Friday Fungi

A trip to Allerthorpe wood on an overcast day with the  odd shower presented us with an abundance of fungi to photograph.

This moth was determined to walk across the path rather than fly.

I have so far failed to identify it - any help would be appreciated.

There was a plentiful supply of blackberries on the edge of the woodland.

Mrs Wolds-End spotted this group of Ladybirds

Walking across Allerthorpe Common we saw this Dragonfly but it soon disappeared.

There were quite a few spiders webs about with the occupants awaiting a meal.

I was surprised to have found the walk hard work but now realised I was running a temperature.  I was getting the first cold of the year - I hate colds - but then who doesn't.

As Summer comes to an end in the wood Autumn approaches with all the photographic opportunities it brings. So at least I have something to think about while I wrap myself up and raid the medicine cabinet for cold remedies (do any really work) for the next couple of days.

Flying Dragons

Sunshine was forecast for the morning with rain later so as soon as I could I grabbed my camera and went to the local canal.

I have not been for a number of weeks and with all the berries on the trees there was a late summer look. 

The wind was very strong but in the shelter of some trees and undergrowth I saw this Southern hawker dragonfly

and a Speckled wood butterfly

reaching a bridge I looked down to see a Common darter clinging to the wall

I spent a few minutes trying to get a photo of a Migrant hawker in flight

In sheltered areas of the footpath Common darters were enjoying the sunshine

As the wind got stronger everything seemed to take cover. There were a few Small tortoiseshell butterflies flying close to the ground but they were too active to get a decent photo as they only landed for a short time. Through gaps in the lilies I could see some good sized Roach hanging in the crystal clear water.

Work beckoned and building clouds in the distance promised rain (although it did not arrive until early evening). It had been a very warm but windy walk with lots of activity from dragonflies.

War and Peace

Mrs Wolds-End and I have been working on a project to find a cottage at the other side of the Wolds (and within easy reach of Bempton) that will hopefully mean I will be more productive on the photography front in years to come (more details to follow in future blogs if things go to plan). In the short term this has resulted in me having less time to get out with my camera but an opportunity arose and I decided to go to Skipwith Common.

The day started off with a strongish breeze and cloud cover. 

The heather was in flower adding a nice bit of colour to areas of the common.

Entering woodland on the edge of the common there were a few mushrooms - any id would be appreciated as my mushroom book seems to be hiding at the moment.

The common is managed in a natural way using Longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies and Hebridean sheep to graze.

Since my last visit a memorial has been placed on what was part of RAF Riccall during WWII

Four engined bombers would have flown from here and it is hard to imagine that what is such a peaceful area now would have been so busy and noisy in wartime. 

Nature is slowly concealing the reminders of those times but the memorial is a fitting tribute to those who served here. What was a place of war is now a National Nature Reserve.

The sun came out as I enjoyed a peaceful walk back. I had not seen many birds about but saw these Spotted flycatchers near the car park.

It had ended up being a lovely day and as I thought of my walk the words from the memorial stuck in my mind

"Honour These People and This Place"

Adder Success

For a month or two now I have been visiting Allerthorpe Common hoping to see an Adder.  I suppose I have relied more on optimism than studying the best time and weather and as a result have not seen any. 

Visiting today we arrived to find quite a few Gatekeepers and a few dragonflies.

 

As the sun disappeared so did they. 

There were plenty of Common Green grasshoppers.

And a Silver Y moth alerted us to its presence with lots of wing flapping

The pretty bell shaped flowers of the Cross-leaved heath added colour to the landscape.

Moving on we saw what had evaded us on previous visits - an Adder

Success at last.

Pyrausta ??

Sitting in the garden I saw a very colourful moth. Unusually it even waited for me to put a cappuccino down and go for my macro lens.

Looking online it would appear to be a Pyrausta but is it aurata or purpuralis?

Studying the photos on the web I am inclined to think it is aurata but it has more gold than the photo I have found which I understand purpuralis has but then it has less than the photos I have seen of that. Any help with the id would be appreciated as I have only recently started exploring the world of moths.

Blue Butterfly

With it being such a beautiful day I combined a walk on to the post box with a wander in the fields around the village. There were plenty of butterflies but they were all very active. I saw a small bright blue one of a type I have not seen before. It would only stay stationary for a few seconds and as I only had a Fuji "bridge" camera with me (it is always a mistake to go on a walk without one of my Nikons!),  getting a photo was difficult but I managed the ones below.

Looking through my copy of "The Butterflies of Yorkshire" ( available from The Yorkshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation ) I think it is a Holly Blue.

I would be very interested to have my identification confirmed (or corrected).

Summer at the canal

A sunny day meant a trip to the Post Office was extended to include a walk along the canal. Time was short so we went to the closest but also the busiest stretch. The car park was however nearly empty - perhaps the overcast morning had kept people at home. As we started our walk the sun decided to join us and we appreciated its company.

The lack of visitors meant the resident ducks were hungry and some ducklings left the water hoping for an easy meal.

They would however have to find their own lunch as I had left my packet of duck food at home. 

There was no sign of the cygnets seen on a previous visit but they may have moved to an overgrown stretch with water at a more preferred depth as the level in stretch they had been in was very low.

There was plenty of activity from damselflies (Common Blue, Azure and Banded Demoiselle) but they did a good job of avoiding the camera as they darted about.

Wild flowers proved easier to photograph (although there was a breeze building that tended to move them just as the shutter was pressed).

There was plenty of Meadowsweet and Rosebay willowherb.

With all the wild flowers it was no surprise to see plenty of butterflies but catching them on camera was another matter. A few did however pause long enough for a photo.

 Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Large Skipper

There were also lots of Ringlets.

We stopped at a bench for a drink in an area popular with Reed warblers and sure enough we could hear them in the reeds. They kept low down and most were hidden although we could see the movement of the reeds as they hopped from one to another. We did however manage to see a few.

Heading for home we walked back up the canal leaving the call of the Reed warblers behind and passing areas of active butterflies and damselflies. Roach slowly moved near the surface of the water and Pike watched them from deeper down. 

These are the sights and sounds of the canal in summer.