Bioblitz at Kilnsey Park Estate - First half held on Fri 30 May

 - Programme here: https://www.neyedc.org.uk/c2n

The first half went well.  

On the wildlife walk at 6pm we introduced ourselves (see later) and took the short cut across the field from the Village Hall to the Kilnsey Trout farm/Park..  . Initially I invited the group to look at three members of different groups - Three grasses.. Then three lichens.. Then Derek caught insects in his sweep net  and Penny caught moths 

Common Carpet

we learned stories about these creatures 

 We learned how to recognise male Clegs (their eyes are close together with no gap between them as in the female's eyes) Male Clegs are relatively hard to find. It is only the females that suck blood.

Haematopota pluviatilis - The Notch-Horned Cleg 

  

We saw a Spring Cranefly, (This has beautiful green eyes when alive)

Spring Crane Fly Tipula vernalis

 and later a Furry Drone Fly.

Eristalis intricaria, sometimes called the Furry Dronefly, is a European species of hoverfly. It is a furry bee mimic

  

Penny showed us a Spindle tree attacked by spindle moth caterpillars.

Initially the group comprised c. 5 locals who had heard about the event including a primary school aged child, 5 people from the NEYEDC, 5 specialists (lichens, moths, insects, spiders /beetles etc) and a few more.

Some of the group disappeared off to set up Moth Traps

 ready for tomorrow, and to put out night cameras for recording animals that may walk past overnight. 

Setting up a night camera

Pitfall traps and a Malaise trap (like a tent) were set up to catch insects.

We walked as far as the edge of the flush/meadow where some of us may return on Saturday for the guided flower walk. We ticked off three sedges (Pendulous sedge, Hairy Sedge and Carnation Sedge) and two fungi (Turkey tails and Stereum rugosum) and two Rushes (Compact Rush and Hard Rush)  More than three trees (Salix alba)

White Willow - Salix alba 

 and lots of flowers and another three grasses.

We returned to the Village Hall, had cups of tea and snacks we had brought. 

Then Tony gave an introduction to the bat walk he was leading -" I don't know if we will find bats - I don't know what bats we will find - but that is what makes it so exciting." (By now another six to ten people had arrived - )

I left them, setting off at 9.30pm, with six bat detectors amongst them.

I wanted to come home and be refreshed for tomorrow (and write this) 

I had recorded 29 lichens the previous Sunday, and it turned out got the total to 42 by the end of Saturday. Would I be able to get up to 50 By Saturday afternoon in the one monad (1 km square)?

Part 2 to be written up someday soon...

 

Day 25a of 31 Days Wild - 25 May 2025: Lichens and Preparations for the Kilnsey Park Estate BioBlitz on Fri 30and Sat 31 May - Pertusaria pertusa

My best find for me whilst exploring Kilsney Park Estate was the Pepperpot Lichen - Perusaria pertusa growing on an Ash trunk

Each rounded wart has several "holes" in it which are the sunken apothecia (fruiting bodies) where fungal spores are produced. and so looks like a pepperpot.

Whilst not rare in Britain as a whole, the distribution map shows that it is absent from much of the midlands and north of England -  areas which housed the industrial revolution.

On Sun 25 May I had come to Kilnsey Park SD9767 to prepare for the Bioblitz to be held on Friday 30 May from 4pm to Sat 31 May 4pm.

All are welcome - experts and enthusiasts to help record and beginners to learn from the guided walks that are being held 

You can read about Kilnsey Park Estate here

I met Clare Langrick of NEYEDC, Tony Serjeant of UpperWharfdale Field Society and Jamie of Kilnsey Park Estate.

 

Pertusaria pertusa

Pepperpot Lichen: - Pertusaria pertusa

Pertusaria pertusa on the Ash trunk above the stream.

Distribution of Pertusaria pertusa 

Pepperpot Lichen - From British Lichen Society Website May 2025

I am to lead a guided walk on Lichens on Sat 31 May from10am to 11am. 

 I would recommend arriving at the Kilnsey Village Hall (See map) about 9am - to find space to park. And then come into the Kilnsey Park for 9.20 am to see the results of the moth trapping overnight. Then you will be ready for the lichen walk at 10am.  There is a cafe and loos at Kilnsey Park/Trout Farm.

(At 11am there will be a mosses walk led by Steve Heathcote of the British Bryological Society . Then other activities as in the programme here.

I hope I will have time to show people the fascinating grey foliose (leafy)  lichens growing on the margin of the notice board here:

Hypogymnia tubulosa

Punctelia subrudecta

Parmelia sulcata (on the left anyway)

Several of the trees near the lake and towards the entrance  had a lot of lichens growing on the trunks, including two yellow lichens on this Poplar tree:

Two yellow lichens on this Poplar tree.

The big golden yellow one is Xanthoira parietina (Common Yellow Sunburst Lichen is one of its many English names - I call it Yellow Bird Perch Lichen).
At the bottom in the middle of the picture above is a much tinier lemon yellow lichen with a very frilly structure - see below

This is called Candelaria concolour. 

Candelaria concolor used to be found only in the the south of England but it is spreading rapidly throughout Britain. This could be because of Global Warming, but much more likely because it is a lichen that grows in areas where the air has a lot of "reactive nitrogen chemicals" (chemicals from Fertilizer, from slurry, from car exhaust). By sending in records lichenologists are able to track its spread.

It is interesting that only 4 species have been recorded so far on the British Lichen Society Distribution map in this 1km square (in 2018) and that this Candelaria concolour was one of the four species reported.  See map

Two pictures of another lichen which goes red when a dot of KOH is put on it.  And a feather.

See more posts about lichens

8b May: Day 8 of 31 Days Wild - Beacon at Cenotaph for 80th year celebration of VE Day

 At 9.30pm a small crowd had gathered at the Cenotaph in Settle.

6a May: Day 6 of 31DaysWild Eco-Explorers explore Brockhole Lane

 

Picnic stop

THe water continues to flow here in spite of almost no rain for over a month.

Look at the caddis larvae

We continued to the area where Town-hall-clock grows and Wood Speedwell. WE gave passers by the list of 40 species recorded on 1 May.. and added another 5 species to the list.

Day 8a - 31Days Wild - 8 May Mike Berners-Lee gives talk on "A Climate of Truth"

 Mike Berners-Lee came to Settle on 8 May to give a talk organised by Action on climate emrgency Settle on his new book "A Climate of Truth".

He cycled here from Sedbergh then I think stayed with friends. Here he is with Sarah of ACE Settle they are looking at the railway bridge that carries the Settle Carlisle Line.

The other pictures are all indoor pictures of the event.

Well here's a bit of sky

9 May 2025 - Day 9 - 31Days Wild - Took Doris to Gargrave then to Keighley to audiologist and to meet Viv

 Doris had an appointment with the audiologist at Keighley Specsavers. I collected her and took her to Cynthia's at Gargrave. Cynthia and I went out to pick salad for lunch from the bottom of their garden at the wild area that gets flooded when the river Aire is high.

The River Aire is currently extremely low

The salad, with the wild garlic, ground elder and
other greenery tasted very nice,
maybe because of the mustard and honey dressing.

Cynthia, Doris and Viv were able to talk about old times. All three had been teachers in Australia. I am still wearing my sun hat.

The audiologist explained to Doris and Cynthia that Doris had to brush her hearing aids with the little brush supplied before she put them in the battery charger.  Why hadn't he explained that before?

Still we had had a lovely day meeting Viv.