Thursday
Feb202014

Yellowish Crust Fungus

An unidentified yellowish crust fungus on a branch fallen from a beech tree (Fagus sp).

I took this specimen home with me:

This yielded the following spores (magnification x600, field width 86um):

These are about 13 x 6um.

First photo and specimen taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-02-15.

Wednesday
Feb192014

Crust Fungus

A white crust fungus with pores, probably a Schizopora sp, possibly Schizopora flavipora or Schizopora paradoxa.

I took this specimen:

And it yielded the following spores (magnification x600, field width about 86um):

These are about 4 x 3um which is at the lower end of the ranges most frequently given for S. flavipora and S. paradoxa.

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

Tuesday
Feb182014

Another Tephritid Fly

From last summer: another Urophora stylata (Diptera: Tephritidae), this time a female.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-06-23.

Monday
Feb172014

Tephritid Fly

Also from a year and a half ago: a male Urophora stylata (Diptera: Tephritidae) on a thistle head (Cirsium sp).

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-07-13.

Sunday
Feb162014

Scorpion Fly

From a year and a half ago: a male scorpion fly, probably Panorpa communis (Mecoptera: Panorpidae) based on  the markings on the 'sting'.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-06-10.