Black and White Moth

A small black moth from the summer time, either Syncopacma larseniella or S. taeniolella or S. cinctella (Lepidoptera: Gelichiidae).  According to UK Moths (here), you really need microscopic dissection to distinguish these species properly, so I will leave the classification as Syncopacma sp.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-07-10.

Red Clover

From back in later spring: red clover (Trifolium sp).

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-05-16.

Brown Tortrix Moth

I found this brown tortrix moth in our kitchen a few days ago.  It is either Acleris notana or Acleris ferrugana. Deciding which would require microscopic examination (see here).

Photo taken in Reading, UK, on 2009-11-20.

Magpie Mushroom

The magpie ink cap mushroom, Coprinopsis picacea (family Psathyrellaceae).  This species is also often referred to by its old name Coprinus picacaeus.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-11-13.

Nuthatch

This morning I was standing at the kitchen sink watching the squirrels and the blue tits in the trees outside when I noticed a small bird agitatedly pecking away at the trunk of one of the horse chestnut trees.  It was slightly larger than the tits but was too far away for me to identify, so I dashed through to the bedroom and grabbed my binoculars from the cupboard.  Fortunately the bird was still there when I got back to the kitchen.  Bluish grey above, creamy white with reddish tinges below, a black eye-stripe and long beak: a nuthatch (Sitta europaea).  It's been several years since I have seen one of these. We used to occasionally see them in the tree just outside the bedroom window, but that was before flats were built on field next door.