It was a mild and windy Christmas Eve in Beverley, with strange portents all around. A skein of pink-footed geese flew sideways. A bright moon shone over a new lake on Westwood. And stunning nacreous clouds, edged with rippling rainbow colours, glowed against the dark sky.
Thrilling but chilling: these nacreous clouds only form at extremely low temperatures over twelve miles high in the stratosphere, visible just after sunset or before dawn. The iridescent colours caused by tiny ice crystals also cause chemical reactions harmful to the ozone layer, so these clouds are destructive beauties. Also known as 'polar stratospheric clouds', their increasing frequency in our latitudes is thought by scientists to be indicative of man-made climate change. As greenhouse gases trap heat, the upper layers of atmosphere become colder.
Reference: Gavin Pretor-Pinney The cloud with a dangerous secret The Guardian Wed 26th August 2006
Helen Kitson, 26 December 2023
Parasitic Boletes at North Cliffe Woods
Our October foray to North Cliffe Woods yielded many fungi species, but the find of the day for me was the Parasitic Bolete (Pseudoboletus parasiticus). We found a small patch on the eastern edge of the woods, but also many in the heathland on the western edge.
What’s special about the uncommon to rare Pseudoboletus parasiticus? It’s the only member of its genus, and only grows with the Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum). The Common Earthball is an ectomycorrhizal fungus associated with a variety of trees but often found in our area with oak and birch. It likes acid, sandy soils so is very common in North Cliffe Woods. Surprisingly, DNA reveals the Sclerodermas are closely related to Boletes.
It’s thought now that Pseudoboletus parasiticus is both mycorrhizal and parasitical and relies on the earthball for extra nutrient to survive. It’s not even clear how damaging it is to its host. How does the parasitism work? Laessoe and Petersen (2019) acknowledge it’s not well understood but note its site-faithfulness, fruitbodies appearing repeatedly from the same Scleroderma mycelium and conclude -
"This would indicate that the parasitism is carried out at the level of the mycelium, possibly involving the mycorrhizae of the Betula/Scleroderma association."
So North Cliffe Woods, rich in both birch and Common Earthballs, is an ideal site for this fascinating fungus.
Laessoe T., and Petersen J.H., 2019. Fungi of Temperate Europe Volume 1. Princeton University Press.
Helen Kitson, 17 October 2023
Grass Snake at Foredyke Green
... I initially thought this was a shoelace, but then crouched next to it while it basked. It was enjoying the sunshine and it allowed me to take plenty of photos. This is my first native reptile in Hull. Now the question is, are there any Common Lizards or Slow Worms still living in the area?
Africa Gómez, 23 August 2023
Marsh Frog at Leconfield, 27 May
A nice site away from traffic noise seemed the perfect opportunity to test my new bioacoustics set-up of a low-noise stereo microphone (homemade of course...) and parabolic reflector. A slight breeze did cause an unavoidable rustling among the reeds, but whilst recording Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting the frankly bizarre 'quacking' of Marsh Frog was not only new to me, but a new record for the site.
The link above will play the recording.
Jim Middleton, 7 June 2023
Surprise Find
On May 9th we paid a visit to Dumble farm, Arram, an ex-dairy farm recently "returned to nature" under a Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Roaming highland cattle are to replace the dairy herd. It is hoped their trampling in combination with a controlled rise in water levels and a late cutting regime will create the conditions for the return of breeding Lapwings, alongside resident Mute Swans.
We surveyed some woodland and a vegetated pond with Common Club-rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris) local name dumbles, source of the farm name, but the most interesting find was by a small dike, Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus), one of the old marsh flora, now increasingly rare in the Hull valley due to drainage. There were several puzzling basal rosettes, eventually identified by Bill Dolling by the flea beetles on them, Longitarsus dorsalis!
Gabrielle Jarvis, 17 May 2023
Early Wawne moths
After what seemed an interminable wait for dry weather, I have started my systematic garden moth trapping season. Following a false start with an empty ice-covered trap, the first moths have now started to show up. Earliest to arrive was the hardy Hebrew Character (left), which after over-wintering as a pupa, feeds on the Sallow blossom. The only other species to date has been the aptly-named Early Grey (right), whose caterpillars feed on the Honeysuckle.
Richard Middleton, 10 April 2023
Star Jelly at Hoddy Cows
At Hoddy Cows Val spotted some lumps of 'slime'. We quickly eliminated a fungal or slime mould origin, and Africa thought this might be Star Jelly, so named as it was historically thought to be the fallen remains of a shooting star. By the 18th century the naturalist Thomas Pennant was, more prosaically, attributing this gloop to the vomit of an animal. In 2015 Chris Packham sent a sample to the Natural History Museum for analysis and it was confirmed to be the DNA of a frog, with some Magpie too.
The consensus now seems to be that Star Jelly is the undigested ovaries of a frog or toad, vomited by a predator, usually a heron or buzzard. Our jelly, on the edge of a pond beneath a fence, would suggest this might indeed be so, although here several aerial or ground predators could be the culprits.
By the time I got it home and under the digital microscope it had turned very dry and tough, and did look indigestible, though surely there could be another factor in its repulsiveness. I didn’t taste it.
Photographs:
Star Jelly (Val Fairhurst)
Star Jelly up close, complete with beetle mite. (HK)
Alexanders Rust Gall (Puccinia smyrnii): Helen Kitson
Scarborough, 28 January
Our first field trip of the year was a visit to the seaside at Scarborough. We headed along North Bay promenade as far as Scalby Mills, trying out the iNaturalist app on some plants along the way. The results were impressive, even identifying Colt's-foot from unopened buds protruding from a wall. We did manage to recognise a colourful patch of Common Fumitory without its assistance. There were a few seabirds about, as well as a large group of Wigeon in the sea at the outflow of Scalby Beck. We set off along a path up the Beck, but the going proved tougher than expected. However we were rewarded with two views of a Dipper and plenty of ferns to look at.
Eventually we abandoned the valley and climbed back to civilisation. After a short detour along side-roads we returned to the Beck along an easier path to have lunch by the side of the sea-cut weirs. After lunch the concensus was that the intended route further along the Beck was best left to the SAS. Instead we took a public footpath above the north of the Beck which had quite a variety of birds, including a very visible Goldcrest. We reached the coast and looked down from the cliffs on Scalby Ness Sands. The tide had gone out by now and there were quite a few Oystercatchers around and a flock of about twenty Ringed Plover. We watched a Grey Heron trying to deal with what looked like a very spiny fish before unwinding in a promenade café with a more palatable cake and hot drink.
Andrew Chadwick, 30 January 2023
BSBI New Year Plant Hunt 2023
Every year the BSBI invites us all to join in a local plant hunt to support a long term phenological study. Each hunt is a 3-hour walk recording wild plants in flower; rest breaks and driving between sites are permitted. It's a relaxed, light-hearted affair, just a tad competitive perhaps, though we all know the south and west will be the winners!
Fortunately this year the weather was mild between 31st December 2022 and 3rd January 2023. After the recent very cold snap we knew plants in flower would be harder to find; even in Dorset numbers were down by about a third from last year. HNHS carried out three hunts.
The Hull survey on New Year's Day was a pleasant, extremely quiet – no folk about! – urban amble in the Avenues and Spring Bank area. We had a total of 22 records, nothing very special.
Perhaps the most successful survey in terms of numbers and quality of finds took place on the 2rd in Hessle. Hardly surprising as this area has always been very productive, our best result in the past being 57 species. Three of us turned up at Sainsbury's car park to find the perimeter grassy bank had been replaced by metal supports for the adjacent road. However, the surrounding area did not disappoint. An unexpected find was White Ramping-fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), which must have come in the soil with some ornamental planting in the enclave private housing. We drove on to Hessle Foreshore and Little Switzerland to complete our survey in the sunshine. Highlights were a roadside patch of Musk Stork's-bill (Erodium moschatum) (not previously recorded), and, nearby, Butcher's-broom (Ruscus aculeatus); Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) was recorded along the foreshore footpath and Spurge-laurel (Daphne laureola) in the woodland and Holly (Ilex aquifolium) in tiny flower up a side street. We were lucky to have a tree specialist in the party! Total records 39, which earned us a place on the leader board for a while. Walking up Livingstone Road afterwards, John also found orchid rosettes on the verge outside a motor car franchise. ERCC has been contacted with a request not to mow.
On 3rd January four people explored an interesting route round the outskirts of Cottingham devised by Rohan. 21 records were made, again all very predictable. A useful find, though not eligible for the hunt total, was a large colony of Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) rosettes around the Creyke Beck switching station, something to follow up later.
Thanks to all who took part.
Gabrielle Jarvis, 8 January 2023
Ozonium
At first sight I thought I had found an orange moss growing on a log. However an internet search revealed it to be a mass of fungal hyphae called an ozonium. I did not notice any mushroom–like structures, nor on returning to check just before Christmas. I only found evidence for two British fungi producing an ozonium: Coprinellus domesticus and Coprinellus radians. The ozonium looks similar in both species, as do the fruit bodies, and so you need to measure spore size to determine the species (ref. 1). Coprinellus domesticus is also known as the Firerug Inkcap because its ozonium resembles a fluffy mat; it can sometimes be found on damp flooring or roof timbers, hence the specific epithet domesticus.
I was intrigued by Richard's posting on the fuzzy orange ozonium he’d found. In May 2021 I found the fruiting body of what I assumed was the Firerug Inkcap, Coprinellus domesticus, on a dead branch in the Limekiln Pits on Beverley Westwood. The caps were clearly emerging from the orange ozonium formed from the hyphae on the surface of the wood. Having read the article Richard referenced, however, I realise I should have taken a spore sample, as it could have been C. radians. The correct labelling, as Roehl suggests, should probably be 'C. domesticus species group'.
Helen Kitson, 5 January 2023
Lichens on old apple tree in Brantingham
I have been advised that the grey foliose lichen in the above photograph (from 4 November 2022) is Physcia adescendens and has turned pink because it has been infected by the lichenicolous fungus Laetisaria lichenicola. The fungus is thought to be common and widespread but was first recognised in Britain in 2015 (ref. 1). It also infects Physcia tenella, turning it pink. These two Physcia species look similar but can be told apart by the hood shaped swellings at the end of the branches on P. adescendens (ref. 2). I think the mustard coloured lichen is Xanthoria parietina, a very pollution tolerant species.
I took a very chilly walk to the Sculcoates area this morning, and I'm glad I went for a short wander to the North Cemetery as I found a small flock of Lesser Redpolls (Acanthis cabaret). They were feeding on catkins in some small birches and let me photograph away until a Blackbird alarm flushed them all. It was very interesting to watch how they hold the catkin with one foot against the branch where they are perching so that they can extract the seeds more efficiently.
Africa Gómez, 26 November 2023
Filey Crustaceans, 16 September
Two crustaceans caught on our field excursion.
Top - Common Prawn (Palaemon serratus)
Bottom - Edible (if undersized) Crab (Cancer pagurus)
Richard Middleton, 16 September 2023
Priory Sidings Hull
Common Broomrape (top) and Speckled Bush-cricket nymph (bottom),found on last vestige of the old Priory Sidings site, soon to be redeveloped commercially.
Gabrielle Jarvis, 7 June 2023 Photographs: Africa Gómez
The bush-cricket season has started!
On Saturday 27th encouraged by records coming in from the south of England on iNaturalist, I decided to search for bush-cricket nymphs. Don't take out your bat detectors yet, as nymphs don't call. Some can't even be identified to species in the earlier stages, but two species can: Speckled Bush crickets are bright green with black spots, and Roesel's Bush-cricket nymphs have a distinctive yellow edge to their pronotum. I had been given a butterfly net for my birthday and I took it with me. I tried it at Abbey Way by the railway line on a patch of cranesbills and I caught a Speckled Bush-cricket (top picture), the only one that day. On Sunday I went to Jack Kaye field, and I caught two tiny Roesel's Bush-crickets (bottom picture). I released one on the grass and took a better picture than the Speckled Bush, who jumped before I had that chance.
Africa Gómez, 1 June 2023
It's Hairy-footed Flower Bee season
Anthophora plumipes have been around Beverley for a few weeks now. This female, all black apart from the reddish hairs on her legs, was busy on Red Dead-nettle outside the Flemingate Centre while being stalked by a male, which looks very different, buff-coloured with pale hairs on his face. They are some of the largest and earliest solitary bees.
Helen Kitson, 6 April 2023
Ringed Rock Pipit rocks up on the rocks
Towards the end of our field trip to Sewerby Hall in February we took the steps down the cliff to see what we could find on the shore. Along the base of the cliffs we spotted two Rock Pipits which moved ahead of us along the rocks. Africa took some photos but it was only later that she realised that one of the birds had rings on both legs, a metal one and an orange one with a letter code. A bit of detective work revealed that the pipit had been ringed in Giske, Norway in September 2021 and so had travelled 1000 km to become a winter visitor to Bridlington.
Andrew Chadwick,1 March 2023 Photo Africa Gómez
Some Bulrush inhabitants
I was cutting back old stems of Bulrush (aka Reedmace) Typha latifolia around Brantingham village pond in early February when a stem with a line of six closely-spaced small holes caught my eye. On slicing the stem open, and others nearby, I found a number of similar looking spiders and a large well marked ichneumon wasp in the central open channel. The spiders were mostly in individual silk shelters, with several near the line of holes. The spiders appeared to be members of the genus Clubiona (sac spiders), which are predominantly nocturnal hunters. A definite species ID was not attempted because this required detailed examination of the genitalia. However one potential candidate is the wetland species C. phragmitis; females are reported to use holes in Bulrush during the winter (Ref 1). The ichneumon, a female, was "most probably" Chasmias paludator (thanks to Jaswinder Boparai of the Natural History Museum in London for the likely ID). This species of ichneumon is known to be a parasitoid of at least two species of noctuid moths whose larvae feed on Bulrushes; in one study the ichneumon "appeared to prefer" the Bulrush Wainscot Nonagria typhae (Ref 2). The holes I spotted in a Bulrush stem might have been caused by larvae of this moth (Ref 3).
Teder, T., Tammaru, T. and Pedmanson, R. 1999. Patterns of host use in solitary parasitoids
(Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae): field evidence from a homogeneous habitat.‐Ecography22: 79‐86.
On a visit to Ellerker Drain just before Christmas, I spotted a tall willow with numerous woody galls on the outermost twigs. The willow was either a Crack-willow (Salix x fragilis agg.) or a White Willow (S. alba); I didn't do the twig snap test for an audible crack. The galls would have formed on catkins but the identity of the causer of these types of galls on willows is uncertain. It could have been caused by a virus, phytoplasma or a mite; see my report (Hull Nats News, 26 November 2021) of the same type of gall on a willow beside Hornsea Mere.
Richard Shillaker, 1 January 2023
A late sighting
I was rather surprised to see a Red Admiral in the garden this morning. It was feeding on a sunny Mahonia bush in the company of a ?Honey Bee.
Richard Middleton, 16 December 2023
Ivy Bees in Hull
Yesterday, while prospecting ivy in a tenfoot between Victoria and Park Avenues, I found some Ivy Bees, Colletes hederae, my first in Hull and as far as I'm aware the first records in Hull. Ivy Bees were first found in the UK in 2001 and since then they have been steadily moving northwards. I felt that given that they appear to need sandy, loose soil for nesting, they might not colonise the clay soils of Hull, but it appears that I was wrong. Ivy Bees are close relatives of Sea Aster Bees, Colletes halophilus, but can be distinguished by their larger size, like a honey bee, tawny abdominal bands, and preferred pollen source, which is Ivy. They are also our latest flying solitary bees, as their flight season coincides with Ivy flowering period from September to November. There are a scatter of records from East Yorkshire, including South Cave, North Cave, North Ferriby, Cottingham, Kilnsea and Flamborough, so they might already be more widely dispersed than thought.
Africa Gómez, 11 October 2023
Bush-crickets near Beverley
What a wonderful walk we had yesterday around Broadgate farm. Initially a bit disorientated as none of us there knew the area, we managed to make the circular, 7 km walk via some wonderful paths. At one of them, Bill was using his technique of shaking lower branches of trees over his insect net when they called to me. I joined them to be shown my first Oak Bush Cricket ever, a female! The tree was indeed an Oak, and Bill managed to find two more, another female and a male. This completes my list for the Bush-cricket species of Yorkshire, thanks Bill! Many Roesel's and Long-winged Coneheads called from grassy fields along the route, Bill also found two Common Groundhoppers and two species of grasshoppers were also recorded, so a good Orthoptera trip. The path south of Broadgate Farm held many woodland plants and it was reminiscent of our Jillywoods walk.
Africa Gómez, 23 August 2023
Grass Vetchling
Yesterday morning I visited the Argyle Street brownfield site which I know as the KC stadium railway triangle. Before I left, I did a bit of litter picking, and whilst doing this I found a pretty little vetch of unusual colour. I took a photo and used iNaturalist for identification and it came up with Grass Vetchling. At home I looked it up and there were no vc61 records so I doubted this identification.
I met Gabrielle at Argyle Street this morning to show her. She was happy to confirm that it was Lathyrus nissolia, a plant regarded as 'regionally extinct' in the South-east Yorkshire (vc61) Rare Plant Register, 2015 edition.
The plants are delicate and very grass-like, with no leaflets or tendrils and the pods are very elongated, with crimson flowers in pairs on long stalks. They are growing on a relatively large patch in the grassland in the middle of the site. How long would this species have been present in the site? We wondered if its grass-like leaves had been overlooked and botanist's visits had not coincided with its flowering season?
Africa Gómez, 12 June 2023
Rievaulx – Ashberry area
In bright sunshine a very small group set off on an abridged circular walk from Ashberry farm, taking in woodland edge, meadow, bog, and road verge with a short dip into Reins Wood. Underlying limestone made for a rich flora, including Green Hellebore, Spurge-laurel, Mountain Currant, Baneberry (top), Changing Forget-me-not, Ragged Robin and Herb-paris.
After a short break at Rievaulx Abbey it was wellies on and into the car to visit a nature reserve with very diverse habitats, limestone and wet grassland, fen and marsh and bog, fed by bubbling springs, a truly magical place, with calcicole and calcifuge species in close proximity. Highlights included Marsh-marigold and Globeflower, Common Butterwort, a range of sedges and orchids, including Common Twayblade Early Marsh and, Helen’s first, Fly Orchids (bottom picture), very hard to spot in the long grass.
Gabrielle Jarvis, 4 June 2023 Photographs: Helen Kitson & Andrew Chadwick
Grounded Gannet in Brantingham
An adult Gannet (the Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus) was found alive but grounded on/near the road up Spout Hill in Brantingham (SE4929) on Sunday 2nd April. The right eye did not look normal being dark in colour. In an enlarged photograph (top) the iris appears to have a ring of black dots encircling the pupil. It is possible that the dots are an artefact of enlarging the photo and that there actually was an abnormal dark ring in the iris. Typically, the eye of an adult Gannet looks very striking with a light blue-grey iris (with a fine dark outer ring) and a dark pupil, surrounded by a pale blue orbital ring of bare skin and an outer zone of black skin.
Professor Sarah Wanless, a seabird expert, says that black-eyed Gannets, sometimes with just one eye affected, are now widespread. A comparison of a Gannet with a normal eye next to one with a dark eye (which appears darker than the abnormal eye of the Brantingham bird) can be seen in the bottom photo. There is work ongoing to investigate whether there is a link between black-eyed Gannets and bird flu (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus, HPAIV), and a publication is forthcoming. Hardly any black-eyed adults would seem to have been reported before the current severe outbreak of bird flu. Interestingly, an adult with black eyes, thought to be the same individual, was recorded on Bass Rock in 1914 and from 1920-1922 (Balfour 1922).
The HPAIV status of the Brantingham Gannet was not investigated. As the bird had several broken bones it was humanely euthanised at a local veterinary surgery.
Sarah notes that HPAIV seems to have caused high mortality in Gannet colonies last year, in both the west and east Atlantic populations. Not all colonies were visited last summer but bird flu was probably present in all those that were checked including the colonies at Bempton and Bass Rock.
There appear to be few other reports this year of Gannets being found on the ground away from cliff nesting sites. Dr Jana Jeglinski, who is a member of the team researching bird flu in Gannets knows of two other examples but she is not aware of the HPAIV status of the birds.
Bird Flu in wild birds, how to help:
ANY SPECIES: If you find a dead wild bird (previous thresholds no longer apply), do not touch it but please report to DEFRA following advice on their website.
BLACK-EYED GANNETS: Dr Jeglinski, Jana.Jeglinski@glasgow.ac.uk, would appreciate receiving reports of Black-eyed Gannets (alive, unwell or dead), especially if found in unusual places.
Photographs:
top: Gannet found in Brantingham with one dark-eye, April 2023 (RS).
bottom: Gannets at Troup Head, Aberdeenshire, March 2023: normal iris compared with black iris (Sarah Wanless).
Reference:
Balfour, H. 1922. Varieties of the Common Gannet. British Birds, 15 (4), 82-84.
Richard Shillaker, 22nd April 2023
Frogspawn on pond netting
One pond in my garden is covered with netting to prevent a visiting Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) feasting on the large Orfe (Leuciscus idus), Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and Goldfish (Carassius auratus). The net is suspended a few inches above the pond, with some gaps at the edge to allow amphibians access to the water. Three clumps of frogspawn were present this year which was unusual because Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) do not normally breed in this pond. The first clump was located, as might be expected, amongst plants in the shallows. A few days later, I was surprised to find the net dipping into the pond with a clump of spawn on top of the net (photo 1). I promptly removed the spawn and placed it elsewhere in the pond. The next morning there was another clump of frogspawn weighing down the net but this time the net was not touching the water (photo 2). There was only a small amount of spawn (not swollen) on the net; most of the spawn was in the pond attached to the underside of the net (photo 3). Each of these net-associated clumps must have been the result of frogs mating on the net. Frogspawn swells on contact with water; it is likely that the first clump had swollen in water overlaying the net and that the swollen spawn could then not pass through the net. In contrast, most of the second clump probably passed through the net before swelling on contact with water.
Richard Shillaker, 1 April 2023
Red Admiral sightings in February
Red Admiral, Woodale, 26 February 2023
I have seen a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) flying in February on three separate occasions in the Brantingham/Ellerker area this year. The first two sightings were in Brantingham village: on the 8th one was flying around a kitchen before leaving through an open door and then a few weeks later, on the 21st, an individual was spotted in a flower bed before resting briefly on an outside wall. This was followed on the 26th by finding a Red Admiral sunning itself on the trunk of a tree in Woodale (Ellerker Parish) before it too flew off. On all three occasions the butterfly was brightly coloured ('fresh') and no damage to the wings was noted. I thought these winter sightings were unusual. However, on further investigation, I discovered that this migrant butterfly is increasingly found to be wintering in the UK (Refs 1 and 2). Although no other sighting of an adult Red Admiral has been reported to Sean Clough (the VC61 Butterfly Recorder) for the period December 2022 - February 2023, Sean has records from some previous winters.
References
Beaumont H.E., Fletcher C.H., Jones C., Hall N., Partridge M. and Relf P.A. 2021. Yorkshire Butterflies and Moths 2021, Argus93, 1-152.
Entertaining a six-year-old on a train journey for an hour can be taxing at the best of times, and as we all know, looking for wildlife can be a great way of passing the time. Our journey from Scarborough to Beverley was unfortunately near dusk so, following a number of Buzzards and Hares, by the time Filey station approached it was decidedly crepuscular. As the train drew out of the station, not expecting to see much at all, I was startled to see what appeared to be a thriving colony of Mistletoe on a row of presumed Poplars fringing a sports field. As the light was fading, it was decided a return trip to investigate was required. Two days later a three-generation investigation party pulled into the car park of the Filey Playing Fields Association and my initial suspicions where instantly proved correct. The row of about fifteen trees held around fifty individual Mistletoe plants of varying ages. Clearly thriving and propagating, a survey of the surrounding area is certainly called for.
It was a mild and windy Christmas Eve in Beverley, with strange portents all around. A skein of pink-footed geese flew sideways. A bright moon shone over a new lake on Westwood. And stunning nacreous clouds, edged with rippling rainbow colours, glowed against the dark sky.
... I initially thought this was a shoelace, but then crouched next to it while it basked. It was enjoying the sunshine and it allowed me to take plenty of photos. This is my first native reptile in Hull. Now the question is, are there any Common Lizards or Slow Worms still living in the area?
After what seemed an interminable wait for dry weather, I have started my systematic garden moth trapping season. Following a false start with an empty ice-covered trap, the first moths have now started to show up. Earliest to arrive was the hardy Hebrew Character (left), which after over-wintering as a pupa, feeds on the Sallow blossom. The only other species to date has been the aptly-named Early Grey (right), whose caterpillars feed on the Honeysuckle.
At Hoddy Cows Val spotted some lumps of 'slime'. We quickly eliminated a fungal or slime mould origin, and Africa thought this might be Star Jelly, so named as it was historically thought to be the fallen remains of a shooting star. By the 18th century the naturalist Thomas Pennant was, more prosaically, attributing this gloop to the vomit of an animal. In 2015 Chris Packham sent a sample to the Natural History Museum for analysis and it was confirmed to be the DNA of a frog, with some Magpie too. 
At first sight I thought I had found an orange moss growing on a log. However an internet search revealed it to be a mass of fungal hyphae called an ozonium. I did not notice any mushroom–like structures, nor on returning to check just before Christmas. I only found evidence for two British fungi producing an ozonium: Coprinellus domesticus and Coprinellus radians. The ozonium looks similar in both species, as do the fruit bodies, and so you need to measure spore size to determine the species (ref. 1). Coprinellus domesticus is also known as the Firerug Inkcap because its ozonium resembles a fluffy mat; it can sometimes be found on damp flooring or roof timbers, hence the specific epithet domesticus. 
I was intrigued by Richard's posting on the fuzzy orange ozonium he’d found. In May 2021 I found the fruiting body of what I assumed was the Firerug Inkcap, Coprinellus domesticus, on a dead branch in the Limekiln Pits on Beverley Westwood. The caps were clearly emerging from the orange ozonium formed from the hyphae on the surface of the wood. Having read the article Richard referenced, however, I realise I should have taken a spore sample, as it could have been C. radians. The correct labelling, as Roehl suggests, should probably be 'C. domesticus species group'.
I have been advised that the grey foliose lichen in the above photograph (from 4 November 2022) is Physcia adescendens and has turned pink because it has been infected by the lichenicolous fungus Laetisaria lichenicola. The fungus is thought to be common and widespread but was first recognised in Britain in 2015 (ref. 1). It also infects Physcia tenella, turning it pink. These two Physcia species look similar but can be told apart by the hood shaped swellings at the end of the branches on P. adescendens (ref. 2). I think the mustard coloured lichen is Xanthoria parietina, a very pollution tolerant species.
I took a very chilly walk to the Sculcoates area this morning, and I'm glad I went for a short wander to the North Cemetery as I found a small flock of Lesser Redpolls (Acanthis cabaret). They were feeding on catkins in some small birches and let me photograph away until a Blackbird alarm flushed them all. It was very interesting to watch how they hold the catkin with one foot against the branch where they are perching so that they can extract the seeds more efficiently.
Two crustaceans caught on our field excursion.
Common Broomrape (top) and Speckled Bush-cricket nymph (bottom),found on last vestige of the old Priory Sidings site, soon to be redeveloped commercially.
On Saturday 27th encouraged by records coming in from the south of England on iNaturalist, I decided to search for bush-cricket nymphs. Don't take out your bat detectors yet, as nymphs don't call. Some can't even be identified to species in the earlier stages, but two species can: Speckled Bush crickets are bright green with black spots, and Roesel's Bush-cricket nymphs have a distinctive yellow edge to their pronotum. I had been given a butterfly net for my birthday and I took it with me. I tried it at Abbey Way by the railway line on a patch of cranesbills and I caught a Speckled Bush-cricket (top picture), the only one that day. On Sunday I went to Jack Kaye field, and I caught two tiny Roesel's Bush-crickets (bottom picture). I released one on the grass and took a better picture than the Speckled Bush, who jumped before I had that chance.
Anthophora plumipes have been around Beverley for a few weeks now. This female, all black apart from the reddish hairs on her legs, was busy on Red Dead-nettle outside the Flemingate Centre while being stalked by a male, which looks very different, buff-coloured with pale hairs on his face. They are some of the largest and earliest solitary bees.
Towards the end of our field trip to Sewerby Hall in February we took the steps down the cliff to see what we could find on the shore. Along the base of the cliffs we spotted two Rock Pipits which moved ahead of us along the rocks. Africa took some photos but it was only later that she realised that one of the birds had rings on both legs, a metal one and an orange one with a letter code. A bit of detective work revealed that the pipit had been ringed in Giske, Norway in September 2021 and so had travelled 1000 km to become a winter visitor to Bridlington.
I was cutting back old stems of Bulrush (aka Reedmace) Typha latifolia around Brantingham village pond in early February when a stem with a line of six closely-spaced small holes caught my eye. On slicing the stem open, and others nearby, I found a number of similar looking spiders and a large well marked ichneumon wasp in the central open channel. The spiders were mostly in individual silk shelters, with several near the line of holes. The spiders appeared to be members of the genus Clubiona (sac spiders), which are predominantly nocturnal hunters. A definite species ID was not attempted because this required detailed examination of the genitalia. However one potential candidate is the wetland species C. phragmitis; females are reported to use holes in Bulrush during the winter (Ref 1). The ichneumon, a female, was "most probably" Chasmias paludator (thanks to Jaswinder Boparai of the Natural History Museum in London for the likely ID). This species of ichneumon is known to be a parasitoid of at least two species of noctuid moths whose larvae feed on Bulrushes; in one study the ichneumon "appeared to prefer" the Bulrush Wainscot Nonagria typhae (Ref 2). The holes I spotted in a Bulrush stem might have been caused by larvae of this moth (Ref 3).
On a visit to Ellerker Drain just before Christmas, I spotted a tall willow with numerous woody galls on the outermost twigs. The willow was either a Crack-willow (Salix x fragilis agg.) or a White Willow (S. alba); I didn't do the twig snap test for an audible crack. The galls would have formed on catkins but the identity of the causer of these types of galls on willows is uncertain. It could have been caused by a virus, phytoplasma or a mite; see my report (
I was rather surprised to see a Red Admiral in the garden this morning. It was feeding on a sunny Mahonia bush in the company of a ?Honey Bee.
Yesterday, while prospecting ivy in a tenfoot between Victoria and Park Avenues, I found some Ivy Bees, Colletes hederae, my first in Hull and as far as I'm aware the first records in Hull. Ivy Bees were first found in the UK in 2001 and since then they have been steadily moving northwards. I felt that given that they appear to need sandy, loose soil for nesting, they might not colonise the clay soils of Hull, but it appears that I was wrong. Ivy Bees are close relatives of Sea Aster Bees, Colletes halophilus, but can be distinguished by their larger size, like a honey bee, tawny abdominal bands, and preferred pollen source, which is Ivy. They are also our latest flying solitary bees, as their flight season coincides with Ivy flowering period from September to November. There are a scatter of records from East Yorkshire, including South Cave, North Cave, North Ferriby, Cottingham, Kilnsea and Flamborough, so they might already be more widely dispersed than thought.
What a wonderful walk we had yesterday around Broadgate farm. Initially a bit disorientated as none of us there knew the area, we managed to make the circular, 7 km walk via some wonderful paths. At one of them, Bill was using his technique of shaking lower branches of trees over his insect net when they called to me. I joined them to be shown my first Oak Bush Cricket ever, a female! The tree was indeed an Oak, and Bill managed to find two more, another female and a male. This completes my list for the Bush-cricket species of Yorkshire, thanks Bill! Many Roesel's and Long-winged Coneheads called from grassy fields along the route, Bill also found two Common Groundhoppers and two species of grasshoppers were also recorded, so a good Orthoptera trip. The path south of Broadgate Farm held many woodland plants and it was reminiscent of our Jillywoods walk.
Yesterday morning I visited the Argyle Street brownfield site which I know as the KC stadium railway triangle. Before I left, I did a bit of litter picking, and whilst doing this I found a pretty little vetch of unusual colour. I took a photo and used iNaturalist for identification and it came up with Grass Vetchling. At home I looked it up and there were no vc61 records so I doubted this identification.
I met Gabrielle at Argyle Street this morning to show her. She was happy to confirm that it was Lathyrus nissolia, a plant regarded as 'regionally extinct' in the South-east Yorkshire (vc61) Rare Plant Register, 2015 edition. 
In bright sunshine a very small group set off on an abridged circular walk from Ashberry farm, taking in woodland edge, meadow, bog, and road verge with a short dip into Reins Wood. Underlying limestone made for a rich flora, including Green Hellebore, Spurge-laurel, Mountain Currant, Baneberry (top), Changing Forget-me-not, Ragged Robin and Herb-paris.
An adult Gannet (the Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus) was found alive but grounded on/near the road up Spout Hill in Brantingham (SE4929) on Sunday 2nd April. The right eye did not look normal being dark in colour. In an enlarged photograph (top) the iris appears to have a ring of black dots encircling the pupil. It is possible that the dots are an artefact of enlarging the photo and that there actually was an abnormal dark ring in the iris. Typically, the eye of an adult Gannet looks very striking with a light blue-grey iris (with a fine dark outer ring) and a dark pupil, surrounded by a pale blue orbital ring of bare skin and an outer zone of black skin.
One pond in my garden is covered with netting to prevent a visiting Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) feasting on the large Orfe (Leuciscus idus), Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and Goldfish (Carassius auratus). The net is suspended a few inches above the pond, with some gaps at the edge to allow amphibians access to the water. Three clumps of frogspawn were present this year which was unusual because Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) do not normally breed in this pond. The first clump was located, as might be expected, amongst plants in the shallows. A few days later, I was surprised to find the net dipping into the pond with a clump of spawn on top of the net (photo 1). I promptly removed the spawn and placed it elsewhere in the pond. The next morning there was another clump of frogspawn weighing down the net but this time the net was not touching the water (photo 2). There was only a small amount of spawn (not swollen) on the net; most of the spawn was in the pond attached to the underside of the net (photo 3). Each of these net-associated clumps must have been the result of frogs mating on the net. Frogspawn swells on contact with water; it is likely that the first clump had swollen in water overlaying the net and that the swollen spawn could then not pass through the net. In contrast, most of the second clump probably passed through the net before swelling on contact with water.
Red Admiral, Woodale, 26 February 2023
Entertaining a six-year-old on a train journey for an hour can be taxing at the best of times, and as we all know, looking for wildlife can be a great way of passing the time. Our journey from Scarborough to Beverley was unfortunately near dusk so, following a number of Buzzards and Hares, by the time Filey station approached it was decidedly crepuscular. As the train drew out of the station, not expecting to see much at all, I was startled to see what appeared to be a thriving colony of Mistletoe on a row of presumed Poplars fringing a sports field. As the light was fading, it was decided a return trip to investigate was required. Two days later a three-generation investigation party pulled into the car park of the Filey Playing Fields Association and my initial suspicions where instantly proved correct. The row of about fifteen trees held around fifty individual Mistletoe plants of varying ages. Clearly thriving and propagating, a survey of the surrounding area is certainly called for.