Don't forget your glasses.

 Somehow this morning I forgot my glasses and wasn't wearing contact lenses.  I don't recommend it but it did make me really look at what was under my feet (and made me ignore all deer and birds!)  I stopped to look at the reindeer moss which is not moss but a lichen. Lichens are actually a composite of fungi and algae. The fungus provides structure, and protection while the green algae produce sugars by photosynthesis. This relationship is a form of symbiosis which is thought to be mutually beneficial. Yet another thing in nature which is amazing.

It was, of course, rather difficult to focus to get a photo without my glasses. The reindeer moss is the branched lichen and I think the red eye-catching matchstick is actually the fruiting body of a different lichen as the reindeer moss produces inconspicuous brown fruiting bodies but usually reproduce vegetatively. I need to remember my glasses and go and have a proper look!

Awe-inspiring

 A regular dose of awe is a simple way to boost healthy ‘prosocial’ emotions such as compassion and gratitude, according to a new study by researchers. In a study published in the journal 'Emotion', older (but I don't know how old) adults who took weekly walks during which they experienced feelings of awe and wonder, showed increased positive emotion in their lives.

I am lucky that I am constantly experiencing awe! Every fungus that pushes its way through the soil is a marvel. How do birds migrate every year? How can an acorn turn into a magnificent Oak tree? There is mothing more awe-inspiring than a spider's web. 

Even a humble Dandelion seed head is amazing if you look closely. Each seed has its own parachute so that it can be dispersed by the wind. 

How about this for the wonder of plants: the emerging flower of the Cyclamen in our garden? 

Next time you manage to dodge the showers and get outside, just take a minute to look closely and ponder on the wonders around you. It may have longer consequences than you think.

A change is as good as a rest

 I think there is a lot of truth in the old saying, "A change is as good as a rest," particularly where walking is concerned.  Not everyone can get to the seaside but I  was lucky enough to go this morning.  The dogs had a great time and somehow the air seems fresher but a change in any routine can make you feel as though you have had a holiday. If you normally walk in the morning, try to fit in an evening stroll; if you never get up early, give it a go. If you have a regular walking place, try somewhere new. I'm not sure about the 'rest' bit though. The extra fresh sea air has made me rather tired!

Autumn Equinox

  

Today is officially the Autumn Equinox, although there are days to come which have more equal day and night. Sunrise is definitely getting later and the evenings are noticeably drawing in but the weather here in Sussex was very warm and sunny for most of the day. So much so that our garden was buzzing with insects. 

There were at least four small copper butterflies.  They have three broods in a year so they manage to look fresh and young, even when most species are tatty and faded.  Their bright coppery wings really stand out.

There were also a lot of bumblebees.  One small copper knocked a bumblebee off a flower but I am sure that it was just a clumsy accident as bumblebees are much chunkier.

Most of the bumblebees were buff tailed but on closer inspection there were also cuckoo bumblebees. As the name suggests, they parasitise bumblebee nests, the queen emerging later so that the host species have started nesting.  They have no pollen baskets as they do not collect pollen.

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Robin song

 Very few birds sing in autumn but Robins are thought to be setting out territories for winter feeding at this time of year. If that is the case, we shall be seeing more of this one as it was singing outside the front of the house for quite a while today.

I walked in the Sweet chestnut coppice wood this afternoon.  A few chestnuts are falling off the trees but they are stuck in their spiny cases and are not likely to be ripe for a month or so. Coppicing allows a huge range of wildlife to live in the wood as there should be areas of sunlight with some areas of full shade and everything inbetween.  The timber (in this case mostly used for fence posts) can be cut, leaving the tree to regrow from the base.  This process is sustainable over hundreds of years: I love to think about all the people who worked in the woods in the past and saw these same coppice stools.  This woodland hasn't been coppiced for a while and there is such a large deer population that the regrowth would really need protecting if it were done now. Sadly my photos from last time these were cut are slides so I can't show them to you tonight!

The wood ants have been busy these past few warm days. There is nothing more amazing than watching the colony being so busy but I feel as though I have been rushing around and haven't taken the time to enjoy them! This fallen tree seems to have one large nest spread along it and the ants even make it as far as the path some metres away where I had left the dogs.

Having said that there were few Fly agarics around, they are now everywhere! Some are open and were obviously there a few days ago: I just hadn't walked in the right places but others are springing up every day (possibly every hour but I haven't had time to check.)

They start as creamy coloured golf balls pushing their way through the woodland leaf litter.

As they grow, they keep the spherical shape, the red shows through and the remains of the creamy covering is left on the surface.

They open out, dropping their spores and revealing the white gills underneath.

Keeping cool.

 It was definitely a day for keeping cool but still important to get out and about. Lovely and  cool first thing. 

Even as the sun went down, it was still warm bit we are lucky to have some water in the local stream.

I always wonder how wildlife copes with hot weather. Most of the streams are empty so remember to put water out in your garden!