Cowslip

Flowers of cowslip, Primula veris.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-03-08.

Larch Cones

Female cones of a larch tree (Larix decidua). 

Even though I lived near larch woods for much of the first half of my life, I was surprised to come across these red flower-like growths on what otherwise looked like dead branches.

The male cones are larger and not as pretty:

Photos taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2014-03-09.

Blowfly

From last spring, a yellow-faced blowfly: Cynomya mortuorum (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Photos taken in in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2013-05-05.

Moth

From last summer: a rather bluish Autographa gamma (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) moth.

Photo taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2013-08-11.

Crust Fungus

A pale buff-colour crust fungus, probably Stereum rugosum, growing on a birch tree (Betula sp).

I took this specimen home with me:

It yielded these spores (magnification x600, field width 86um):

These are about 10.5 x 4um which agrees with the 9–13 x 3.5–5um given for Stereum rugosum at RogersMushrooms.com.  The spores of most other Stereum sp seem to be noticeably smaller. The above specimen was rather old dessicated which probably explains why it didn't bleed when cut.

First photo and specimen taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-02-11