BUMBLEBEE: Bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola) in Bowland, Lancashire

June 16, 2009:
In bright sunshine, on short grazed upland pasture near Tower Lodge (where photographed) there were hundreds of this bumblebee pollinating buttercups (Ranunculus sp.).



It is an upland/montane species mainly found in the north and west of Britain where it especially pollinates bilberry (hence its name). However, it also visits many other flowers if the bilberry is not flower. It emerges in early Spring and nests on or just below the ground. It is very striking in appearance and is easily recognised by its bright red-orange abdomen. It is thought to be declining in Scotland.



In both photgraphs, pollen grains can be seen attached to its legs.

FUNGUS: Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) at Winmarleigh, Lancashire in 1996

September, 1996:
An infrequent occurrence is a major eruption of the Giant Puffball. Such an occasion was in 1996 in a farm pasture near Winmarleigh, Lancashire where they made an amazing sight.





There were more than forty large white fruiting bodies which had formed themselves into a neat circle of approximately 20 metres diameter and were visible from a considerable distance. Each one rested neatly in the grass giving the impression of being laid there by some extra-terrestrial being. Some individuals attained the size of a football and all were almost spherical and attached to the substrate by a mycellial cord.





One was collected and sliced open to reveal a pure white interior. In this condition they are delicious when fried and recall the taste of a strong field mushroom. Unfortunately, they quickly deteriorate and darken inside at which stage they are considered inedible. Even when newly-sliced, a yellow tinge soon develops. It is very important that they are not eaten without being absolutely certain of their identity.

PLANT: Aristolochia guichardii at Tlos, Turkey

March 25, 2009:
Species within the genus Aristolochia, are amongst the most striking and bizarre flowering plants in Europe due there large, often curved tubular flowers. This is the reason why they are referred to as 'Dutchman's Pipes'. A few members of the genus occur in southern Europe but Turkey is a particularly important centre of distribution for the non-tropical members of the genus.





Aristolochia guichardii (above and below)

Its corolla tube possesses long tapering eglandular hairs both on the outside and within



It is locally frequent in southern Turkey on limestones soils. Being a low-growing plant it avoids strong competition and is often found in light scrub where it sprawls amongst the sparse vegetation. The flowers are not always readily apparent as they can occur low down on the plant and so be concealed by the leaves.

Here at Tlos, famous for its ancient earthworks, there were several populations already well into flower in late March.



Open species-rich limestone slopes, the typical habitat of A. guichardii at Tlos



Aristolochia lycica:
Two days earlier. at another site in Turkey near Göcek, there was a single plant of the scarce Aristolochia lycica (below) growing in light coniferous woodland. Unfortunately, this wasn't in flower but could be identified by its unusual leaf shape.





Habitat of A. lycica amongst conifers at Göcek.

FUNGUS: Collared Earth-star (Geastrum triplex) at Silverdale, Lancashire

October 8, 2008:
Collared Earth-star is a locally scarce fungus of quite striking appearance with its bulbous spore sac on a raised roughly star-shaped base. This is due to the rays splitting transversely and opening outwards. It is an autumn-flowering fungus and usually occurs amongst leaf litter in deciduous woodland, as here.





Having an aperture at the apex of the spore sac, any slight disturbance or even falling rain will cause the mature spores to be expelled. There are several species of Geastrum in Britain, many of them rare. Although uncommon, this is one which is more frequently met.

PLANT: Red Hemp-nettle (Galeopsis angustifolia) on the Yorkshire Wolds

July 23, 2009:
Localities for this plant in Britain are rapidly decreasing. At one time it occurred as far north as the Moray Firth but now its northern limit is on the chalk of the Yorkshire Wolds.







It is a plant which prefers warm, well-drained, calcareous soils such as are often found in arable fields, and where changes due to modern agricultural practices have undoubtedly led to its decline. It also occurs on coastal sands and shingle as well as on the fine screes and rubble of limestone and chalk, so that chalk-pits and quarries may sometimes hold significant populations. A brief survey was made at three sites on the Yorkshire Wolds in July 2009. Typical habitat can be seen on steep slopes below.







Near Fimber, a few plants were found on a slope of fine scree, whilst near Langtoft there was a small population in a disused chalk-pit. At Wharram there were several good populations, again on well-drained sloping scree. Here, on the same day, a large party of lepidopterists and conservationists were making an intensive, but unsuccessful, search for the day-flying moth, Chalk Carpet (Scotopteryx bipunctaria) which had been recorded there some years earlier.

MAMMAL: Brown Hare at Brockholes Wetland, Lancashire

June 28, 2009:
On a warm summer evening there had been a violent thunderstorm with accompanying heavy rain for about an hour when, in dim light, this Brown Hare suddenly appeared out of the surrounding vegetation and loped along the access track. It seemed to be completely saturated but after shaking itself and wiping it's face with its paws, it carried on its way.









Thanks to the authorities for allowing access to this site

BUTTERFLY: Purple Hairstreak, Haverthwaite, Cumbria

July 25, 2009:
The Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus) which is restricted to oak trees, is mainly found in southern England and is scarce in the north.





It is an elusive butterfly and is often overlooked as it normally flies high in the tree canopy where the adults find honeydew on which to feed. With only one generation a year, adults fly during July and August and the best time to see them is on a hot sunny day, especially towards evening. Owing to this, they are not easy to photograph. The developing larvae burrow into the oak buds on which they feed.

PLANT: A hybrid horsetail: Equisetum x mildeanum in Perthshire

July 25, 2008:
This hybrid between Equisetum pratense and E. sylvaticum is a scarce plant known from only a few localities in Scotland but is rather more common in continental Europe. In the British Isles, E. pratense is largely restricted to Scotland but the other parent is much more common. The known localities for this hybrid are mainly montane ones. Along with Mike Porter, I saw and photographed it here in the Sronphadraig valley, near Blair Atholl, in a damp area close to a moorland stream.



It's main characteristic is a degree of secondary branching but much less than that in E. sylvaticum. It is often a small slender plant possessing a distinctive 'jizz'.





The site of E x mildeanum at Sronphadraig

FUNGUS: Sarcoscypha austriaca, Scarlet Elf Cup at Silverdale, Lancashire

April 18,2009:
Scarlet Elf Cup is a rather infrequently-found British fungus. It occurs in winter to spring on damp rotting wood of broad-leaf or coniferous trees, often amongst leaf litter.



The relatively large bright red cups can be up to 5 cm in diameter and occur singly or in small groups. It was formerly identified as S. coccinea but this species is not known to occur in Britain. On this occasion it was found in a shaded deciduous wooded area near Silverdale when six fruiting bodied were found.





Passing the same spot this year on March 23 (2010) some fruiting bodies were again seen, this time there were seven of them

PLANT: Saxifraga flagellaris on Svalbard; an unusual high arctic plant

July 14/15, 2007:
Saxifraga flagellaris (S. platysepala) occurs scattered throughout the high arctic region. On Spitsbergen (where it was seen and photographed here in Adventdalen) it is found locally on exposed polygonised Cassiope/Dryas tundra heath where vegetative competition is very moderate. Other species of saxifrage are often found growing with it including S. cespitosa, S. hieraciafolia, S. hirculus and S. oppositifolia. Pedicularis hirsuta, Potentilla hyparctica, Salix polaris, Silene acaulis and Silene uralensis, other specialised high arctic species, occur there also.



Saxifraga flagellaris has an unusual method of reproduction in that it produces incipient rosettes which are initially attached to the parent plant by long thin runners (rather like strawberry plants). These blow about (flagellate, hence the scientific name) in the wind and eventually become detached, some of them rooting nearby. These then produce the new generation. This strategy has evolved in order to overcome difficulties in achieving reproduction by pollination in the very short growing/flowering season.





Above, the small rosettes can be seen.

Below, the open slope where the saxifrage occurs is onthe extreme left from the lake. The characteristic structure of the polygonised tundra (caused by alternating freeze/thaw cycles) where the plants grew can be seen (bottom).

PLANT: Orobanche flava and Digitalis grandiflora on the Polish/Slovakian border

July 10 2009:
Two interesting plants were seen and photographed on the Polish/Slovakian border in summer 2009. Both were growing close to the roadside near Lysa Polana in the wooded Tatras mountains.





The broomrape, Orobanche flava (above), is a parasitic plant, restricted to growing on the roots of species within the family which includes Adenostyles, Petasites and Tussilago. It is only found in eastern Europe, but occurs as far west as Austria. It's fleshy orange-red flowers and stem and orange stigma lobes are mainly diagnostic. Seed is very fine and populations once formed can survive for many years.




Digitalis grandiflora (above) is a beautiful large-flowered foxglove. Here it was found only locally growing in moist, shaded areas along the roadside. It is mainly a central European plant and neither this nor the broomrape (above) occur in the British Isles.



The Belovodska river forming the Slovakian/Polish frontier at Lysa Polana. Slovakia is to the left where the broomrape was found. The Foxglove occurred on the Polish side to the right.

PLANT: Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) at Bourton Down, Gloucestershire

April 23, 2009
The Pasque Flower is a most beautiful plant with its richly-coloured flowers and silky bracts and seed heads. It was formerly much more frequent than it is nowadays. It is a scarce perennial herb of species-rich calcareous grassland, mainly found in the southern half of England on south-facing slopes of chalk and Jurassic limestone. Flowering is normally from early April into May, hence the Easter reference in its common name. It has been lost from many localities due to habitat destruction through intensive farming and scrub encroachment. At one time it could be found on the Magnesian limestone formation as far north as Yorkshire but now it is virtually extinct. However, good populations remain in the Chilterns and Cotswolds (where it was photographed here). A thriving and well-visited population also occurs at Barnsley Warren in Gloucestershire.





At Bourton Down, one of its associates is a relatively rare variety of Hairy Violet (Viola hirta). This is the var. calcarea which differs from the type in having smaller flowers, a much shorter spur, and narrower petals (see below).