The Shaggy Inkcap is commonly found in the autumn months growing on roadside verges, in meadows and on garden lawns, its scientific name, Coprinus comatus, coprinus meaning ‘of dung’ and comatus meaning ‘shaggy’ or ‘hairy’, is fairly descriptive of its nature, it is also known as the ‘judges wig’. Its most common name, ‘Inkcap’ comesContinue reading “The Shaggy Inkcap”
Tag Archives: #Cumbria
Hazel Glove Fungus
The Hazel Glove fungus Hypocreopsis rhododendri, is a member of the ascomycete genus of funghi, which derives its name from the ancient Greek word ‘ascus’, which means sac. On this species the the openings of these sacs are visible as black dots on the surface of the funguses orange fingers. This fungus is found fruitingContinue reading “Hazel Glove Fungus”
Usnea Lichens
In a previous article I looked at various families of lichens and how they each indicate how clean the air is where they are found. Out of three main families we found that the lichens which require the cleanest air to survive and thrive in are the Fruticose lichens, so-called because they are bushy inContinue reading “Usnea Lichens”
Pink-footed Geese
The Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus visits us from October through to March and usually associates with other geese, often Greylag and Whitefronted. Every year over 400,000 fly here and head straight for the coastal marshes of the country, with about a quarter of this number over-wintering in Norfolk and the rest staying at various otherContinue reading “Pink-footed Geese”
The Tiny yet Tenacious Merlin
The Merlin, or pidgeon hawk, Falco Columbarius, falco meaning falcon and columbarius meaning dove, is one of the smallest birds of prey to be found in the British isles, similar in size to the Kestrel. It is also one of the fastest and most agile, flying very low to the ground at high speeds jinkingContinue reading “The Tiny yet Tenacious Merlin”
Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest of England
Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest The North of England is famous for its ancient, man-made landscape of rolling fields crossed with drystone walls and dotted, seemingly haphazardly, with stone barns which are so integral to the countryside here that it would look empty without them. Many of these barns are made from the veryContinue reading “Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest of England”
The Hart’s Tongue Fern
The Hart’s Tongue Fern’s scientific name is Asplenium scolopendrium, asplenium meaning ‘belonging to the spleenwort family’ and scolopendrium deriving from the Greek skolopendra, meaning millipede or centipede, which the underside of the fronds is supposed to resemble. It is a small, very hardy evergreen fern with dark green fronds and forms clumps with broad, wavyContinue reading “The Hart’s Tongue Fern”
Autumn, the “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
Traditionally autumn starts at the autumnal equinox, which falls on the 23rd of September this year, ‘equinox’ meaning ‘equal nights’ as the day and night are of equal length. This event is highly significant to many cultures, to the Pagans it has the name Mabon, after the Celtic sun-god, to the ancient Greeks and theContinue reading “Autumn, the “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness””
Northwest Nature and History 