Seeds

 

With the lockdown drawing to a close, it might be a little late to mention this.  Many people have worked hard in their gardens and they are looking tidier than ever, but now is the time that birds and small mammals can take advantage of seeds left on plants.  The goldfinch flock were making the most of natural seeds in our garden today, so the other birds were able to eat from the feeders.

I was looking at another example of seeds on my walk. These fluffy seeds of Greater Reedmace (often called Bulrush) were very noticeable as we passed the pond.  Each seedhead has thousands of seeds packed together in the familiar cylindrical shape and they can be seen breaking apart at this time of year. We are still walking on carpets of acorns and sweet chestnuts on some walks nut don't always notice the less obvious seeds.

Roe Deer again

 It is obviously still National Tree Week, so I set out in the wood this morning.  Virtually all the leaves have fallen now and it was so foggy and dull that photographs were unlikely to capture the beauty of trees. However, this Roe deer came crashing towards me, obviously pursued by a dog.  The dog returned to its owner and the deer took a moment to catch its breath, checking for the dog behind it, not noticing me watching it.  Walking in woodland doesn't give the views of the open heath but watching any animal in this way is magical.

National Tree Week

Today marks the start of National Tree Week, which was really set up to make people think about planting trees.  I have to admit that I think people should really think twice before planting trees: they could be doing more damage if they are importing diseases or non-native species and they can often reduce the wildlife value of the area they plant on.  However, the overall idea of increasing tree cover and just thinking about the habitat is a good start.

 I have probably said this before but I love to think about the history of the place where I am walking (even though I hated history at school.)

This area was largely Beech woodland when I first knew it and was completely flattened in the 1987 storm and is now full of (what I consider to be) young trees (obviously about 30 years old.) They are mostly birch, which is considered to be a pioneer species.

 There are a few Beech remaining in the area, mostly at the edge of this old quarry.  Nature conservation is a tricky subject. This area will have had different habitats and species at different times in its history: which one should we aim for now? Beech woodlands are found only on free-draining soils and are less common than other broadleaved woodlands in the area. They tend to have a specialised list of species associated with them.  

The quarry though has remnants of heather and lowland heath is a particularly scarce habitat with specialists that rely on it.  Perhaps clear-felling the trees should be the way forward? Certainly, where there was true heathland thirty years ago, the aim was to conserve it but there has been quite a lot of birch invasion in heathland areas. So the priority for any management should be those sites.

I have mentioned before that after the 1987 storm, there was a panic to replant woodland but it was not as successful as natural regeneration.  Several tubes can still be found: it is not very clear here but the planted trees are no stronger than the natural ones.  There is also the school of thought that trees with the same genes as those growing locally are more likely to be well-adapted to the local conditions, although diversity in the gene pool could be beneficial in times of disease or climate change.  

There is a lot to consider but as it is National Tree Week, this is an opportunity to think about supporting sensitive tree planting or even planting one in your garden if you have room.

Coral Slime Mould

 

Today's find had me puzzled at first.  To the naked eye, it just looked like mould ( or a fungus.) In fact, if I am totally honest, I have been stepping over this piece of decaying wood and ignoring it for a few days now. It was only Chris's new-found interest in lichens that made him take a hand lens (a magnifying glass would be a great thing to take on a walk if you have one.) Upon closer inspection, we could see the frost-like protrusions (some of them shaped like little fallow deer antlers.)

This is no fungus.  I have said many times how fascinating I find slime moulds but this is even more awe-inspiring! Slime moulds are actually organisms that can live as single cells but that come together to reproduce.  This (or should I say, "these"?) are Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa, sometimes known as coral slime mould due to the structure of these reproductive bodies. These will produce spores but I am not sure whether my photography skills or my eyesight will be up to seeing those.

This slime mould is actually found throughout Britain but most people would never notice it.  Like much of nature, we have no idea how the single cells come together to form the colony and these leave us with more questions than answers but that is why I find them so fascinating!

Snacking on apples

 

Many animals make the most of windfall apples. In our garden the blackbird and the dogs have been enjoying them by day but I guessed that they were being eaten at night (the dogs were often interested in the apple tree in the morning.) This fox was a bit suspicious of the camera initially but a snack of apples was just too tempting.

Like a lichen

Xanthoria polycarpa

I find Lichens one of the most awe-inspiring aspects of nature. They actually consist of both a fungus and an alga (or sometimes a cyanobacterium) which live together, producing an amazing array of life forms.  The shape of most lichens is completely different from that of the components.

The relationship is usually described as symbiosis: the fungus provides protection, anchorage and some moisture collection, while the alga provides carbohydrates from photosynthesis. Living together they are able to extend their range and both benefit.

There are possibly around 2000 different lichens in the UK and a sunny day in autumn or winter is a great time to see them (especially those growing on trees as the leaves have fallen.)

Evernia prunastri

 Many lichens are sensitive to air pollutants such as nitrogen and sulphur dioxide, so generally, the better the air quality, the better the range of lichens.  I certainly think of the Caledonian Pine forests of the Cairngorms when I think of lichens hanging off trees but even here in the South east of England we have a fantastic range and there is no way that I could identify all those we have found today. 

I think it is the diversity that I love so much (apart from the unlikelihood of them existing in the first place, let alone reproducing!)  They can spread vegetatively but the fungal component can also produce spores which would then have to re-associate with the alga or cyanobacterium.

So have a look next time you are out and marvel at the variety of lichens in your area.

Aspen

 As I was walking under this tree, it sounded as though raindrops were pattering on the leaves.  Looking up, I noticed that it was an Aspen and could see the leaves trembling in the wind. Unfortunately the phone has picked up the noise of the wind more than then pattering but hopefully you can see the characteristic fluttering of the leaves, even though there aren't many left!

Aspen trees are quite widespread and can be pioneer species but many people seem not to notice them.  In fact, I have walked beneath this one a number of times but never really thought about what type of tree it was. The Latin name is Populus tremula, quite literally, trembling Poplar, which is a very good description of it.  So next time you are out, keep your eyes open for a tree where the leaves are trembling.

 I don't know about other parts of the country today but we have had an amazing volume of rainfall.  All the streams have become muddy, gushing torrents and all the paths have become streams.  It will be interesting to see which fungi flourish after this, although it is late in the season.  There are still plenty of different species around but I have been noticing more micro fungi (moulds, mildews and rusts) and very small fruiting bodies of macro fungi recently.  

When the sun came out here, we made the most of it with an even more local walk.  Walking slowly meant that we noticed many more lichens on the trees and fences but as with so many aspects of the natural world, it has left us with more questions than answers.  I was surprised that the oak tree on the right (slightly further up the hill, so possibly exposed to marginally more wind) still has all its leaves but the one on the left has shed them all.  Could it be a genetic difference? Age? Stress (there are obvious fungi on the right hand one.)  I shall never know the answer (or remember to look in future years) but I could never be bored out in the countryside!

World Kindness Day

 

Today was World Kindness Day; a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself and to the world.  Without knowing this, a friend took me on a lovely long walk around local footpaths (at a social distance, of course!)  Many people have great ideas for random acts of kindness but it can be as simple as showing someone a walk that they wouldn't do on their own or just making the time to chat on the phone.

Being kind to yourself can also include a walk.  Sometimes when there is a dry day or even a sunny spell, you have to be kind to yourself and not feel guilty about the chores that didn't get done if you went out to enjoy the day. 

Being kind to the planet is something that we all need reminding of.  Walking is a wonderful way to appreciate the wildlife where you live.  'Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but footprints' is often quoted but an important mantra.

 

 The Forest was extremely busy today. Unsurprising as exercising outside is encouraged under Lockdown 2 but even where it is fairly quiet I didn't see much wildlife today.  It did make me think more about the habitat though. I walked past an exclusion plot (a fenced area to exclude deer grazing.) It also happens that the area around this plot has been mown regularly too.

The fenced plot was full of bracken, with some overgrown heather. The mown area was Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea) with heather (Calluna vulgaris.)  Bracken is invasive and there is a lot of it in the area, so the heathy grassland provides important habitat for heathland species.  The mowing here certainly seems to be keeping the bracken in check.

There was plenty of sunshine today, although I mostly walked before and after it!  Again I missed getting a photo of the mixed tit flocks (or of the Marsh tits on our feeder) but there were wasps in our greenhouse, making the most of the autumn warmth and the grape juice.  They won't be around much longer and the grapes have gone too mouldy for us to eat.

Not really wildlife but definitely adding to wellbeing, we still have roses flowering in the garden.  The weather conditions really seem to have favoured them this year and they are a delight to see in November.

Another misty autumnal morning, followed by a day of sunshine and showers. I would really miss the seasons if I lived somewhere without them!

 Over the past few years, the population of Buzzards in the country has increased enormously.  We never used to see them here but they have bred near our house for a couple of years now and we regularly see them.  However, they are often in the distance or usually just flying off as I get my camera, so I was pleased that this one sat for a photo or two.

The afternoon walk was one of sunshine, showers and rainbows.  Something that never fails to lift my spirits, even though I never find the crock of gold. 

As I type this, Tawny Owls are hooting loudly and have been for some weeks.  They always seem to be extra noisy on autumnal evenings, just as the deer rutting sounds quieten down.  I believe they are just establishing their territories for the winter but sadly, although we always hear them, there is little chance of me getting a photograph of these neighbours.

Stress

As International Stress Awareness week draws to a close, it is important to think about what is making you stressed. Can you do anything about it? A certain amount of stress is actually good for humans in order to make them achieve but at the moment, many sources of stress are the things we cannot do anything about. In this case, I think it is important to spend some time doing relaxing things just for yourself when you can. 

The fog was slow to lift here this morning but when it did, we had a beautiful sunny day.  It was just perfect for lockdown walks so the Forest was extremely busy and apart from a Buzzard and a Roe deer, I didn't see much of interest (possibly also because I was talking!)

I did notice that someone had smashed open this greeny-blue stained wood.  We see quite a lot of this here: it is caused by a fungus, Chlorosplenium or Chlorociboria aeruginacscens but we have rarely seen the fruiting bodies which are green elf cups. The blue-green wood was used in decorative inlaid woodwork characteristic of our local area, known as Tunbridge ware.

 I hope that you managed to get out today. There is a definite feel-good factor to being out in the sunshine even if you miss looking closely at nature!

Beaks

 With the morning frosts we have started feeding seed as well as nuts. A flock of Goldfinches arrived in minutes. Watching them eat, I always think of Charles Darwin who studied finch beaks and realised that they were all adapted to their food source.  Goldfinches have small, pointy beaks which can get into the seedheads of many plants in the garden, so it is really important to let flowers go to seed and not to tidy them too soon. 

Out walking, I saw evidence of another bird beak adaptation.  I was in an area where there used to be a dormouse study so a number of boxes were installed.  These should only be checked by someone with a Dormouse licence but some of them have rotted and a couple have been opened by woodpeckers. Inside were bird's nests: woodpeckers mainly eat insects and seeds but will also eat nestlings. Woodpeckers have a range of adaptations which allow them to drill into wood without damaging their brains: these rotten boxes would have made easy pickings for them, so if you provide bird nest boxes, you may wish to keep them in good repair (although woodpeckers have to eat too!)

Frosty morning, lovely day.

You don't need a study to tell you that everyone feels better on a sunny day (unless perhaps if they are stuck indoors, although if that is the case, even sun through the window can help.)  I spent most of the day in the car but thoroughly enjoyed my walk in the frost and early morning sunshine.

 The deer seem to have finished rutting (we didn't hear them today.)  We did see a doe and an older fawn (a long way ahead) but I need to work on my focusing! 

The sun very quickly melted the frost (the deer are standing just on the green if you can't see them.) It always seems so magical, just as the sun comes over the hill and glints on frozen vegetation. I really hope we have lots of sunny, frosty days this winter.

Mixed tit flocks

 Out on our walks the past few days I have heard the high pitched contact calls of flocks of tits.  The most obvious (and my favourites are the long-tailed tits but they have been with other tits in the trees.  Sadly, long-tailed tits did not appear on our feeders in the sunshine today but bird feeders are an excellent way to observe birds and to really see the differences in the species.

First to arrive are the Great tits with their black stripe and white cheeks. They are bigger and bolder than the other tit species.

There were a lot of Blue tits, with their blue caps.

I wasn't watching for long but saw only one Coal tit: the white patch on the back of the head is their most obvious feature.  As we head into another lockdown from Thursday, this could be a good time to stock up on bird food so that you can spend some time watching the birds in your garden if you have one.  Window feeders are also available if you don't.  It can be quite relaxing seeing them come and go.