Janet Turnbull

[Janet Turnbull]

Somebody worked hard on the website while I was hibernating over the winter; it was great before but now it's much more streamlined. And it works much better on the phone, too. It used to be difficult to get to the PDs but now it works like a dream. Well done!

[Janet Turnbull]

Last Sunday on the government approved walk I saw several of the usual suspects, but because I'd persuaded Alan to come out with me, I didn't take photos of every butterfly we saw. However, I took a snap of an unusual yellow fungus which our local expert reckoned was a young Chicken of the woods, Laetiporus sulphureus. My photo wasn't very good so I went back on Wednesday to check and it seems the original ID was correct. Sadly, a friend has advertised its presence on Facebook so no doubt its days are numbered now.
But - on opening the front door to go out, a blue butterfly caught my eye as it fluttered round the pyracantha bush, and it stayed long enough for me to get a few snaps. It turned out to be a good day for butterflying and birding and what was going to be a short walk to check out the fungus turned into three happy hours being socially distant from everyone.

[Wurzel]

Good to see the Small Tort in your days butterflying Janet They seem to have 'gone'round my way now - hopefully they took care to leave the next generation before they went

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

That's one hell of a fungus, Janet! Why would it be vulnerable having had its whereabouts advertised? It looks distinctly inedible to me.

[CallumMac]

That's one hell of a fungus, Janet! Why would it be vulnerable having had its whereabouts advertised? It looks distinctly inedible to me.

The clue's in the name, David - "chicken of the woods". According to Wikipedia it can be prepared "in most ways that one can prepare chicken meat".

[Janet Turnbull]

I went back today to check on the Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). The first photo was taken on March 22, and the length of each (there were two growths) was about a handspan or 8 inches. Today, 8 days later, the width of each is two handspans. I brought a small chunk home to see if I was brave enough to cook it but so far I haven't screwed up the courage. The fungus will get a lot bigger and create a a series of huge brackets.

I haven't been so lucky with the butterflies . However, we are having virtual church services at the moment and on the past two Sundays our Children's Pastor introduced her talks with footage of some caterpillars which her young daughter had been given as a birthday present. Apparently the caterpillars were ordered through Argos or Amazon and arrived in a pot containing their food, and eventually climbed to the top of the pot and pupated. The emergent butterflies turned out to be Painted Ladies and they were released earlier this week.
I wasn't sure what to feel about this!

[Wurzel]

Fungi do have an amazing growth rate Janet Also I've had Chicken in the Woods before and if tasted great - it's one of the few that I will eat as it so obvious as to make ID safe.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

I went back today to check on the Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). The first photo was taken on March 22, and the length of each (there were two growths) was about a handspan or 8 inches. Today, 8 days later, the width of each is two handspans. I brought a small chunk home to see if I was brave enough to cook it but so far I haven't screwed up the courage. The fungus will get a lot bigger and create a a series of huge

That's one hell of a growth rate, Janet. I'm actually concerned for the tree!

Let us know if/when you pluck up sufficient courage to cook and eat it.

[Janet Turnbull]

That's one hell of a growth rate, Janet. I'm actually concerned for the tree!

Let us know if/when you pluck up sufficient courage to cook and eat it.

I cooked it, David - sliced up into four thin slivers about 3cm square, which I coated in seasoned flour and fried. So Alan and I had two bits each along with our more conventional stuffed mushrooms (pure coincidence) and chips. That was yesterday and we're still here. I must say I was a bit trepidatious and Alan deserved full marks for bravery! The mushroom slices didn't particularly taste of chicken and were rather squishy inside so I probably didn't fry them hard enough. You're not supposed to be able to tell the difference from real chicken, and apparently it can be used in any recipe that requires chicken.

As for the tree - it is an aspen, and is dead or at least nearly so. The fungus will make sure of it.
Janet

[David M]

Thanks for the feedback, Janet. Well done for giving it a go!

[Janet Turnbull]

A friend invited me to walk with her at Chorlton Water Park - like Sale WP it is part of the Mersey flood defence system. We set out early but the temperature soon rose to butterfly level and I managed to photograph GVW, Small Tort anda courting pair of Speckled Woods. A single male Brimstone flew by but it did not settle. Walking through the streets to get home I brought up sharp by a blue flutter, and all other pedestrians had to keep 2 metres away while I 'captured' my Holly Blue.

Along the riverbank there grows a lot of docks, and I found larvae and adult Green Dock Leaf Beetles.

I also discovered a leaf with a mass of orange powder-like substance on the back - I could not determine if they were eggs but it was an isolated occurrence.

A coot was showing off her chicks

[David M]

It's a nice, wild area round there from my memory, Janet. Good to see people continued to observe social distancing advice while you were hard at work with that Holly Blue.

[Janet Turnbull]

My alder buckthorn still hasn't attracted any Brimstones - they are probably all at the Moss and the Water Park, although I thought I did see one fly by the other day.
On Saturday I had a wander round Carrington Moss and was rewarded with Large White, Small Tort and Peacocks but the Small torts and Peacocks are definitely looking tired. Trespassing through an iron fence where some bars had been removed, I discovered a limestone-ballasted area, now being colonised by young birch trees. Back in the day this would have been a railway depot for the council tip but little evidence now. Cinnabar moths were fluttering among the saplings but I did not notice any ragwort.
I was delighted to see my first dragonfly of the season, a female Broad-bodied chaser, and a chiffchaff.

I went again to the Moss today (8.5 miles round trip on foot this time) and saw a number of white butterflies including three Orange-tips. I suppose I could have taken the car part of the way but I've challenged myself to walk 500 miles this year so every little helps. A little-used track opened out into a sheltered, sunny glade and here I found my second dragonfly of the year, a male four-spotted chaser, basking on last year's dry dead vegetation. A GVW spread its wings on a dandelion, and a lesser Whitethroat appeared from a bush.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shot of the GVW Janet - I just can't seem to find them when they're in the mood to settle this year The Hibernators are looking a little jaded now - but made up for by the pristine Cinnabar Moths

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Some nice shots there Janet, you're two up on me with your Holly Blue and that lovely shot of a Brimstone in a previous post.Let's hope the weather gets warmer I'll pay Brockholes a Visit then Goldie

[trevor]

Some lovely ' Whites ' in your posts, Janet.
Hopefully, living where you do, you'll discover some of the species
that we never see in the South, ie. Large Heath, Northern Brown Argus etc.
They may not be on your doorstep, but you're certainly closer to them than me!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Janet Turnbull]

They may not be on your doorstep, but you're certainly closer to them than me!.

That's true, Trevor - and now we have been given permission to drive. However, I'm very conscious of the polluting effect our cars have on this world and subsequently the butterflies. So what's the answer - just be happy in the belief that the butterflies are there? It's a hard one.
Janet

[David M]

I admire you for challenging yourself to walking 500 miles in a year, Janet. You certainly seem to be making inroads into that total lately.

There is some interesting wildlife close to you, and thanks for opening a window on it for us. Good to see the dragonflies and that's a beautifully marked Green Veined White.

[Janet Turnbull]

This morning I paid a visit to Rixton Clay Pits - 15 minutes drive away - which last year was lushly overgrown and was the best place locally for butterflies. Following the winter flooding I expected it to be still wet underfoot, but instead it was dry as a bone and the vegetation had barely grown. I found three Common Blues, at least one of which was female, struggling to find suitable egg-laying plants. There were quite a few Large Whites which would not settle, and a very lovely female Orange tip.

There was also a very small moth which I cannot identify:

The ponds attracted many blue and a few red damselflies, and four-spotted chaser dragonflies. There are Great Crested Newts in the ponds but none of my photos of them (if that's what they were) turned out well enough to see.

And in this photo I'm not sure what I have captured. I don't think the two are attached:

[Allan.W.]

I think your moth is Silver Hook (Deltota Uncula ) Allan.W.