Monthly Archives: November 2022

Love of Nature

Book Launch: ‘West London Wildlife’

I’ve contributed 4 chapters to the book, which is being published by AURORA METRO BOOKS.

The book ‘West London Wildlife’ is being launched in Richmond on 10th December. I’ve contributed 4 chapters:

  • Gunnersbury Triangle
  • Chiswick Park & Duke’s Meadows
  • Ruislip Woods
  • Wimbledon Common

EventBrite: London’s Green Spaces – Talk and Book Launch

When: Sat, 10 December 2022, 14:30 – 16:00 GMT

Where: Books On The Rise, 80 Hill Rise, Richmond TW10 6UB

There will be a panel talk, a Q&A session, a book signing, and special offers.

“Featuring fabulous photographs”: including several of mine! Here’s one:

Willow Emerald or Spreadwing Damselfly at Gunnersbury Triangle Local Nature Reserve. Photo by Ian Alexander
Natural History

Fungi and Lichens in Blenheim Park

Impressively lichened west-facing trunk of Beech tree, Blenheim Park
Wonderfully geographic lichened surface, close-up
Geographic … Oxfordshire Map in Woodstock Museum … does look much the same, doesn’t it?

Roots of a Beech tree in the park, straight from Middle-earth
Waxcap! Probably the Butter Waxcap, Hygrocybe ceracea: quite a few of them in a quiet corner among the grass
A huge Artist’s Bracket, Ganoderma applanatum, on Beech, its preferred host
Perhaps Rootlet Brittlestem, Psathyrella microrhiza
Love of Nature, Natural History, Nature Reserves

Fabulous Fungi in Gunnersbury Triangle!

Humaria hemisphaerica – glazed cup fungus
Geastrum striatum – streaked earthstar (the smaller cousin of the collared earthstar, also found in the Triangle)
Stereum hirsutum – orange curtain crust
Daedaleopsis confragosa – Blushing Bracket – discolours reddish when scratched, as you can see
Netty, now with the RSPB, and volunteer Olwyn by the pond during the fungus foray
Fungus expert Alick Henrici collecting some interesting-looking ear fungi
The Candlesnuff fungus, Xylaria hypoxylon, has now grown into some glorious Stagshorn shapes, all around the reserve
Tremella cf. foliacea, the yellow brain fungus
Xerocomellus (formerly Xerocomus), a Bolete mushroom (in the Cep family) with little tubes ending in pores on the underside of the cap, not gills
Hyphodontia sambuci – elder whitewash (as here, not always on Elder). Lovers of Italy will know Sambuca as an elderberry and anise liqueur!
Tricholoma cf. album, the white knight, in the anthill meadow
Agaricus sp., an edible mushroom in the same genus as the commercial champignon de Paris and the field mushroom
Lepista inversa, the tawny funnel, a mushroom in the same genus as the delicious wood blewits