The rain has abated slightly and I found these Blackening Waxcaps - Hygrocybe nigrescens - in various stages of development on my lawn:
Waxcaps are primarily grassland species, and their presence on my lawn is very welcome: they are an indicator of 'unimproved' grassland, with associated benefits to wildlife. I'd expect to see a succession of Waxcap species as the years progress.Xylaria polyforma - Dead Man's Fingers - is associated with Beech:
I found this Sawfly larva feeding on Meadowsweet:
Sawfly larvae are distinguishable from those of moths and butterflies primarily by their extra prolegs, but once you get your eye in, there's very little doubt and counting isn't required. Sadly, as I've mentioned before, Sawflies are very badly under-documented, and a trawl through the Meadowsweet species failed to turn up a match.Coincidentally, I saw this adult Sawfly no more than a metre away from the larva, on Angelica. Wouldn't it be nice if......naaah.....erase that thought.
2 comments:
Marvellous photos as usual Stuart. Don't fungi go off quickly - what looks really spectacular on my morning walk has deteriorated into a black mush by my evening walk.
Weaver: yes, some fungi are very short-lived, especially smaller members of the the Coprinus family. I remember taking a photograph of one on a longish walk, and when I passed the same spot on my return journey, I noticed that the specimen was too far gone to make a decent photograph.
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