Spindle Tree

The fruits of Euonymus europaeus, the spindle tree or, more accurately, spindle bush.  I come across several of these distinctive bushes on my walks, both round Whiteknights Park and Chazey Wood, but it was only last week that I took the trouble to identify them.  I had assumed that they were a foreign species that had escaped from gardens but they are actually native to Britain.

This is what the leaves look like:

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-10-14.

White Moth

From back in May: the small white moth Elachista argentella (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae).

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-05-18.

Holm Oak

A large holm oak, Quercus ilex, on the bank of the large lake.

The leaves are evergreen and have small spines (indeed the names 'holm' and 'ilex' both derive from the leaves' similarity to holly):

And the bark looks like this:

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-12-03.

Yellow Wort

From back in late summer: yellow wort, Blackstonia perfoliata.

A close-up of the flower:

And a close-up of the peculiarly-shaped leaves:

Photos taken in the field to the west of Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-08-26.

Crust Fungus

From back in January: a white crust fungus with a pink pore surface.  It was growing on a branch that had fallen from a deciduous tree.  To give an idea of the scale, the branch was only 4 or 5cm thick.

I used to think it was probably Gloeoporus dichrous but then suspected it might be Junghuhnia nitida.  However, Peter 'Ditiola' at WildAboutBritain thinks it 'looks good' for G. dichrous.  I am keeping a lookout for a further specimen to test this identification using my microscope.  Actually, it was my inability to identify this fungus back in February that finally persuaded me that I needed to get a microscope.

Photos taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-01-25.