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A Suffolk Lane

~ A diary of my life in rural north Suffolk.

A Suffolk Lane

Tag Archives: fungus

A New Year’s Walk at Dunwich

06 Mon Jan 2020

Posted by Clare Pooley in Historic Buildings, Rural Diary, walking, woodland

≈ 60 Comments

Tags

Alexanders, conservation, Dunwich, Dunwich Greyfriars Trust, erosion, fungus, Greyfriars Monastery, Greyfriars Wood, Holly, ruins, stinking iris, Suffolk, sycamore, trees, walking

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you will have a blessed and healthy new year.  I apologise if I haven’t visited your sites/blogs recently but I will endeavour to do so very soon.

I would like to thank all my kind followers, readers and visitors for continuing to support me despite very few posts during the past couple of years.  I am just embarking on my 7th year as a WordPress blogger, which amazes me and dismays me at the same time.  What on earth have I achieved in those six years since January 2014?  Not much, I think!

 

ooooOOoooo

 

My daughter Alice and her husband Phil came to stay with us this Christmas and Alice brought her cat Mona with her as well.  Mum came for lunch on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day so our house was nicely full of family.  I took Mum to Midnight Mass at Eye church on Christmas Eve getting back home at 1.15 am.  Next morning I went to our church at Rumburgh and helped Richard get it ready as it was our turn to hold the Christmas morning Communion service this year.  I also stayed for the service and helped tidy up afterwards.  I had put the turkey in the oven to roast before leaving for church and by the time I got home again it was time to take it out.  Alice had prepared all the vegetables for me while I was out so I had no trouble getting on with the meal on my return.  Boxing Day was easier as I didn’t have to go out in the morning but I had just as much food to cook.  By the time we had finished lunch and I had made us tea and coffee I was ready for a rest.  Richard did a wonderful job clearing the table and doing all the washing-up and dishwasher loading and unloading on both days!  Phil went back home on Friday 27th but Alice and Mona stayed on until the following Monday which was lovely!  I was so happy having both my daughters with me this Christmas!  We all went out for lunch in Halesworth on Saturday and then drove to the seaside at Southwold.  We walked the whole length of the promenade and back again and then to the end of the pier and back before returning to the car and going home.  It was very busy with other walkers, chilly and breezy, fine and dry and we were glad of the walk.  I took no photographs.

I spent most of Monday and Tuesday shopping for Mum and us, doing the washing and putting the things back into the spare room that had been removed to make room for our guests.  Richard and I both felt we needed to get out of the house again but wanted to walk somewhere different.  On New Year’s Day we decided that Dunwich Heath would be a good place to go and thought that it would have less mud and puddles to wade through than most walks.  However, when we got there the crowds were so great that there was nowhere to park and a queue had formed so we turned round and drove to the beach car park.  We found a space, though that car park was very full too.

Here it is on our return from our walk.

Here is a view of Dingle Marshes over the tops of parked cars.

We started off by walking down to the beach to look at the sea.  The beach was quite busy with walkers and dogs and the wind off the sea was biting.  We didn’t stay long.

A sepia view of Dunwich beach.

We left the beach and walked up towards the main part of Dunwich village.  We turned off the lane and took a footpath that climbed up through Greyfriars Wood.  At the top of the incline the path then went along the edge of the cliff.

The disconcerting sign.

Most of the East Anglian coastline is eroding fairly quickly.  After every storm we expect to find that large chunks of the cliff have broken off and fallen onto the beach.  Our friend Cordelia’s daughter has written a book about what it is like to live in a house on the edge of a cliff in Suffolk.  The book is called ‘The Easternmost House’ and is available in paperback and on Kindle.

Here is a view from the path. See how close the edge of the cliff is!

I always like to see what plants are growing wherever I walk, as you know. This is Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima )

This plant has many names; Roast-beef Plant, Gladdon or Gladwyn, Bloody Bones, Blue Devil, Dragon Flower, Dagger Flower are a few of them.  If the leaves are rubbed they give off an odour like stale, raw beef.  The flowers are pale mauve/purple, sometimes with some yellow colour as well and are veined with darker lines.  It comes into its own in the autumn and winter when the seed pods burst open and reveal these glorious orange seeds.  The leaves are evergreen, typical iris leaves.  The name Gladdon or Gladwyn comes from the Old English word for a sword.

Beautiful orange seeds!

Further along the path at the edge of the wood I saw this rotting tree-stump with toadstools on it.

Woods near the coast are very rare as trees do not usually fare well in salt-laden air and suffer in the wind and storms.  This mixed woodland was planted in the eighteenth century by the family who owned the village at that time.  The Dunwich Greyfriars Trust which manages the wood today say that only Sycamore trees (Acer pseudoplatanus) are hardy enough to grow on the side of the wood nearest the cliff edge and that there are no young trees in the wood.  They are trying to overcome the latter by fencing off areas where large trees have fallen and open glades have appeared.  The fences prevent deer from destroying all the seedlings and saplings that will appear in the sunlight and it is to be hoped that the wood will begin to regenerate.

These are the ruins of the Greyfriars Monastery.

All that is left of the 13th/14th century monastery are these ruins, thought to be the refectory at the southern end of the complex.  The cloisters, with accommodation for monks and visitors, and an enormous church were further to the north and were all destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.  The nave and chancel of the church together were about 58 metres long and up to 17 metres wide (190 feet 3.5 ins x 55 feet 9 ins).  There is a perimeter wall around the site of the monastery which was built sometime after the main buildings were constructed and has been repaired and rebuilt many times in the intervening years.  There were three gates into the complex; two which still stand on the western side allowed access to the main road that ran into and away from the medieval town of Dunwich.  The third, now lost to the sea gave access directly into the town with its large port which was also lost centuries ago.

The western gates

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It is always interesting to see how these old buildings are constructed and with what materials.

The Dunwich Greyfriars Trust work hard conserving what they can of these ruins.  They have capped off most of the walls to prevent rain and frost damage.  If you look carefully at one of the photos in the slideshow you will see a sign asking visitors not to climb on the ruins. You can also see in my other photos how much notice the visitors take of the sign!

Greyfriars ruins

Part of the complex showing the perimeter wall

The perimeter wall comes to an end here at the cliff edge. Much of this part of the wall is original 14th/15th century work and hasn’t been rebuilt.  Eventually the whole monastery complex will end up in the sea.

We re-entered the wood near to the cliff edge

The sad but beautiful trunk of a long-dead tree

We found a little bridge, built fairly recently.

There is a lot of Holly (Ilex aquifolium) in the wood

The leaves on this dead holly branch were shining like bronze.

We emerged onto the road next to the perimeter wall

An interesting mixture of flint, beach pebbles and pieces of stone recycled from elsewhere

We stood in the main gateway and looked across the area that had once been monastery land. A pony now keeps the grass in order.

The smaller west gate as seen from the road

A very nice example of flushwork over the gateway

In the gateway

You may have noticed how green everything is. This is Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)

This plant is an ancient introduction, probably at the time of the Roman occupation.  Its unusual name refers to its Macedonian origin, Alexander the Great’s birthplace.  It is wholly edible and the name Smyrnium is from the Greek word for myrrh and refers to its myrrh-like taste.The leaves can be made into a white sauce or used as a herb.  The young stems can be cooked and eaten like asparagus, the flowerbuds may be used in salads and the roots cooked as a substitute for parsnips.  I read that an old Irish recipe lists alexanders, watercress and nettles as ingredients for ‘Lenten pottage’.  In the 17th century its black seeds were sold in apothecaries’ shops as Macedonian parsley seeds and Nicholas Culpeper the herbalist listed many uses for it including the power to cure not only flatulence but snakebite too!  Until recently Alexanders was only to be found in the south and east of Britain and close to the milder coast.  However, I have noticed its spread inland and northwards of late.

The Greyfriars Trust have been trying to manage the spread of Alexanders in the wood.  It grows so densely it prevents seeds from germinating and smothers other plants.  We have had a mild winter so far with some frosts that have melted by midday and no snow as yet.  We have had lots of rain and so many plants have continued growing through the autumn and winter and plants, like Alexanders that died after flowering in the early summer have new plants growing from seed already.

This is the lane that passes along next to the monastery wall and enters what is left of the ‘town’ of Dunwich.

This is near where we first entered the wood at the beginning of our walk. You see how Alexanders is spreading everywhere.

Dunwich village.  Lots of cars parked in the road and many of the cars’ passengers are probably in the ‘The Ship’, the inn with the tall chimneys just beyond the black car.

I am indebted to the excellent website belonging to the Dunwich Greyfriars Trust for much of the information in this post.  My other reference books have been the Reader’s Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain, Reader’s Digest Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain, Culpeper’s Colour Herbal published by W Foulsham and Company Limited, Collins Complete Guide to British Wild Flowers, Collins Complete Guide to British Trees, Flora Brittanica by Richard Mabey, Vickery’s Folk Flora and Harrap’s Wild Flowers.  The photographs are all my own.

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All Change!

06 Sun Mar 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, family, Norwich, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking, weather

≈ 70 Comments

Tags

Crockham Hill, Dog's Mercury, family life, funeral, fungus, House renovations, Kent, lesser celandine, lichen, Lords and Ladies, Minsmere, moss, Norwich Railway Station, Peterborough Mosque, plants, presents, The Fens, trees, Tyrrels Wood, woodland

We have had a very busy few weeks here with very little time for relaxation.  We are all rather tired and stressed and could do with a holiday (or a few weeks at home with nothing to do!), though there is little chance of that just yet.

All the planned work in this first phase of house renovation has been done and we are very pleased with the results.  The new windows, doors and garage doors are looking good and the house and garage are feeling much warmer.  We still have a little sorting out to do in the garage and a few more trips to the tip and charity shops with the things we no longer need.  There is a little room at the back of the garage which had a toilet and wash-hand basin in it which we never used.  We had the plumbing removed shortly after Christmas and Richard painted the room last week.  He has bought some shelves for it and we hope it will be a good storage room for the bird-seed and fruit and vegetables.  It has a window which we hope to brick up and put in a vent in its place.  For now we will put a screen against the window to prevent the light getting in.

DSCN0246

Potatoes chitting on the garage window-sill. Note the new window!

We worked very hard to get the house ready for the work and it was worth the trouble we took.  Most of the time there was just one window fitter – a very pleasant, hard-working man who was so proficient and tidy it was a pleasure to have him here.  He let us know which rooms he would be working on during the following day so we prepared by moving furniture and covering everything we could with dust sheets.  While he worked on one room we got the next ready and so we progressed round the house.  He was here for five days and on his last day with us he was joined by a colleague and together they replaced the Velux window in Elinor’s room.  It was unfortunate that the weather wasn’t very nice that day with snow, sleet, hail and rain showers and it took some time for Elinor’s room to warm up again.  We supplied the men with plenty of hot tea to help them keep warm!

I washed, dried and ironed lots of pairs of curtains and also took the opportunity to launder other furnishings too.  I feel I made a good start to my spring cleaning!

Elinor took her two mock maths GCSE exams the same week that we had most of the window work done.  (She is re-taking her maths because the grade she got last year wasn’t good enough).  She also handed in her art project work that she had been working on since Christmas.  She got a pass mark for the art (there are only two marks she could have got – a pass or a referral) and she got a ‘C’ for her maths which has pleased us all.  If she gets a ‘C’ grade when she takes her exams for real in the summer it will mean she has the minimum grade all colleges and employers demand.  She won’t ever have to go to a Maths class again or take any more maths exams.  (A sigh of relief from Elinor!)

DSCN0207Crockham Hill

View from Crockham Hill churchyard.

I now feel I must say how much I appreciated all your kindnesses when I spoke of the death of my aunt – I was most touched; thank-you.  The funeral went very well and was a very satisfying celebration of her life.  It was good to see my brother, sister and all my cousins and their families and to re-visit Kent and Crockham Hill, the village where my Aunt Marie and Uncle Fred lived for so many years.  Aunt Marie had moved away into sheltered accomodation after Uncle Fred died.

12644851_937276086327968_6429599727916884182_n

Aunt Marie and Uncle Fred

It was sleeting and snowing as I set off for my brother’s house that morning and that continued until my brother had driven us to the Suffolk/Essex border when the clouds began to break up.  When we got to Westerham in Kent where we stopped for coffee, the sun had come out.  My cousin had arranged a lovely buffet meal for us all after the funeral in The Royal Oak, Uncle Fred’s local pub.

The Fens in Cambridgeshire seen from the window of the train I took to Sheffield.

The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window
The Fens seen from a train window

I travelled to Sheffield by train so that I could see Alice in her production of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’.  The play was excellently performed by all the cast and I enjoyed it very much.  I stayed at Alice’s house overnight and met one of her housemates and also Alice’s cat, Mona.  Alice and I breakfasted in the city next morning before I caught my train back home.

DSCN0221Peterborough

The Mosque in Peterborough seen from the train

DSCN0208Norwich Station

Norwich Railway Station

DSCN0211Norwich Station

These life-size figures stand outside the station and are rather a disparate group.  Admiral Lord Nelson on the left; born in Norfolk and was a great Naval commander during the Napoleonic Wars and was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar – Edith Cavell; born in Norfolk and was executed during WW1 for helping allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium – Stephen Fry; born in London though grew up in Norfolk and is an actor, writer, presenter, activist and ‘National Treasure’.

I saw quite a lot of my mother during the middle of February as she had a number of appointments to keep ( two hospital appointments in Norwich and two with her local doctor) and a fair amount of shopping to do.  Elinor and I had a meeting at her college to discuss her support needs for her next academic year and to deal with any support problems she has this year. I had been looking forward to Elinor’s half-term holiday but as the window replacement carried on into that week and as we had other duties to perform it wasn’t as restful as I’d hoped.  Elinor had a hair appointment on the Thursday and we had planned to go with her and have lunch out in the city.  Unfortunately, I woke with a migraine and had to spend most of the day in bed.  Richard took Elinor to Norwich and they had lunch in a café.  Richard brought me back a lovely couple of presents.

DSCN0227My presents

My presents!

I love the design on the tote bag!  It is by the artist Amelia Bowman and is a view across the roofs of the market towards the castle. The book is also just what I need for my visits to the churches in the city.

We have managed two short walks; one at the RSPB reserve at Minsmere and the other in Tyrrels Wood which lies to the north of Diss and Harleston in Norfolk.  Neither of the walks were particularly interesting but we were out in the fresh (very fresh and cold!) air and were taking some exercise.

Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
Minsmere trees
IMG_2611Minsmere

Richard at Minsmere

IMG_2621Minsmere

Minsmere reedbeds

A slideshow of some small but quite interesting things!

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Our walk in Tyrrels Wood was less pleasant as it was so very muddy and we were disappointed by the state it was in.  There was a quantity of litter in the wood, especially near the entrance and it was obvious that the wood is used by dog-walkers.  We had to watch where we walked!  In this country it is illegal to allow one’s dog to foul a public area and not clean up after it.  I am surprised that a large organisation like the Woodland Trust is happy to leave the wood in this condition.

DSCN0247

The spotted leaves of Lords and Ladies/Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arum maculatum) next to Dog’s Mercury (Mercurialis perennis)

DSCN0248

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) also with Dog’s Mercury

DSCN0250

Tyrrels Wood

DSCN0251

An ancient coppice stool. This group of trees was once one tree but through repeated coppicing (cutting back the tree to near ground level to let new shoots re-grow) it has become a group of trees with a shared root system.

DSCN0254

The bark patterns on this tree are interesting.

And now for my music selection!  A little trip down memory lane to the summer of 1978 when I was nearly 20 years old and fancy-free.

Thanks for visiting!

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An Autumn Walk at Minsmere.

29 Thu Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

autumn, fungus, lichen, Minsmere, plants, ponds, RSPB reserve, Suffolk, trees, walking

We took advantage of a dry but cloudy afternoon earlier this week to walk through the woods at Minsmere.  To those of you who don’t know, Minsmere is an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) wildlife reserve situated on the coast in Suffolk.  We didn’t see many birds, though as the afternoon wore on and the crowds of visitors began to leave we began to hear more birdsong.

IMG_5857Sand martin burrows

The cliff behind the visitor centre with Sand Martin (Delichon urbica) burrows. I’m not sure what the larger holes are – probably rabbit burrows.

We went first to the ponds behind the visitor centre to see if there was any sign of the Bird’s-nest fungus that was discovered there last year.  I looked but didn’t see any though that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there!  I did see some lichen on the decking.

IMG_5852Cladonia  Lichen

One of the Cladonia lichens

IMG_5855Lichen

More lichen was growing on the ground amongst the sparse grass and moss.

We saw lots of fungi on our walk but because of the low light many of my photographs didn’t come out very well and had to be erased.

IMG_5854Fungus

Fungus

IMG_5856Reeds

Reeds in the pond near the visitor centre – mainly Great Reedmace/ Bulrush (Typha latifolia)

IMG_5858Chestnut tree

A bright Sweet Chestnut tree (Castanea sativa)

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IMG_5871The wood

A little pale sunshine filtered down through the trees

IMG_5874Path at Minsmere

I believe the section they have roped off here is where the Adders (Vipera berus) live.

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IMG_5869Bramble flowers

We saw plenty of Bramble flowers (Rubus fruticosus agg.)

IMG_5876The wood

There was dead wood everywhere

IMG_5877Richard and Elinor

Richard and Elinor watching the rabbits on Warren Hill

IMG_5878Warren Hill

Lots of rabbits live here. The birds of prey appreciate this!

IMG_5879Sun through trees

We saw more of the sun as we neared sunset

IMG_5880Minsmere

Sun on the reeds and rushes

IMG_5882Minsmere

Minsmere at sunset

IMG_5883The wood

Edge of the wood

IMG_5886Minsmere

Sunset

IMG_5895The wood
IMG_5896The wood
IMG_5897Perhaps Lesser Water-parsnip

I think this may be Lesser Water-parsnip (Berula erecta) but I am probably wrong.

IMG_5898Lesser Water-parsnip

Here it is again showing its leaves

IMG_5900Pond

One of the many ponds

IMG_5901Fern

A fern

IMG_5903Holm oak

Holm or Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex)

IMG_5905The wood
IMG_5907The wood
IMG_5909Minsmere

The bracken has turned such a rich colour

IMG_5910The wood

More dead wood

IMG_5914The wood

More colourful bracken

IMG_5915Fungus

The last fungus we saw – in the carpark!

Thanks for visiting!

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A Walk in Whinlatter Forest

05 Mon Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

bolete, butterfly, cat's-ear, Climbing Corydalis, common ragwort, Forestry Commission, Fox-and-cubs, fungus, heather, lady's-mantle, lichen, moss, pixie-cup lichen, ringlet, walking, Whinlatter Forest, wild flowers

Alice came to visit us on the last day of our holiday in the Lake District.  We met her off the train in Penrith at about 10.00 am and took her back to our rented cottage for a cup of tea.  After catching up with all her news we took her to Whinlatter Forest which we had visited briefly earlier in the week, as Elinor wanted to show it to her sister.

IMG_5237Whinlatter Forest

This is another Forestry Commission forest and is mainly planted with non-native trees.

Not only are there a number of tracks through the woods for walking and mountain biking but they also have segways for hire too.  There are trails designed to appeal to small children and zip wires and swinging on ropes for very active people.

We walked.

IMG_5238Whinlatter Forest

Whinlatter Forest

Alice is a fast walker so she and Richard went ahead.  I am forever on the lookout for interesting plants and insects and take lots of photos and Elinor can’t walk fast or far so we both kept together.

IMG_5239Alice and Richard in the forest

Alice and Richard waiting for Elinor and me.

IMG_5240Forest glade

Elinor liked this forest glade.

IMG_5243Bolete fungus perhaps

A Bolete fungus.  I cannot identify this one.

IMG_5244Underside of the Bolete

Looking at the underside of the toadstool.   The photo shows that Boletes do not have gills but spongy tissue with pores in. This fungus has been eaten by something.

IMG_5245Climbing Corydalis

Climbing Corydalis (Ceratocapnos claviculata)  Not a very good picture.

IMG_5247Heather

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) in bud with a faded Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

IMG_5249Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5254Fox and cubs

Fox-and-cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca) with yellow Cat’s-ear

IMG_5250Lichen perhaps Cladonia pyxidata

I believe this lichen is Cladonia pyxidata – Pixie-cup Lichen

You can see how small these little cups are by comparing them with the pine needles next to them.

IMG_5251Ringlet perhaps

This butterfly flew next to us for some way along a sunny track. I tried to photograph it countless times and this time thought I had managed it….

The reason I really wanted to get a photograph of it was that I thought it looked like a Ringlet butterfly but they usually have eye-spots on their wings.   I have since done some research and I believe it is likely to be a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) as sometimes they are seen without eye-spots.  What is confusing is that all references to Ringlets state that they aren’t found in the north-west of England!  I am sending my inadequate photo to ukbutterflies.co.uk to see what they make of it.

IMG_5252Moss

Yet more moss!

IMG_5256Lady's-mantle

Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris agg) behind more Fox-and-cubs

IMG_5258Common Ragwort

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)

IMG_5255Fell view

View of the surrounding fells (hills)

IMG_5253Skiddaw

This fell is Skiddaw

We returned to the carpark and went into the café and had a drink and a sandwich.  We took Alice back to our cottage for a while until it was time for her to catch her train to Sheffield.  We spent the rest of the day cleaning the cottage and packing for our journey  home the following day.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Dobgill Waterfall

02 Fri Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Dobgill, Dobgill Wood, foxglove, fungus, heath bedstraw, larch trees, liverwort, moss, Phytophthora ramorum disease, tree-felling, walking, waterfall, wood sorrel

After leaving Elinor in the car to rest (see previous post Thirlmere Reservoir) Richard and I began the steep climb up to see the waterfall.

IMG_5210Ramorum sign

The sign that was attached to the gate leading into the upper wood.

This is yet another disease that is killing our trees.  I have found an interesting and informative article on a Forestry Commission site about Ramorum disease and I include it here.  It includes a video in which an expert goes over a diseased tree and points out and explains the symptoms.

IMG_5211Oozing tree

Almost the first tree I saw showed symptoms of a bleed.

IMG_5212Dobgill wood

Tree-felling in Dobgill wood.

I don’t know why the stone wall was here.  Perhaps it had been constructed before the trees were planted.  Just behind the trees in the photo is a sheer rock face.

IMG_5213Dobgill wood

There was a marked difference between the wood below the car-park near the lake and this part of the higher wood.

IMG_5214Dobgill wood

The trees struggle to grow up between boulders. The native deciduous trees have been left standing.

IMG_5215Chewed fungus

Chewed fungus

IMG_5216Path up through wood

This is the steep stony path we took up through the wood.

IMG_5217Dobgill falls

Dobgill Falls

IMG_5225Dobgill falls

Dobgill Falls

IMG_5227

Dobgill Falls

The climb was very tiring because so steep and rough under-foot and I’m not sure that the falls were really worth the struggle to get to see them.  However, Richard and I were very pleased with ourselves at having managed to get to the top.  After a short rest to get our breath back we began to walk back down the hill.

IMG_5223Heath Bedstraw

Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile)

IMG_5224moss

Hypnum cupressiforme moss / Cypress-leaved Plait-moss

I love this moss.  It looks as though it is made from plaited silk.

IMG_5228Wood Sorrel leaves

Wood Sorrel leaves (Oxalis acetosella)

IMG_5230Fungus on dead tree

Fungus (I think) on dead tree

IMG_5234Liverwort

Not a very clear photo of some liverwort

IMG_5236Dobgill wood

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) in Dobgill Wood

I found walking in this upper wood rather a sad experience with disease and death all around.  Because most of the trees in this part of the wood are non-native there are fewer insects, birds, wild flowers and plants than in the lower wood.  Those non-native trees are now being killed by an incurable disease (also known as Sudden Oak Death).  I hope that by destroying these trees the spread of Ramorum can be slowed down and that one day a cure can be discovered.  It would be nice to think that the native trees in the wood that are unaffected might now be able to grow and spread and native wildlife might return.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Thirlmere Reservoir

29 Tue Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

Dobgill Wood, fungus, Helvellyn, insects, moss, plants, slime mould, Thirlmere Reservoir, wild flowers

This post marks the return of posts about our holiday in the Lake District in July.

We spent an afternoon at Thirlmere, a reservoir which was created in 1894 to provide water for the city of Manchester.

IMG_5174Thirlmere

Thirlmere Reservoir. You see here the typical stony, grey edge of a reservoir. I think the fell on the left is Helvellyn.

Thirlmere was originally two smaller lakes and in flooding the valley, the two villages of Amboth and Wythburn were submerged.  Many people protested about the construction of the reservoir, the philanthropist John Ruskin being one of them, but theirs’ was a lost cause.  The citizens of Manchester’s need of fresh water was thought to have been more important than the loss of a couple of villages and a community’s way of life.

IMG_5145Thirlmere reservoir

Thirlmere

Thirlmere is 3.76 miles long and about half a mile wide.  It is surrounded by 2000 acres of coniferous forest, mainly spruce and larch, planted in 1908.  More deciduous, native trees are being planted now.  There was protest at the planting of the forest because the fells were traditionally tree-less and bare.

IMG_5139Woods at Dobgill on banks of Thirlmere

Woods at Dobgill on the banks of Thirlmere.

We parked our car in one of the car-parks off the road that skirts the lake and then walked down to the lakeside through a pretty wood.  It was so green and mossy in that wood!

IMG_5141Moss

This moss was about 8 inches tall.

I think the moss may be Polytrichum commune.  I read that it has square capsules with pointed lids.  These capsules can be seen if you look carefully at my photo.

IMG_5142Possibly Amanita

This may be Amanita franchetii

IMG_5144Slime mould

I believe this is a slime mould. It’s bright yellow colour caught my eye.

We soon got to the lake shore where there was a lot more to see.  There were plants living amongst the stones ….

IMG_5146Marsh Pennywort

The leaves of Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris).  Marsh Pennywort is an atypical umbellifer.  The flowers are tiny and pale (either green or pink) in small umbels on reddish stems.

…and plants at the edge of the wood.

IMG_5148Betony

Betony (Stachys officinalis)

IMG_5152Wood Sage

Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia)

This plant tastes and smells like hops and in some areas has been used as a substitute for them.

IMG_5154Wood Sage

Wood Sage

IMG_5158R and E at Thirlmere

Richard and Elinor enjoying the view.

While they sat and relaxed I wandered about looking for plants and other interesting things.

IMG_5159Mossy outcrop

A large mossy hummock or outcrop

This rock was covered with many different types of moss and lichen.

IMG_5156Moss

Moss

IMG_5157Moss

Mosses – the larger one may be Hypnum cupressiforme

IMG_5160Moss

Moss – this one may be Thuidium tamariscinum

IMG_5161Moss

Not a good shot but this moss may be Pseudocleropodium purum

IMG_5162Lichen and moss

Lichen in amongst the moss.  Not at all sure which this lichen this is!

IMG_5163Mosses

Mosses

IMG_5164Moss

Moss

IMG_5166Moss

Moss

IMG_5167Moss

Yet more mosses!

IMG_5168Lichen

Lichen – for a change!

IMG_5170Moss

Moss

IMG_5172Thirlmere

Thirlmere

IMG_5171Lichen

Lichen with a reddish-brown fruiting body at the bottom right of the picture

IMG_5175Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5176Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5177Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5179Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5178Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5180Fell by Thirlmere

View of a fell from Thirlmere

IMG_5173Marsh Speedwell

Marsh Speedwell (Veronica scutellata)

IMG_5181Water Plantain perhaps

Lesser Water-plantain perhaps? (Baldellia ranunculoides)

IMG_5187Spiders

These spiders look like Lesser Wolf Spider females carrying their egg sacs

IMG_5188Spider

Another spider

We then walked back up to the car-park but by a different route.

IMG_5190Fern

Possibly a Male Fern (Dryopteris felix-mas)

IMG_5192Fungus on log

Fungus on a dead tree

IMG_5193Mossy wall

A mossy wall

IMG_5194Hedge Woundwort

Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)

IMG_5196Hedge Woundwort

Hedge Woundwort flowers

IMG_5197Yorkshire Fog

Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus)

IMG_5198Moss

Moss

IMG_5202Spores on fern

Spores on fern

IMG_5205Walking through bracken

Walking through Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum).  Bracken gets very tall – this was over 5.5 feet tall.

IMG_5204Unknown beetle

I don’t know what this beetle is though it does look a little like a Click Beetle (Athous haemorrhoidalis)

IMG_5206A gill

The Dobgill

IMG_5209Fern

Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

We returned to the car-park where we left Elinor to rest but Richard and I continued walking as we wanted to see the Dobgill waterfall.  I will include that in a different post.

If anyone sees that I have made any mistakes with my identification I would be really grateful for any corrections.  If anyone can identify any of the organisms I have been unable to name, again, I would be very pleased to know.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

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September’s End

25 Fri Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in amphibians, family, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

autumn, berries, buzzard, common lizard, crane fly, family, flowers, Fruit, fruit trees, fungus, garden flowers, greater celandine, wasp nest, wild flowers

IMG_2485Hawthorn

Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

We have had some very cool nights already and lots of rain.  Autumn has arrived!  The nights are drawing in and when I get up just after six o’clock in the morning on Mondays and Fridays I have to wait for well over half an hour before the sun rises.

Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum

I have no news to give you about Alice – I haven’t spoken to her for about a fortnight so I assume she is busy and coping alright.

Morning Glory
Morning Glory
Dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia

To our surprise, the day after I mentioned in this blog that it would take weeks for probate to be granted, it was granted!  Richard has spent two days in Manchester with his brother sorting out all their mother’s finances.  They also went to a place that Joyce was fond of and scattered her ashes.  Richard was hoping to spend three days with Chris and wanted to travel up in his new car but unfortunately his windscreen was hit by a stone chipping last week which left a four inch crack and it needs replacing!  The insurance company is sending someone to our house to carry out the replacement today (which is when Richard had hoped to return home).  He came home yesterday instead (Thursday).  He will have to go back to Manchester in a couple of weeks to finish going through all Joyce’s belongings and deciding what to do with them – a very difficult business.

Dog-rose-hips (Rosa canina)
Dog-rose-hips (Rosa canina)
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Pyracantha berries
Pyracantha berries
Cotoneaster berries
Cotoneaster berries
Black Bryony (Tamus communis) growing through Cotoneaster horizontalis
Black Bryony (Tamus communis) growing through Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis

Elinor has almost completed two weeks at college, is working hard and her tutors are very pleased with her.  She is enjoying the course but finds the social side of college life very tricky.  She is very insecure and worries all the time that she is saying or doing the wrong thing.  She has also been badly affected by her grandmother’s death and funeral.  She is afraid of going to sleep in case she doesn’t wake up again and she is frightened of being left alone both now and in the future.

Eating apples 'Saturne'
Eating apples ‘Saturne’
Pears 'Concorde'
Pears ‘Concorde’
Figs 'Brown Turkey'
Figs ‘Brown Turkey’
Crabapple 'Evereste'
Crabapple ‘Evereste’
Crabapple 'Harry Baker'
Crabapple ‘Harry Baker’
Crabapple
Crabapple

I have been busy in the house and with my mother; Richard has had a lot to do in the garden and has also been arranging our finances now that he has retired.  We have had no time for a walk recently and in fact have done very few walks together during the whole year.  We hope that in the next week or so things will have calmed down and we will be able to find time to go out together.

Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)
Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)
Japanese Ornamental Cherry 'Fragrant Cloud'
Japanese Ornamental Cherry ‘Fragrant Cloud’
Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'
Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
Spindle (Euonymous europaeus)
Spindle (Euonymous europaeus)
Hazel new catkins (Corylus avellana)
Hazel new catkins (Corylus avellana)
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus

The photographs in this post were mainly done during one afternoon this week.

IMG_2479Entrance to wasp nest

This is the entrance to one of the three wasp nests we have in our garden. They took over an old mouse or vole hole.

IMG_2487Crane fly

Crane fly (Tipula paludosa)

IMG_2494Buzzard

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

I saw this plant just inside the stone wall that surrounds St Mary’s church in Bungay.

Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine

This plant is no relation to the Lesser Celandine we see in the springtime.  It is a type of poppy, similar to the Yellow Horned-poppy I found on Dunwich beach a few weeks ago.  Its orange-coloured sap has been used in Asia for burning away warts and corns since the beginning of Chinese civilisation.  This caustic liquid was also used to remove soreness and cloudiness from the eyes!  It uses an oil gland on its seeds to ensure they are taken a distance away.  Ants feed on the oil and then carry the seed off.

Juvenile Common Lizard

Juvenile Common Lizard

For the second week running, I discovered something hiding under our wheelie-bin.  Obviously, rubbish bins are the go-to shelter for small creatures.

IMG_5734Clouds

Elinor and I admired these clouds as we neared home the other day.

IMG_5736Clouds

We turned to our left and saw these!

The following song is dedicated to Elinor.

Thanks for visiting!

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Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

17 Thu Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, wild birds

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

beach huts, beach shop, cannon.Battle of Sole Bay, community radio station, flowers, fungus, GunHill, herring gull, high tide, lichen, life guards, pier, promenade, sand dunes, sea, seaside, shrubs, Southwold, Southwold & Walberswick ferry, Suffolk

My last but one post featured a walk we took on Dunwich beach.  This post is about a walk at Southwold.

As most people who live near the sea know, the best time to visit the beach is after the end of the school holidays.  There are fewer visitors and there’s a greater chance of finding somewhere to park your car.  The sea is warmer than at the beginning of summer and with luck the weather is good too.

We have been having fairly changeable weather this summer so when we saw that the weather was bright and breezy the other Saturday afternoon we decided to make the most of it and go to Southwold.  When we arrived we saw that the tide was right in and the northerly wind was causing the sea to be quite lively.

High Tide

High Tide

The waves were rolling in round the base of the steps that go down to the sand so we couldn’t get onto the beach just yet.

High Tide

Stairway to the sea

We walked along the promenade while the tide started to recede.

Southwold Pier

Southwold Pier

As I mentioned in a former post about Southwold, the pier was restored a few years ago.  It is fun to walk out there when the tide is in and see the waves splashing just under your feet.  There are places to sit and watch the waves and there are places to buy food and drink and shelter from the wind.  The end of the pier is very popular with fishermen.  This is a link to the Pier Cam which will show you a little of what we like to see.  There isn’t much to see at night except the lighthouse flashing but during the day-time it’s quite interesting and you get to find out what the temperature is on the coast too.  Don’t forget the time difference if you live overseas!

End of the Pier

End of the Pier

There seemed to be a number of young Herring Gulls about. (Larus argentatus)

Immature Herring Gull

Immature Herring Gull

Immature Herring Gull

Immature Herring Gull

Immature Herring Gull

Immature Herring Gull

It was a really pleasant walk along the front with other promenaders.  As the sand started to appear people ventured onto the beach and the life guards marked out the safe bathing areas.  Huddled in coats and blankets, the beach hut owners were sitting with the doors opened as they read or drank hot tea or coffee.

Beach Shop

Beach Shop

Southwold Beach

Southwold Beach

Southwold Beach

Southwold Beach

Elinor bewails the fact that our sea isn’t blue.  The North Sea is not deep and the sand on the sea-floor gets churned up especially in stormy weather.  Our sea is brown most of the time.

At the end of the prom. the path goes up the slope to Gun Hill.

Gun Hill

Gun Hill

On the 28th May 1672 a famous sea battle was fought just off-shore from Southwold.  This was the Battle of Sole Bay when the English and French fleets clashed with the Dutch fleet.  It was the first naval battle of the 3rd Anglo-Dutch War and ended with a tactically indecisive result though a strategic Dutch victory.  The English and French fleets combined had a total of 71 warships and the Dutch had 61 vessels and the total number of men taking part was said to have been 50,000.  There was great loss of life.  James, Duke of York the brother of King Charles II was Admiral of the English Fleet and took up residence for the duration of the battle in Sutherland House in the town.

IMG_5627Cannon on Gun Hill

Cannon on Gun Hill

There are six 18lb cannon on the green and were given to the town in 1746 by The Royal Armouries as protection to shipping against raids.

Gun Hill

Gun Hill

Their last known firing was in 1842 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales birthday.  Southwold was bombed during the First World War because the German army considered that Southwold might be a fortified place because they had seen the cannon.  The cannon were buried for safety during the Second World War!

Cannon

Cannon

Cannon

Cannon

Another feature of Gun Hill is the radio station building.

Community Radio Station

Community Radio Station in the Casino

The primary radio transmitting studio is located in an old WWII bunker in the grounds of St Felix School Reydon, a village next to Southwold but further inland.

Erigeron glauca

Erigeron glauca

A few naturalised garden plants thrive on the slopes up from the beach.

Unknown Yellow Daisy

Unknown Yellow Daisy

I don’t know what this flower is; I see it is suffering from mildew!

Tamerix

FrenchTamerisk (Tamarix gallica)

These plants are often planted for soil stabilisation or to act as a wind-break.  They aren’t native but have been established here for a long time and do very well on the coast.

Beach Huts

Beach Huts

There are beach huts all the length of the sea-front.

Gun Hill Beach Café

Gun Hill Beach Café

This is one of the two kiosks that sell food and drink.

Looking Towards Walberswick

Looking Towards Walberswick

Walberswick is the seaside village next to Southwold going south down the coast.  The two places are separated by the River Blyth as it flows out to sea.  There is a ferry operating during the summer months.

Looking Towards Walberswick

Looking Towards Walberswick

Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes

We thought we might walk through the sand dunes to the ferry.

Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes

The Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria) was bending in the strong wind.

Fairy-ring Champignons

Fairy-ring Champignons (Marasmius oreades)

I found a rather shrivelled fairy-ring.

Sea Buckthorn

Sea-Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

The tree is small and suckers easily.  It has thorny twigs that have silvery scales that rub off.  The bark is fissured and peeling.

Sea Buckthorn

Sea-Buckthorn

The leaves are long and thin with silvery scales on them.  I couldn’t see any fruits on these trees so they were probably male trees.

Camp Site

Camp Site

There is a camp-site on the outskirts of the town.

We almost got to the River Blyth but Elinor began to get a back-ache and we had to turn round and make our way back to Southwold.

Towards Southwold

Towards Southwold

As well as the lighthouse you can see the tower of St Edmund’s church and the water tower.

Towards Southwold

Towards Southwold

Tiny House

Tiny House

Lichen

Lichen

Chickory

Chicory (Chicorium intybus)

Common Bird's-foot Trefoil

Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Southwold

Southwold with one of it’s many greens.

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Lifeguards

Lifeguards

Southwold Beach

Southwold Beach

Sea at Southwold

Sea at Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Southwold

Here we were approaching the pier again and the car park beyond it.  You can also see the two-storey pavillion building at the end of the pier built in 1936.

I hope you have enjoyed this visit to Southwold.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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I talk about what it's like living in a quiet part of Suffolk. I am a wife, mother and daughter, a practising Christian and love the natural world that surrounds me. I enjoy my life - most of the time!

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