Llangennith Burrows

A few photos from the 6th November:

Burry Holms viewed from Spaniard Rocks, with Worms Head in the background

 28 plants of Sea Stock Matthiola sinuata were counted, a plant

which seems to have increased in recent years at this site.

A less welcome plant also on the increase is Sea Buckthorn Hippophae 
rhamnoides, which has taken over quite large areas of Llangennith Burrows

Leaf mines of the agromyzid fly Agromyza abiens 

on Hound's-tongue Cynoglossum officinale. 

A confiding Kestrel Falco tinnunculus was hunting 
beetles from a fence near the car park.

Western Conifer Seed Bug

I found this Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, on a wall in central Swansea today. Although a non-native species it's certainly a large and striking bug.

Once I'd got it home for a photo, it repeatedly insisted on flying onto, and posing on, a leftover jacket potato!

Provosional identification of Tricholoma focale in Glamorgan

Tricholoma (focale?) in Pine and Larch wood, Rhigos, 13/11/16)

I'm hoping that someone who is familiar with Tricholoma, and particularly this species, can help confirm this record (or otherwise). The fruiting bodies are quite large (caps up to 10cm in diameter), and they were growing on a reclaimed coal tip under Pines and Larch (and some Grey Willow and Birch). I couldn't detect any smell from the fresh fruiting bodies. Notably there is a prominent ring on the stipe and the white spores are rather small (4.0 -5.0 microns). The youngest fruiting body in the photo above shows the ring unfolding beneath the expanding cap. Only a few species of Tricholoma have rings on their stipes, e.g T. cingulatum (which it isn't) and those in the matsutake group (e.g. T. matsutake, which has a very noticeable sweet smell). Although T. focale is widespread in Europe it is not common. In Britain it is virtually confined to Scotland although I notice that the NBN distribution map includes one location in the south of England.

The substrate in this wood is clearly nutrient poor and the field layer is carpeted in Cladonia lichens in places. There is quite a diverse fungal community here which included conspicuous amounts of Mycena cinerella, Tricholoma scalpturatum, Inocybe geophylla, Collybia butyracea and Cortinarius brunneus. The wood also has the largest population of Common Wintergreen (Pyrola minor) that I have ever encountered in Britain. I suspect that the Wintergreen here is linked via mycorrhiza to Tricholoma scalpturatum, which is present in huge amounts.

Craneflies

I hope they will download big enough to read, any problems please let me know in the comments!

Enjoy!