It is 1st June and time for 30 Days Wild - Do something outdoors every day in June. Why not join in? Do something Wild where you are.
My events for 30Days Wild today:- (i.e. this blogposts contents)
1. Write up the blog about my walk at Plantlife Winskill Stones last night and the night before - exploring Winskill Stones - to be ready for the family Eco Explorers Walk I will be leading on 6 June - (Eco Explorers is run by Sally Waterson and with help of some parents - and with Churches Together in Settle and District).
Winskill Stones is about 2.5 miles by road from Settle.
2. Type my recording form in results of some lichens I found
3. Lead a walk at 4.30pm TODAY meeting at Settle Swimming Pool Car Park to share transport, then travelling up to near Ribblehead for a wildflower walk. This is a joint walk between Churches Together and Craven Conservation Group. - with the label "Walk for the Climate" which we do somewhere on the 1st Day of the month.
4. Make a short report on the Webinar I heard last night given by Operation Noah and Laudato Si' on Climate Change. They had some forceful contributions and I do hope our faith leaders (and everyone els) will watch it. .to encourage our churches to make divestment from fossil fuel statements, and to ask our governments to make international treaties about not subsidising fossil fuels any more. .. or maybe I'll just put a link to them
So-
Evening of Sun 30 May:
Just been for a walk at Plantlife Reserve "Winskill Stones" ready for the "Eco-Explorers" family walk I will be leading next Monday 6 June. It was past 9 pm but still light and very quiet. Just the occasional lamb and even more occasional curlew in the distance. Surprisingly no sound of traffic from the valley below.
I found the Mountain Everlasting flower on the slope I expected, and the Mossy Saxifrage on the place I expected, though not on the grassed-over pavementy-rocks behind. The Early Purple orchids would definitely be past their best by next week, but there were a good number of them.
I am delighted to find a magic fairy ring
A ring of St George's Mushrooms. "That will be something to show the children. St George's Mushrooms come out April-May. St George's Day is 23 April - We are at 366m, 1200 ft above sea level. Calcybe gambosum. (Health warning - These are not in the same family as ordinary mushrooms - Agaricus)
The happy yellow Mountain Pansies on their tussocks waved at me. There was still plenty of Milkmaid/Ladies Smock/Cuckoo flower. the grass is starting to grow quickly now I think. We had a dry April and early May, but have had scattered wet days in the last half of May- so even though the water table is low, there is water in the soil
The hawthorn tree on the cliff on the south of the road was fully out, but not the one on the cliff on the north of the road was still in bud.
As the light dwindled I noticed a few "paint blobs" of the VERY white, thick lichen Rhizocarpon umbilicatum on top of some clints (It has a distribution local to this area). I found Rue-leaved Saxifrage on top of some of the clints. Will we have time to go up to the field in the south and look for it sister the Meadow Saxifrage next week? I wondered.
------
Next afternoon of Mon 31 May:
this time I parked on the road at the far end of the reserve, and walked north down along the gravel track.
 |
| Wall Speedwell Veronica arvensis |
Next afternoon of Mon 31 May: this time I parked on the road at the far end of the reserve, and walked north down along the gravel track.
 |
| The tiny Wall Speedwell Veronica arvensis - I have never noticed the glands on the hairs before - but then I had not looked so close |
 |
| A lone Bluebell felled by a slug? Just recorded the picture as I have not noticed bluebells here before. but may ne not been here on 31 May. |
Lots of white flowers:
 |
| Thyme-leaved Sandwort |
 |
| Limestone Bedstraw |
 |
| Hairy rockcress |
 |
| Bog Stitchwort - At the very northern end of the reserve in what is sometimes a pool but currently a damp muddy trampled area |
 |
| Glad to refind the Peltigera leucophlebia lichen in the northern field of Winskill Stones - but there is not much of it.- less than last time. |
 |
| Peltigera membranacea |
Then I walk south of the reserve, down towards Catrigg Foss.
I want to get out of SD8366 ( north Winskill Stones monad) (which has 55 lichen records for me) and into SD 9367 (Catrigg Foss) for which I have 4 records.
A score of 55 is good for me - maybe not for ace lichenologists - and the Winskill square is my third highest total.
Bur en route down (and back), as the rainshower departs and the sun breaks through I notice glacial erratics - greywacke. (Not in the reserve)
which add three new species to my list for SD8366: Xanthoparmelia conspersa, Pertusaria corallina and Physcia caesia... and something that is "almost Candelariella coralliza" but I know will only turn out to be Candellariella vitellina"
 |
| Glacial erratic, just south of Catrigg Foss. Penyghent and Fountains Fell in the Background |
 |
| Pertusaria corallina |
 |
| Xanthoparmelia conspersa |
Then in the field higher up almost into Winskill Stones Reserve another boulder (well several but I only had time to look at one)
I could write a whole article about this picture - the lichens on the rock and the relevant scenery behind. but maybe that is for another day.
 |
| Lecanora poytropa - the lichen in the centre - This really was much greener than in the camera recorded it. |
 |
| Physcia caseia on the top of the boulder |
 |
| This is a case of Candelariella vitellina trying to look like Candelariella coralliza. |
 |
| The same rock but with a view towards Penyghent |
Enjoy going out in 30 Days Wild Month
No comments:
Post a Comment