Fungus on the Log Pile.

I had a look around the back garden this morning to look for signs of Spring but what caught my idea was more reminiscent of Autumn!

This fungus was growing out of an old log pile and I suspect that it is a Laccaria species or something similar.

I hadn't realised quite how many different species of fungi there are until I tried to identify this by searching on Google images.

Light Emerald.

One of the containers in my unheated garden shed houses some birch twigs and a Light Emerald Campaea margaritata larva.

I found this caterpillar on birch at Otley Chevin in October and the photograph shows the distinguishing fringe of hair-like structures all along the lower parts. It is also possible to make out the pair of rudimentary legs on the eighth segment.

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata is a common moth in Yorkshire but I have only ever caught one in my suburban garden and that arrived on 18th September 2009.

As it was a female I kept it in a container for a few days with some dock leaves and, sure enough, it laid a batch of eggs.

The larvae are spending the winter in my heated (for the guinea pig!) shed with a temperature ranging from 10-15 degrees celsius. They are munching their way through native Primrose plants purchased from the local garden centre.

OK so here is an attempt at creating a Blog. The leaves on this photograph were collected from Denso Marston Wildlife Reserve in the Autumn and are hosting leaf mines of Phyllonorycter moths.

The larger leaf is Norway Maple and the smaller is Field Maple.