Toft Wood After the Snow

Yesterday, as soon as the sun was high enough to thaw the icy bit of Miller's Road for walking, I headed down to Toft Wood with my camera. There was a combination of a light layer of snow on the grounds and trees augmented by frost in the damper parts by the Bourn Brook - a very magical look with the reds of the berries and autumn oak leaves. After half an hour exploring, I headed out of the wood and round to the allotments via the Badger Sett. Very pleased to see plenty of characteristic very broad flat badger footprints at the entrance to the hole (with Rabbit and Pheasant)

Willow Warbler Arrived in Toft Wood

Heard my first Willow Warbler of the year in Toft Wood this afternoon - hopefully there will be a partner for him and at least one other pair. The buds are breaking on most of the trees and shrubs though the oaks are still tightly closed. Ted approved of a late afternoon walk. The wood is 30 years old this year - doesn't seem that long ago I helped plant it on open fields.

Lichens Toft Wood

I 'upgraded' my android phone recently  (courtesy of eBay) as my previous one only had 32GB memory which was proving difficult to run the ID apps that are so useful for naturalists these days. Although still a 2019 model, this one has more memory and a much better camera so tried it out on some lichens in our local wood - the first four images including the first image which is two related species Lecidella elaeochroma and Lecanora chlarotera that are common on the ash tree trunks. Certainly the close up mode will be very useful for small specimens such as the minute Collembolids in a piece of rotten wood. The last four images are from the Lumix full-spectrum camera. The Hazel catkins are beginning to flower while the wood itself still looks very autumnal. 

ps. those who know Phil will be glad to hear he now has my old phone and so is officially 'Smart' .

Halloween and Autumn Colours

Yesterday was the annual carving of Pumpkins ready for this evening. Meredith chose a mouse for the second year running which is not the easiest design!!Sadie was more traditional. The leaves and fruits are fast disappearing from Toft Wood so a quick visit in the sunshine to record for this autumn.

? Hard Winter to Come

It is often stated that an abundance of berries and fruits in the autumn foretell a hard winter. However, despite a wealth of ancient folklore and proverbs linking a good year for berries with a hard winter ahead, there is no evidence that the two are connected. Probably it is a reflection of the statistical chance that these two events will occur in the same year as often as they do not. Certainly this year, in Toft Wood, there is a super harvest of Blackberries, Hawthorn and Apples though the Sloes and Dogwood berries are less evident possibly due to a late spring that favoured the flowering of the former group.