NORWICH: Garland Roundhead

Mid October 2021

One morning I was at Norwich Research Park for a meeting, and noticed there was a nice looking bit of grassland along the edge where I was waiting. As you'd expect at this time of year there were a few fungi growing on it, and in particular I noticed some that looked like Stropharia. Finding one that had already been uprooted I was able to confirm that it was Garland Roundhead, Stropharia coronilla, with the distinctive crown-like upper edge to the stem ring. Whilst I was looking at it several flocks of Redwings flew over, which gave a proper autumnal feel.

NORWICH: Some rare plants found by other people

Mid October 2021

In between other things I managed to visit a couple of sites in east Norwich during October, taking advantage of sterling work put in by Louis and Chris. Firstly at a woodland site I finally caught up with two tiny plants that I had unsuccessfully looked for in the past, Allseed and Chaffweed. Whilst there I also saw a fungus that has eluded me for a long time, Bracken Club fungus. Despite Bracken being very common in many of the places I visit, this was a new one for me.

The other species I had a quick look at was Stinking Fleabane, Dittrichia graveolens. This new to Norfolk plant had been found earlier in the month growing along the A47 near Postwick. Unfortunately by the time I got there it had gone to seed, but given that there is a large population and its a very busy road, it's likely to spread out quite quickly I would imagine.

WHITLINGHAM: Canada Goose influx and Ragweed

Early October 2021

I made a couple of visits to Whitlingham early in the month, but wildlife numbers remain low for the time of year. The exception to this was a big flock of Canada Geese, with 121 counted on the Great Broad around the conservation area bay (so with the possibility that additional birds were present and out of sight on the island). For context since taking over the WeBS counts in Dec 2012 the highest October Canada Goose count has been eight. An interesting non-native plant, Ragweed, that I found here back in September was still present along the broad edge near the ruined hall.

NORTH NORWICH: A scarce fungus gnat

September 2021

Near the end of the month I called in at Broadland Country Park to have a look at an interesting species found by Milly Kenward. Whilst looking at fungi, Milly had noticed some large white cocoons on Hoof Fungus. After passing on the photos, these were eventually confirmed as Sciophila rufa, a fungus gnat with larvae feeding on Hoof Fungus. It is mostly a Scottish species, so the population here appears to be only the second site in Norfolk. I was able to find a few of them, mostly vacated. The white cocoons blended in well with the birch bark, but the black frass grains helped pick them out. Whilst here I also found a population of Red-banded Birch Aphids, having seen them for the first time on a small birch near Waterloo Park following a tipoff from the county aphid recorder.

YARE VALLEY: Wheatfen car park and environs

September 2021

Two visits to Wheatfen would usually result in a whole host of interesting records, but as both of mine were for events at the study centre I made do with a quick search around the near part of the reserve on the first visit and a look around the car park on the second. Highlights were Zoned Tooth (Hydnum concrescens), previously found by some Fungus Study Group members, Uroleucon jaceae (aphids on knapweed) and a beetle found on my car roof, which I think is Calodromius spilotus.

WHITLINGHAM: Ectemnius and a Backswimmer

September 2021

A couple of visits to Whitlingham, one of which was the WeBS count, but the most notable things were a large Ectemnius wasp (I had hoped that with reasonable photos I might be able to identify this to species - E. cephalotes was my suggestion, but the resounding silence on the BWARS Facebook page suggests it probably has to stay at genus) and Notonecta glauca, one of the Backswimmer family of water boatmen.

WHITLINGHAM: A couple of visits to Trowse

September 2021

A couple of brief visits to Trowse Meadow and the burial ground, a rather negelected bit of my patch of late, turned up a few interesting things. On my first visit I noticed a new patch plant, Balm, whilst some fibrecaps were probably (but not confirmed as) Deadly Fibrecap (Inocybe erubescens). There were a couple of nice galls on some roses too.

On the next visit I looked for and found a couple of species I'd seen elsewhere recently, Dogwood aphid and Spindle scale insect, and photographed some pondskaters that I have frustratingly failed to identify.