The Last Post...for 2014 anyway

An enormous Tegenaria gigantea, Holme NWT ('top secret' bunker), 31st December 2014

A Hydrozoan on Holme NWT beach, 31st December 2014 - Ive not seen this before and its very distinctive - looks juts like bottle-brush hydrozoan but well out of range and the micro-stucture doesn't fit. So for now, I', stumped.

Eristalis tenax - a group of 6 overflies hibernating with Peacock Butterflies in one of the 'top secret' bunkers, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Porcellio scaber, the common dune woodlouse, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Elminius modestus, the now-abundant shore barnacle, was introduced from  Australia in the 1940s.

2 minutes in the life of a young Grey Seal

ZZZZZ.......

Huh ????

I can't see any Ivory Gulls....

Hey - no photos, please

Go on then - just as long as you don't make my belly look too big......

That's enough now......

ZZZZZZZ.......

Some recent patch additions and other notable species

Coastal Flat-body, Holme NWT, 23rd December 2014 - sieved from its hibernation place in a pile of phragmites cuttings

Great Spider Crab Hyas araneus, one of several washed ashore, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Knotted Wrack Ascophyllum nodulosum, Old Hunstanton 28th December 2014

Flax Brick Weed Chaetomorpha linum, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Broad Leaf Weed Petalonia fascia, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Oval Piddock, Zirfea crispata, Old Hunstanton, 21st December 2014

The Hydrozoan Amphisbetia operulata, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

The spider Pholcus phalangioides, Hunstanton, 30th December 2014

Monday's Arachnid haul

The Harvestman Nemastoma bimaculatum, Holme NWT, 15th December 2014

Xysticus cristatus, male, Holme NWT, 15th December 2014

Clubiana prob. stagnatilis, female, Holme NWT, 15th December 2014

Conifer Mazegill

The underside of this bracket growing on an old telegraph pole at the entrance to Holme Village car park gives it away as a mazegill

Conifer Mazegill, Gleophyllum sepiarium, Holme, 15th December 2014

Four spiders from earlier in the year

Zebra Spider, Salticus scenicus, Holme NWT, 28th June 2014

Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus, Holme NOA, 14th September 2014

Diaea dorsata, Holmhurst Track 17th October 2014

Agalenatea redii, Holme NOA, 17th September 2014

Box Bug

Known until recently only from Box Hill in Surrey, this species has spread rapidly and today was first found on the patch on some small non-native conifers at the start of the Holmhurst Track.

Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus, Holmhurst Track, 8th December 2014

Animals from the deeps

Last Tuesday's storm brought ashore some interesting bits and pieces.........

Sea Beard, Nemertesia antennina, Hunstanton, 10th February 2014 (although this photo dates from February, there were plenty around on 6th December)

The soft coral, Alcyonium digitatum, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014: another hydrozoan which littered the beach after the storms



Whiteweed, Sertularia cupressina, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014: a delicate hydrozoan washed ashore in masses but which also grows from sand on the low shore and in rock pools

Cuttlefish (well, at least the cuttlebone), Sepia officials, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014

Birch Woodwort - the acid test !

This photo shows ID work by Phil Amies - on the left is Annulohypoxylon multiforme (upper left) and after treatment in 10% KOH showing the development of characteristic brown stain (lower left). On the right is a rather similar 'Hypoxylon', showing no reaction to 10% KOH. The Hypoxylon genus has been split into 6 genus, with the species in the current Hypoxylon and our Annulohypoxylon showing this brown stain in KOH. The right-hand specimen is possibly in the genus Nemania perhaps Nemania serpens, though further chemical tests will be needed to confirm this. 

More seasonal fayre......

tbc Holme NWT pines, 1st December 2014

Snapping Bonnet, Holme NWT pines, 1st December 2014

Arrhenia retiruga, Holme NWT (forestry), 29th November 2014