by Rosemary Winnall | Mar 23, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 23 March, 2019 Laceweb Spider (Coelotes spp) Andrew Curran spotted this large Laceweb Spider under a stone in Town Coppice. It is likely to be Coelotes atropus. The female builds a tunnel-shaped web in which she lays her eggs. The spiderlings...
by Rosemary Winnall | Mar 23, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 23 March, 2019 Toads breeding As the frogs finish spawning, the toads move into their breeding ponds to lay their spawn. The adults, often in amplexus (the male hitching a ride on top of the female so that he is ready to fertilise the eggs when...
by Rosemary Winnall | Mar 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 11 March, 2019 Juvenile Kestrel This juvenile Kestrel was recently spotted by Mick Farmer sitting on a wire near Wharton’s Park, Bewdley. It is seen regularly near here and the wire makes a great vantage point for the bird to search below for...
by Steve | Feb 14, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 14 February, 2019 Buzzard in ash tree Buzzards are regular visitors to this ash tree from where they can survey much of their territory. They are often seen flying before dawn – presumably hunting for unsuspecting rabbits in neighbouring...
by Rosemary Winnall | Jan 31, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 31 January, 2019 Spider’s Web We woke up to freezing fog this morning and everything was covered in rime. It was very pretty, and many spiders webs were conspicuous amongst the vegetation. But soon the sun broke through, warmth bathed the...
by Rosemary Winnall | Jan 8, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 8 January, 2019 Deer prints In muddy parts of the Forest it is possible to discover which animals have walked that way by identifying their tracks. Here there is the print from a Fallow Deer, a small Reeves Muntjac Deer and a human being! ...
by Rosemary Winnall | Jan 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 1 January, 2019 Douglas-fir cones (Pseudotsuga menziesii) The cones of Douglas-fir trees have distinctive three-pointed bracts which can easily be seen protruding above the scales. The tree was named after David Douglas the Scottish botanist...
by Rosemary Winnall | Dec 29, 2018 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 29 December, 2018 Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) This plant was introduced from North Africa in 1806 and is now found commonly, often along roadsides. Only male flowers are found in Britain so no seeds are produced, and they spread...
by Rosemary Winnall | Nov 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 17 November, 2018 Rosy Bonnet (Mycena rosea) This attractive fungus is found in leaf litter in woodlands and hedgerows. It may be found to be a variety of Lilac Bonnet Mycena pura. It smells of radish and should not be eaten as it contains the...
by Rosemary Winnall | Nov 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
Wyre Forest Study Group 17 November, 2018 Ergot in Purple Moor Grass Ergot is a fungus that invades grasses. It used to be a serious infection of cereals, producing alkaloids which, when consumed by humans and other mammals, produced Ergotism first documented as far...
