Entries by Tristram Brelstaff (3025)
Tachinid Fly
Tue 2011-11-15 
From my walk on Sunday: a small grey fly, probably a Siphona sp (Diptera: Tachinidae), on ragwort. Flies in this genus feed through a thin foldable siphon (proboscis).. In the above photo the siphon is folded and sticks out forwards from below the head; in the following photo it is partly unfolded.
Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-11-13.
Fungus
Mon 2011-11-14 
What I think is dead man's fingers fungus, Xylaria polymorpha, growing on a decaying log.
I now think this is Xylaria longipes. This species tends to be thinner than Xylaria polymorpha and has a distinct narrow stalk.
Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-11-12.
Red Slime Mould
Sat 2011-11-12 
From a few days ago: fresh sporangia of a red slime mould. It was on the underside of a log. I have no idea of the species nor even the genus [Note added 2013-12-26: probably an Arcyria sp.] but I will keep an eye on it over the next few days to see how it develops and that might give some clues.
The slime trail on the right-hand side is probably just a slug trail and nothing to do with the slime mould itself.
Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-11-10.
