NORWICH: Late May interesting sightings

Late May 2024

A few species of note from my walks around Norwich. On my way home one day I checked a large hybrid Black Poplar and found occupied leaf mines of the sawfly Fenusella hortulana, which appears to be new to Norfolk. In Train Wood I saw the bug Closterotomus trivialis. I thought I had seen this before, but I can't find a record of it so it is presumably a new one for me. Whilst taking my youngest daughter to a local park I found a smut fungus called Ustilago bullata on Bromus hordaceus. It seemed to be new to Norfolk, but I have since been told there are a couple of old records under a different name that hadn't made it into the county database.

SOUTH NORFOLK: Shotesham lichen meeting

30th March 2024

Norfolk lichen recorder Rob Yaxley had organised a few informal meet-ups to survey churchyard lichens, and I managed to attend one at Shotesham, a village a few miles south of Norwich. We looked at three churches (two 'proper' ones and a ruin) and as expected racked up a good lichen list. The presence of quite a few experienced naturalists meant that we also turned up various other species across a wide range of groups. The pictures below are a small selection of highlights, but things that spring to mind include a lichenicolous fungus that appears to be new to Norfolk (Spiloma auratum), my long-awaited first Bristly Millipedes, the inconspicuous ladybird Rhyzobius litura, Ashy Mining Bee and smut fungi on aconite and sweet violet and the pseudoscorpion Chthonius isochneles.

WHITLINGHAM: Delayed June WeBS count

Late June 2023

I had to delay June's WeBS count as there had been triathlons using the Great Broad. The wasn't anything particularly notable in terms of birds - 113 Greylag Geese, 57 Mute Swans (plus some cygnets in the conservation area bay) and 47 Egyptian Geese. A couple of Common Terns were also still present. In terms of invertebrates I saw my first patch Umbellifer Longhorn Beetle (Phytoecia cylindrica) and nice crab spider (Misumena vatia) and the smut on Greater Pond Sedge that has been very prevalent this year, Farysia thuemeni.

SUFFOLK: A visit to Carlton Marshes

Mid June 2023

It had been several years since I had visited Carlton Marshes SWT reserve near Lowestoft, indeed a whole cafe and education centre had been built in the meantime. Despite not venturing too far out on the reserve there was a lot to see, the highlight of which was probably my first Rosy Woodlouse, Androniscus dentiger. Prior to my visit I had seen a smut fungus found on sedges (Farysia thuemenii) mentioned, and these things often tend to have good and bad years, so I checked some sedges and low-and-behold found absolutely loads of it. A third new species was Cyperus Sedge, which was common along the edges of the dykes. 

THORPE MARSHES: Late spring visit

Late May 2023

A couple of hours spent around a sunny Thorpe Marshes. A good sign that it wasn't too busy was a Grey Heron beside the path out onto the marsh, which reluctantly flew as I approached. Two recently fledged Stonechats could be seen further across the marsh, pleasing to see this species is still hanging on in this urban-ish location. The highlight of the visit was a new bug for me, Pachybrachius fracticollis, but there was plenty else of interest including lots of European Chinchbugs, several Anasimyia lineata hoverflies and great views of a settled Hairy Dragonfly. A smut fungus, Anthracoidea subinclusa, was found on Carex riparia, whilst on Hawthorn were some adult Cacopsylla peregrina psyllids.

NORWICH: An abundance of mildews and other plant fungi

September 2021

Wildlife recording during September was mostly incidental as I went about my business in Norwich. As we entered autumn plant fungi, particularly mildews, became more obvious, and I made an effort to check out quite a few of them by carrying around a bag and taking the odd leaf. Here are some of the highlights.

Entyloma cosmi - a white smut on Cosmos, flagged up by Stewart Wright. Present in the UK for a few years although overlooked and not officially on the UK list yet. This was at Waterloo Park.

Erysiphe aquilegiae on Columbine

Erysiphe berberidis on Mahonia

Erysiphe platani on London Plane

Erysiphe platani microsopy

Erysiphe symphiocarpi on Snowberry

Erysiphe symphiocarpi microscopy - pacman like!

Ampelomyces quisqualis picnidia - a mycoparasitic fungus that parasitises mildews

Erysiphe knautia on Scabious, parasitised by the species above

Phrgamidium tuberculosum on Rose

Phrgamidium tuberculosum teliospores

NORWICH: A selection of invertebrates (and a fungus) from Train Wood

Early July 2021

A very productive walk home via Train Wood led to sightings on an interesting chrysomelid beetle on St John's Wort and I finally managed to find a smut fungus that several other people had been noticing on False Oat Grass recently. A big group of Peacock caterpillars on nettles was nice to see too.

Dichrorampha petiverella

The leafhopper Eupteryx urticae and above it the psyllid Trioza urticae

Chrysolina hyperici

Ustilago avenae smut fungus

Peacock butterfly caterpillars