End of October

 We have arrived at the end of October with wet and windy weather here. It has still been quite mild and sadly another toad was killed near our house last night but I didn't think that you would want to see a photo so I shall stick with the fungi which have also flourished.

Obviously there are still many Fly agarics. It is obvious where the idea of fairy rings comes from as the spores spread concentrically and new toadstools pop up in a circle. 

There are not perhaps the range or quantity of fungi that we have seen in the past, but it is impossible to go for a walk here and not see Honey fungus, Boletes, Sulphur tufts or Brown roll rims.  

Slightly different fungi from today include Earthballs:

Puffballs (the top open where the spores are released as rain falls on them)

and Candle snuff fungus.

But the most interesting thing for me was a swarm of gnat type flies as I looked at a simple Boletus. I have always said that I wouldn't eat fungi from the wild as they often seem to be infested with maggots.  This was a fairly fresh specimen and I assume that the swarm were egg laying. It appears from further research that fungi gnats are a problem and that a high proportion of fungi are contaminated with maggots.  I was so surprised that there was only one fly left by the time I took a photo.

To feed or not to feed?

 There is an abundance of natural food around at this time of year.  There seems to have been a bumper acorn crop and I watched a crow making the most of them on my morning walk and everywhere we went, squirrels were busy hiding their cache.  Something (probably a badger) had been busy digging on the golf course, woodpeckers and nuthatches were noisily pecking at trees; and blackbirds were foraging in the heavily-laden holly.

So I was surprised to arrive home and find that my husband had put up peanuts for the birds.  We don't feed peanuts through the summer due to the potential for chicks choking and because there is so much natural food. Within moments, the nuthatch arrived but it was soon chased off by the male woodpecker.  We do have two peanut feeders but blue tits and great tits were occupying the other one.

This male great spotted woodpecker stayed for a long time (You can tell it is a male by the red patch on the back of his head.)  The female was more timid and stayed on the far side of the feeder.  The big question is whether it is better for the woodpecker to eat nuts or forage for natural food at this time of year?  

It is interesting (I think) that woodpeckers have a membrane which closes much like our eyelid, protecting their eyes from flying chips and debris as they peck. Not something I noticed when I was watching it but you can see it in this photo.

 A slight frost this morning and lovely dew on cobwebs: it always looked as though it would be a good day and it was.  My morning walk was dominated once again by fungi: mostly Fly agarics (the red with white spots one); Boletes   (with their pores underneath) and Russulas (tend to have strong colours on top with white underneath.)

The trees and the ground are full of food for the birds at the moment and I have seen a number of mixed feeding flocks of birds taking advantage of the sunshine. The first thing you often notice are the contact calls but they don't hang around so I didn't manage any photos of them. Fungi are so much easier if you want to capture the moment!

Following all the recent rain, the stream was flowing quite fast.  We have got used to the slow flow of the summer and it is incredible to think how adaptable the life in the streams must be as their habitat changes so drastically.

On a completely different note, this Alder fell in January.  I am impressed by the regrowth: it has naturally coppiced and is growing well. Although many trees fall in the wind, alders are particularly noticeable because of the bright orange colour of the bark when they are cut or broken. Quite a sight (although the colour doesn't look so fluorescent in this photo now!)

 

A day of sunshine and showers here. Wonderful autumn colours when the sun shone (although mostly on the ground as many trees have mostly green leaves left on them.)  

The rainy spells gave me a chance to look back on previous records. I always regret not keeping better records of what I see: it is a really useful resource to a biologist.  Last year was also rainy on this day but I saw a much wider variety of fungi then.  It may just be that the weather in the preceding days was different: I hope so.

 It has been a very windy day here, so many of the most colourful leaves have blown off before they have all changed colour.  The shortening of daylength triggers the changes but weather plays a part in the display.  Certainly the beech trees near here have very few bronze leaves left now.

I was fortunate to get out for two walks avoiding the heavy rain today.  We are very lucky to have a huge variety of walks nearby but I still find myself taking regular routes.  This morning I walked the opposite way to my normal route (I wasn't actually walking backwards.)  Sometimes such a simple change can make a big difference. I certainly noticed different things, like the strange way this tree has grown.  I must have walked past it a hundred times before and not noticed!

The clocks go back tonight: I am looking forward to the morning but we will notice that Autumn has arrived by the evening.  This week has seen some sunshine and wildlife has been very active.  I have seen dragonflies around the ponds and saw this Pale Tussock caterpillar this week. I hope that it has pupated somewhere dry now.

Lots more fungi after all this rain though.  Particularly lots of Boletus (with pores instead of gills.)  Lots of fungi foragers have been out but fortunately they have discarded those they think are maggoty!

Loads of fly agarics too. Probably the most obvious and well-known fungi but I still love seeing them.

One branch

 One branch (fallen from this beech); lots of types of fungi (and one dog who thinks that all photos must include him!

So much rain today: the streams are flowing very well and I am sure that the fungi are growing but I didn't hang around for many photos!

This branch fell off a neighbour's tree a few months ago and they kindly said that we could use the wood.  Having counted the rings, we estimate that the branch is around 120 years old.  It was fascinating looking at the periods of slow growth (including probably the hot summer of 1976) and some of rapid growth.. Also interesting to think of what the area was like when the tree was young.  

Fallen or cut timber is also interesting as it decays: always worth a look for mosses, lichens and fungi, like this one I passed today. This is why it is so important to leave some fallen wood, rather than being too tidy.

Leaves

 

Young children get very excited about leaves falling from trees. We used to collect them; look at the different shapes and colours; and paint them to make leaf prints. Sadly for most  adults they just become a nuisance. They ruin the grass if left too long on the lawn or cause delays on public transport! I actually turned my bike round to look at these gorgeous leaves in the sunshine and wish now that I had collected some. 

It wasn't quite so sunny when I set out this morning. The following photos from my walk were at risk of being very dull and blurred due to the low light in the woods. Squelching by the stream is one of my favourite things to do on a dull day. Most of the trees still have a full coverage of green leaves as it is still  very early autumn (as I keep reminding myself.) Yet still it would be easy to know which tree you are under without looking up.

 

Not so autumnal but I loved the way these leaves were backing up behind some sticks in the stream. Definitely near an alder: lots of green leaves, a birch (some of the yellow) and a beech (the bronze.)

The bronze under beech is very special, although most of  these are curled up and I need to do a beechwood walk soon to get a better photo!

The colours under this tree were less spectacular but I loved the tiny shoot from the acorn. It probably won't come to anything as it is in the shade of the parent tree but the squirrels have been busy spreading the acorns around the woods so I am sure that some will grow.

As we walked home, we were accompanied by the drone of a leaf blower. Rather a pointless waste of energy in the countryside where they will blow back again tomorrow.  If they are a problem here, it is much better to rake  them up and make leaf mulch if you have space to store them.  Or maybe it is time for adults to start collecting and painting in the longer dark evenins? 

Heathland clearance

On this morning's walk I was often reminded of the need for heathland management. Ashdown Forest has heathland habitat which is home to many important species but it was originally formed when Commoners grazed their animals and cut the trees for fuel.  Nowadays much of the heathland is at risk of being lost to birch scrub which very quickly becomes woodland. Sussex is a very wooded county but there is little heathland, so what we have is worth conserving.

I passed several places where young birch is invading the heather. The leaves will drop soon and will add nutrients to the soil, making it less favourable for heathland plants. But it wasn't all doom and gloom! We passed the ponies which graze the invasive birch seedlings and help to open up the vegetation for heathland specialist plants.

Further on, a large area of invaded heath had been cleared for timber.  People say that heather can regenerate after being under quite mature pine woods (their needles are more acidic and add fewer nutrients to the soil than birches.)  It will be exciting to see what grows here!

Rutting deer in the mist

 

I think I have succeeded in uploading a video but seem to have failed to get the sound of the deer rutting in the distance. Here in the southeast, there is nearly always traffic noise, even early on a Sunday morning and unfortunately the cars drown it out but you will have to imagine the rasping grunting of a deer rutting. 

The sun was only out for a very short time this morning and the damp mist quickly returned. The dampness at this time of year is perfect for fungi of all types and although I wouldn't suggest looking at dog poo as a hobby, I couldn't help but notice this furry pin mould on my way up the hill.

Somehow these fungi on a cowpat look more attractive but they all break down dung, which if you think about it, is really important; otherwise we would be knee deep in the stuff!

The Forest is looking very autumnal but there are still a few pink cross-leaved heath flowers amongst the yellow dwarf gorse.

I am still considering this to be the start of autumn and we don't usually feed our garden birds until winter as there is plenty of natural food around at the moment.  However as I dried the dogs off after our walk, this robin seemed to suggest that food would be welcome.  Either that or he was keen to come indoors! (The black splodge in the corner is the dog's bottom.)

Autumn colours

I was lucky today to go to a National Trust property known for its autumn colours but wherever you are, the change is staring to show.  The summer green colour of deciduous leaves is caused by the green pigment chlorophyll which is involved in photosynthesis (the process whereby the plant uses carbon dioxide to make sugars and oxygen.) In autumn, the chrlorophyll in the leaves decreases so the orange and yellow pigments that were already there show through. 

I think that the red pigments are made specifically in autumn by certain species, especially the maples. As an ecologist, I don't know so much about these non-native species but I do know that they look stunning at this time of year and I love them (but only in gardens: they do not belong in the wild in Britain!)

The orange looks pretty good too (this might just be an excuse for a photo of Chip!)

This can be a good time to go for a walk around the streets looking at people's gardens, spotting their autumn colours.  Once we have the forecast wind and rain next week, they will start to fall off!

Alders

Today I managed to miss some really prolonged periods of sunshine (obviously not on purpose!)  As it was cloudy this morning I mooched along one of my favourite streams, recording the relaxing sound as a video which now won't load: anything but relaxing!  I suggest that you find your own stream to sit and listen to!

There are a lot of Alder trees along this stream. Alder is usually found beside water but many people overlook it.  I love the female flowers which look like little cones. They start off green but end up woody and brown.  Some trees have both showing really well and you can see the male catkins that will release pollen early next spring. We often don't think about things until they happen but I think that it is interesting too see how far ahead you can spot things in nature.

Most deciduous trees (that loose their leaves each year) have leaves that are turning yellow or bronze as the chlorophyll (a green pigment) breaks down. The Alders, however, have a carpet of green leaves underneath as they lose their leaves with the chlorophyll still there. Alder trees appear to have nitrogen fixing bacteria associated with their roots and this may be something to do with why they drop green leaves, although we still have a lot to learn (or I do) about the details of this.

 This is not a great photo but it shows the carpet of green leaves.

Look out for alders next time you are beside a stream!

As the sun was so beautiful this afternoon, we set out again. It rained! At least I was rewarded with a lovely rainbow (it was fading by the time I took the photo of course!)