Tuesday 12 April 2011

The game of adding to the Tophill species list continues

A regular weekend sees Doug Fairweather and I trying to add new species to the Tophill Low NR list. It becomes rather fun wondering what the next one might be.

Pictures from Saturday included another selection of new site ticks once Doug had checked them with the literature - which was simple enough as he had the photographs from all the needed angles!!!

First up in one of the moth traps was this Parasyrphus punctulatus.



Each week we’ve been checking specialist habitats for a certain species of fungi and this weekend we came up trumps with 3 Peziza echinospora specimens discovered. One was collected, one inadvertently encountered a size 15 boot and looked a little sad, but one remains and maybe next weekend a few more might well be around. The species is also known as Charcoal Cup.



This was a good example of looking once, looking again, not getting disheartened and carrying on looking until you eventually see the target. The rule I find works for many things provided the habitat is suitable. Just because no one has seen it doesn’t mean it isn’t there does it?!

So having found two species we know aren’t on the Tophill list, we’ll have to look this one up - Tetrix subulata aka Slender Groundhopper. Unfortunately, our photography session with the Tetrix was interrupted by the passing Purple Heron but then the task was fulfilled for the day.



Top by Doug and the one below by me. Need to get these photographed without the glass pot!



Plenty of nice scientific names for some of the readers who enjoy them!

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