Wed 2014-03-26 
Fruiting bodies (ascocarps) of beech barkspot fungus, Diatrype disciformis. These fruiting bodies were about 2 - 3mm across.
This is what they look like through the camera on my new stereo microscope (magnification about 8x):
I used a razor blade to slice the top of one to reveal the perithecia:
And this is a vertical cross-section:
First photo and specimen taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2014-03-16.
Tue 2014-03-25 
A pair of male Pollenia sp (Diptera: Calliphoridae) enjoying the spring sunshine. These are one of the commonest flies in the early spring.
Photo taken on 2014-03-15.
Mon 2014-03-24 
A male bee fly, Bombylius major (Diptera: Bombyliidae). The proboscis is not usually forked like this. I thought the tip might have got damaged when I caught it but maybe not: there are other examples out on the web, for instance here. Here is a close-up of the proboscis:
This image also shows the narrow gap between the eyes on the top of the head, which is charcteristic of the males in this species.
This image also shows the pattern of markings on the wings that distinguishes B. major from other Bombylius species:
Specimen caught on the dam at the lower end of the large lake, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-03-23.
Sun 2014-03-23 
A black fungus, probably Rhopographus filicinus, growing on the dried stem of a bracken plant (Pteridium aquilinum).
The above sample was taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2014-03-09.
The following sample was taken from the same place on 2014-03-16:
I was unable to get any spores from these samples.
Sat 2014-03-22 
An unidentified white fungus growing inside a broken branch of an oak tree (Quercus sp).
The branch had recently fallen from the following tree:
The weakening caused by the fungus may have contributed to the branch breaking off.
I took the following specimen of the fungus home with me:
It yielded the following spores (magnification x600, field width 86um):
These are about 7 x 6.5um.
First two photos and specimen taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-03-02.
