14 June 2021

Had a quick walk around some of the Blue this morning in the sunshine and played on the Green this evening.

Came across a new species of damselfly on the pond in front of the 4th tee.  There were quite of few of them flying round.

Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) Ischnura elegans [4th Blue]

Both Dog Rose and Honeysuckle are scrambling across the Hedgerow to the left of the 2nd.

Dog Rose Rosa canina [2nd Blue]

Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum [2nd Blue]

I found another Pyramidal Orchid between the 8th and 11th, this time fully in flower, not far from the Southern Marsh Orchids (first photo).

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [10th Blue]

In amongst the thick rough there are a few different species of thistle - providing extra incentive to keep the ball on the fairway, particularly if wearing shorts or a skirt.  Musk thistle is the one that has large nodding flower heads.

Musk Thistle Carduus nutans [12th Blue]

Welted thistle has smaller flowers and branched stems and lots of spiny wings all the way up the stem.

Welted Thistle Carduus crispus [15th Blue]

Marsh thistle has unbranched stems and a cluster of flowers at the top.

Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre [4th Green]

Meadow Thistle is friendlier and has no harsh spines and a single flower on a long stalk.  You can see this growing in the fen around the 4th Green/16th Red.

Meadow Thistle Cirsium dissectum [16th Red]

10 November 2020

Large numbers of Mistle Thrush and Redwing behind the 13th green on the Red.

Not much else of note bird-wise.  No sign of the Crossbills today.

A couple of rather lonely plants in flower:

Harebell Campanula rotundifolia [5th Red]

Musk Thistle  Carduus nutans [4th Red]

White Dead-Nettle Lamium album [12th Red]

I found what I thought was a rather interesting looking fungus growing on nettles on the footpath between the 4th and 5th on the Red.  On submitting to the UK fungi forum, it turns out that it is actually a type of mould rather than a fungus.   

Mucilago crustacea [5th Red]

Thanks to Mike for replying

'... your find isn't actually a fungus, it's a myxomycete (slime mould), and in this case, it's one of the few myxo's which are readily and easily identifiable without microscopy - from "macro" characteristics alone.

Your find is absolutely typical of Mucilago crustacea, a myxo which always grows on living herbaceous material -primarily grasses, but also on nettles, rushes, etc. etc. - where it will always be found like this, quite low to the ground.'

There is also plenty of genuine fungi about.

Common Puffball - Lycoperdon perlatum [5th Red]

Snowy waxcap -  Cuphophyllus virgineus [5th Red]