More signs of Spring

Jennifer took these photos in Cooke's meadow:

White Violets

Violets

Celandine

Signs of Spring

David took these photos on 22nd February:

Canada geese on Granta Park lake

Sluice wood in the early spring sunshine

Jennifer took these photos on Sunday 26th February:

Violets on the Recreation Ground near Great Abington church

View from the Millennium footbridge...
the river is flowing very clear after the silt was thoroughly scoured by recent high flows

Cedar Cup fungus in Cambridge Road

Derek has found these earth-cup fungi under his cedar tree - believed to be Geopora sumneriana.

This large cup fungus develops initially as an underground sphere before breaking through the soil surface and opening up to form a crown-shaped cup.

RSPB Garden Birdwatch - 25 and 26 January

A number of members took part in this annual event, observing birds in their garden for an hour over the weekend. Andy M also recorded some of his visitors in photos:

Blackbird

Dunnock

Goldfinch

Robin

Stock Dove

Granta Park bird bixes

A working group including both Granta Park employees and Naturewatch members met on Saturday morning to make up new bird boxes for Granta Park. As a result of their labours, the landscapers will be putting up 10 boxes in each of the three woodland walks there.

Spring is stirring at Granta Park

Andy M saw his first open Snowdrop and Winter Aconite flowers yesterday, 10th January, along with some Hazel catkins looking lovely in the sun:

Granta Park Fungi Foray - 8 November

Peter Walker, a volunteer at The Wildlife Trust identified the fungi found and prepared this list:

SCIENTIFIC NAME	ENGLISH NAME	COMMENTS
Auricularia auricula-judae	Wood Jelly Ear	on dead branches
Auricularia mesenterica	Tripe fungus	on stumps & logs
Agrocybe molesta = dura	Bearded field cap	In soil among grass in wood
Collybia cirrhata	Piggyback Shanklet	Tiny on old Inonotus hispidus
Coniophora puteana	Wet Rot	Resupinate on dead branch
Coprinus atramentarius	Common Ink Cap	On grassy bank
Coprinus disseminatus	Crumble Cap /Fairy InkCcap	Masses on stumps & buried roots
Coprinus flocculosus??		On rotten log (not Sure)
Coprinus micaceus	Glistening Ink Cap	In litter in woodland
Crepidotus cesatii	? Oysterling	On twig
Daldinia concentrica	King Alfred's Cake	On fallen Ash branch
Entoloma serceum var cinereopacum	Silky Pink Gill	Dark brown in grass
Galerina laevis ??		Small grooved & orange in grass
Galerina marginata = autumnalis	Funeral Bell	On dead wood
Hebeloma crustuliniforme	Poison Pie	In grass
Lepiota castanea	Chestnut Dapperling	Small with brown scales & ring on stem
Lipista nuda	Wood Blewit	Violet blue very small specimen
Meripilus giganteus	Giant Polypore	Base of dead stump tufted brackets
Mycena acicula	Orange Bonnet	Tiny  orange bonnet in mosses on stump
Mycena flavo-alba	Ivory Bonnet	Small white on logs in moss
Mycena galericulata	Common Bonnet	Trooping on logs
Mycena hiemalis		Tiny tan colour in moss on trees & logs
Mycena olida	Rancid bonnet	Tiny white in moss on tree trunks
Mycena vitilis	Snapping Bonnet	Greyish in litter
Nectria cinnabarina	Coral Spot	Pink blobs on twig
Pluteus leoninus	Lion Shield	Yellow cap pink spores on wood
Pluteus umbrosus	Velvet Shield	Dark crinkled velvety cap on wood
Polyporus squamosus	Dryads Saddle	Tan bracket on stump
Psathyrella conopilus	Conical Brittle-stem	In grass in wood
Rhytisma acerinum	Sycamore Tar Spot	On leaves
Trametes vesicolor	Turkey Tail	On dead wood
Clitocybe truncicola		decaying log

Some photos of fungi from Granta Park are included at: http://www.jeremysmithphotography.co.uk/p478175739 (number 16-107) and we hope to put a few of them here.