Late April 2022
I took an early morning walk around Marriot's Way as far as Sweetbriar Marshes, which was very pleasant. I saw quite a few interesting bits and bobs, including a psyllid on Hawthorn (Cacopsylla melanoneura or C. affinis), a new caddisfly Notidobia ciliaris and a leaf-curl gall on Bird Cherry made and occupied by Rhopalosiphum padi aphids.
.JPG)
Mid-April 2022
Earlier in the month Ian Senior had sent me pictures of some Lesser Celandines infected by something that I recognised as the Oomycete Peronospora ficariae. I decided to go and have a look, and whilst there also had a look for another of Ian's finds, Grape Hyacinth Anther Smut (Antherospora hortensis). Along the main drive several Early Dog Violets had Violet Rust, Puccinia violae on them. Seeing quite a lot of Field Wood-rush I checked that too, eventually finding the rust Puccinia obscurata on some of the leaves.
Mid-April 2022
A rather disappointing April WeBS count, with no hirundines present and lots of the winter wildfowl now absent. I did read a few new Mute Swan colour rings and saw three on nests. Around the broad Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats had joined the Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Quite a few inverterates were noted, the highlight of which was the sawfly Euura clitellata.
Mid-April 2022
I had lunch in Earlham Cemetery, and spent most of the time staring at a couple of Larch trees in the hope of finding Larch Ladybird, a species that has so far eluded me. It continues to do so, but I did find a few nice things, including a Pine Cone Bug, an Eyed Ladybird and an egg-laying Larch adelphid aka Larch Woolly Aphid), Adelges laricis.
Early April 2022
Fairly early on when learning about wildflowers you find out that the ubiquitous Dandelion is not one species, and that it is in fact 230+ (micro) species. Many botanists shy away from identifying microspecies due to the difficulties associated with identifying and confirming them, but with a new BSBI handbook out recently I thought I would give it a go. The book is very nice, but to be honest it went pretty much how I expected. Despite it being easy to notice differences particularly in leaf shape, stature etc, the issues arise with plasticity, whereby a species can look dramatically different if it has been mown, is competing against high vegetation, is growing in the shade, if the day you see it ends in a y etc etc. Some species produce different shaped leaves early on to those produced later, and that is before you even get started on understanding all of the different terms associated with ID and assessing colour, hairiness etc.
I had hoped to make inroads at least into identifying some of the species present at Whitlingham, but have so far got no further than a few to sub-group. Alex Prendergast ran several identification workshops but I was unable to attend any of them unfortunately. Nonetheless I do have names for two of the Dandelions seen during the month. Firstly Taraxacum lacistophyllum, a low growing plant with finely divided leaves seen on a dry grassy area at the Norfolk & Norwich hospital and identified by Alex. Secondly, and so far the only species I've identified correctly myself and had confirmed, Taraxacum leucopodon. This is a robust species with rather crinkly leaves and the terminal leaf lobe is described as looking like an old German helmet. I found it growing at Earlham Millenium Green.
6th April 2022
A brief visit to Whitlingham in the hope of seeing some spring migrants. Other than Chiffchaffs the only other warbler heard singing were Blackcaps, and there were no hirundines etc. After reading a few Mute Swan rings I noted rust fungi on Lesser Celandine and Cuckoo Pint before having a look around the picnic meadow, seeing a very obliging Little Nomad Bee, Nomada flavoguttata.
Late March 2022
A selection of random things from around Norwich on my walks too and from work. I had been looking at grasses around the city for Early Meadow Grass (Poa infirma), and finally found a big patch on Brazen Gate. I also walked out to Hall Road to check out the yellow form of Sweet Violet (sulphurea), which looked nice if a bit trampled. Nearby I found some tiny galls on Goosegrass leaves which seem to amtch the description of Synchytrium globosum (https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/fungi/chytridiomycota/chytridiales/synchytrium/synchytrium-globosum/), but even Peter Shirley of AIDGAP gall guide fame wasn't really aware of it in the UK, so I can't easily confirm it (they are tiny!)
Elsewhere there were two new aphids for me, Cinara cupressi on my rubbish bin (kept near a cypress sp) and what I think are Aulacorthum solani on Thale Cress.
Finally I saw some white-flowered Herb Robert in an alleyway near the house and a brood of Egyptian Geese were in Wensum Park, the second one I've seen in the city after the ones near the Ribs of Beef.
20th March 2022
Barnham Broom Fen is a relatively small, privately owned site currently undergoing habitat restoration and enhancement. The Norfolk Fungus Study Group were invited to visit and survey the site, and we were grateful to Andy for showing us around and telling us about the site, a mixture of fen and wet woodland.
As expected at this time of year most of the fungi found were small species associated with plants. Two species new to me were Calycellina ochracea, a small pale yellow cup fungus, and an unobtrusive lichen called Lecania cyrtellina (found and identified by Rob Yaxley). Another interesting sighting was a woodlouse-like creature that turned out to be a fly larva, that of a Lonchoptera species (probably L. lutea).
19th March 2022
A Glossy Ibis had been found in the Earlham/UEA/Bowthorpe area earlier in the week, but the first opportunity I had to go and look at it wasn't until the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised that it had stayed, understandably appearing to favour an area across the river where it couldn't be disturbed. It was feeding constantly whilst I was there, showing well in the sunshine.
Nearby a pair of Oystercatchers were in a field and a Skylark sang overhead.
Mid-March 2022
In 2019 after many years of trying I finally saw a Garganey at Whitlingham, but as I was already south of the city at my in-laws I popped down to Whitlingham hoping to see the drake found earlier in the day on the Great Broad. In contrast to later birds at Cley and Strumpshaw it proved to be frustratingly elusive, being out of sight for most of the day and only showing briefly in the evening, about 20 minutes before I got there. Staying until dusk I saw three Little Egrets roost on the island on the Great Broad, with another flying west, and a Water Rail climbed up into a small water-side tree.
On the way back there was enough light to read the rings of two locally ringed Greylag Geese.
Mid-March 2022
With it not yet being prime insect season, my daily walk into the city still has a mostly plant and plant fungi based focus. Down a small alleyway near my house I noticed some naturalised spurge plants that I was able to identify as Turkish Wood Spurge, whilst I finally stopped ignoring a brassica I'd seen the week before along Chapelfield and identified it as White Mustard.
I have been regularly checking Pellitory-of-the-wall for a recent colonist leaf-mining moth (so far unsuccessfully) but did find the leaf spots of Ramularia parietariae on one plant. A more intentional search of Herb Robert plants successfully turned up another leaf fungus, Coleroa robertiana.
5th March 2022
Another rainy day. With an hour free I called in firstly at Trowse Woods, then at Whitlingham to read a few Mute Swan rings. At Trowse the highlight was finding a large number of Orange Ladybirds, around 80 in groups of up to 15 on twigs of a couple of large deciduous trees. I also saw some Scarlet Elf Cups, which I took home and incubated until they produced budding from the spore ends, an apparently definitive feature for Sarcoscypha austriaca (which is what almost all of the Norfolk ones turn out to be).
.JPG)
At Whitlingham I saw the local Mandarin, Black-headed Gull Blue 2K91 and 6 ringed Mute Swans before it was time to head back.
.JPG)
