but his year there are many.  Unlike most galls this one has several chambers in it, where the larvae overwinter.  The adult wasps, mainly female, emerge in the spring.  At 4mm long it is highly unlikely that we will ever see them!

Saw-wort was mentioned yesterday.  One of the characteristics of this flower is that the leaves feel like the teeth of a saw.  In this enlarged photograph you can see the serrated edge of the leaf.

A zoom lens on a camera is ideal for getting close up shots without disturbing insects.  This one was washing its front feet.

Although the spiders have been around for several months they are most easily seen now.  Webs are covered with dew and rain drops.  The cone shaped webs made in amongst the grasses and flowers as well as Gorse belong to orb web spiders.  This was one was rather large!

A Stoat jumped from stone to stone to cross Risedale Beck yesterday.  Obviously it did not want to get its feet wet.  Roe Deer have been seen.  Volunteers working on the wetland this week saw Water Voles.  On one of the warm days last week three Buzzards were heard calling and seen circling on the thermals.  The Kingfisher was recorded by visitors.  Mallard and Moorhen are on the lake.  A Sparrowhawk was hiding in a tree in the back garden.  

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