Sidmouth Nature

As the leaves fall from the trees and hedgerow shrubs in autumn other life forms become more apparent, especially lichens. Lichens may not look much; just some crusty, dried up vegetation but they are quite fascinating. A lichen is actually two living organisms, an algae and a fungus, which live together for mutual benefit, it is called symbiosis. To survive they need a host (or substrate), which may be vegetable or mineral, from which it can derive support and moisture and so they can be found on tree bark, fence posts, bare earth, amongst mosses and grass, on walls and on tombstones. Lichens are not parasitic and do not harm their host and each species has its own preference for substrate on which to grow.  Identifying lichens can be a real headache and is a somewhat specialised field but there are some common ones that the causal observer like me can recognise and this one is Xanthoria parietina. Its yellow/orange colouring is the clue but it is not the only species coloured lik...

  Walking the paths by the sea even though it is getting late in the season it is still possible to see this 'iconic' flower of the seaside, rock samphire [ Crithmum maritimum] . It is one of those plants that seems capable of growing in the most extreme conditions and, indeed, only grows in extreme conditions, on rocks, walls, shingle and barren conditions exposed to the weather and sea spray. Rock samphire looks as though it is not quite in flower even when it is! The flowers are cream or green and are umbrella shaped which is quite typical of the carrot family to which it belongs. Unlike other carrots however the leaves are very fleshy and this helps it store moisture and so thrive where other flowers cannot. It is also known as sea fennel and sea asparagus or just plain samphire but the name samphire is also used for other seaside plants such as glasswort. There is also a golden samphire which is totally unrelated.  This was once a popular food plant and was harvested and ...

  This time of year countless 'daddy-long-legs' appear; they all seem to hatch about the same time in one huge awakening. This is probably the most common species of crane fly found in Britain and whilst it can be seen during the summer months it is certainly abundant in autumn. They are attracted to light like moths are and can often be found around buildings, especially those with an outside light. This particular species is probably  Tipula paludosa . It has a close cousin, Tipula oleracae which is virtually identical but my book says oleracae has thirteen segments in its antennae and paludosa has fourteen. Try counting them without a microscope ...! Paludosa has wings a little shorter than its body whereas oleracae has wings a little longer. It is difficult to be sure from the photograph but given that paludosa is most common in autumn whereas oleracae is more frequent in spring I will stick with this being paludosa until someone can positively identify it otherwise for me...

  As you walk along the Clifton Walkway from the end of the prom towards Jacobs Ladder you will often encounter active little brown birds flitting around amongst the sea defence rocks. These are what are known in birding circles as LBJs, 'little brown jobs', and they are one of several species that are similar but these are rock pipits. The pipits are all much the same really, streaky brown back with a 'thrush-like' spotted front. Telling rock pipits from other members of the family can be a bit daunting until you realise that rock pipits are found amongst rocks, meadow pipits in grassy habitats and tree pipits in trees. If only it were that simple for some other species; a garden warbler in a garden for example? I don't think so! Rock pipits and water pipits are named as separate species but are often considered to be the same but water pipits are usually found inland at fresh water sites in winter only. They often occur in places like watercress beds. Like other p...

The fields up at Combe Farm on Salcombe Hill currently have a display of these, the parasol mushroom [ Macrolepioate procera ]. Sadly, when I was there the specimens were past their best so I raided my photograph library for this picture. It is both one of the most distinctive species of fungi through its large size, the caps can sometime be nine or ten inches across, and one of the most common, well in the south of England that is, it is less common in the north. That said, there are some similar species which are less common. This is primarily a species of grasslands, especially amongst the short grasses of parkland and grazing pasture but it does occur in woodlands along open paths and rides as well.  My book says this makes excellent eating but accurate identification is essential; I think I will err on the side of caution and give them a miss.

  I have just paid my first visit to Muttersmoor and was delighted to find these specimens of fly agaric [ Amanita muscaria ] which were in almost perfect condition. Fungi fruiting bodies like this can have such a short life span and start to deteriorate almost as soon as they appear. They are also a target for young feet to kick over! This fungus is not uncommon in birch woods and it can be found in September and October and possibly into November. The fly agaric must surely be the quintessential mushroom! Even if you have never seen one in the 'wild' you will have seen this fungus in children's books and cartoons; it is, of course, where faeries and other strange things live. The fly agaric is quite unique in its appearance being the only really red fungus, especially one with white spots on it. They are not actually white spots but the remnants of the outer covering that covered the cap as it emerged from the ground. The red colouring implies danger! You might think that...

  This is a common sight almost everywhere it seems, the wood pigeon is one of the most widespread of species despite its name seemingly linking it to woodland. The RSPB places the wood pigeon at number 4 in its top 10 garden birds. At a time when the population level of almost all British species is falling the wood pigeon seems to be prospering. When the first 'birdwatch' was held back in 1979 the wood pigeon placed at 18th. Ten years later it was up to 13th and by 1999 it had risen to 10th. The rise of the wood pigeon seems to be relentless! It is obvious, of course, that if the populations of other birds are falling the numbers of wood pigeon could remain the same and it would still rise up the RSPB charts and that is undoubtedly a contributory factor but there will be other factors too that have 'probably' seen the numbers increase. I say 'probably' because I have not found any census data that actually confirms the population is, indeed, increasing. I susp...

  You do not have to walk far around the parks and paths of Sidmouth town to encounter one of these little chaps; it is, of course, a grey squirrel [Sciuurus carolinensis] . Indeed, I do not actually have to walk at all to encounter them, I can watch them from my window. It is such fun to see them bounding across the lawns always in a hurry,  it is interesting to watch their territorial disputes and family arguments and at this time of year it is enchanting to watch them with a chestnut in their mouth looking for a 'secret' place to bury it.  Some people love them, some even feed them. Others hate them and abhor the way they raid bird feeders and steal what is meant for robins and blue tits despite the barriers that may be put in their way, they are known for being intelligent and resourceful creatures. Love them or hate them, they seem to have become part of our 'natural' fauna. I am sure we all know that the grey squirrel is not a native species to the British Isles. ...

  Polypody ferns [Polypdium vulgare] are not uncommon, they can be found on tree branches, walls and rocks, house roofs and also on bare earth on shady banks, often by water. They are much smaller than most other common ferns and their leaves are narrow and without 'sub-fronds' on its fronds; does that make sense? This specimen was growing on concrete on a path through the Byes. Their favoured habitat is certainly growing on oak trees in deciduous woodland and that is probably the easiest place to find them as long as you remember to look upwards occasionally. In Dorset I found them in many woodlands I would expect to find them here when I go looking at our local woods around the Sid Valley. There are three variations of polypody, the common, the Southern and the intermediate (or, in some books, the Western). Separating them is difficult unless you are an expert but Southern and intermediate prefer calcareous (chalk and lime) substrates and so are less likely to be found aroun...

  As I stride the streets of Sidmouth getting my daily (well, almost  daily) exercise I pass lawns and other grassy places that are kept short and often, at this time of year, they are covered in dandelions. Well I say 'dandelions' as that is what we tend to call all of this king of yellow flower that we see. Whilst you can see 'real' dandelions at any time of year they are most common in spring and early summer, but by October they are less so obvious so that begs the question, what are these 'dandelions' that can be seen commonly in October? Look in any wild flower book and you will see several pages of 'dandelions', my favourite book has illustrations of 36 species that all look the same! However, when you look more closely you start to see differences which, if you feel you want to name them, give you clues. So why is this photograph not of a dandelion? Firstly, the flower head is smaller than a dandelion; it has a shorter diameter and less densely p...

  Distinguishing between some species of hoverfly can be a real challenge, some species can only be told apart by examination under a microscope but that means capturing and killing a specimen and I am not about to do that. Mine is a hobby project not a scientific study. Some species, however, are distinctive enough to be identified even from a distance and this one [ Episyrphus balteatus]  being only 10mm or so in length is one of those more easily identified specimens. It is a slender insect with a quite distinctive shaped abdomen and has a unique pattern of markings on its back. Usually orange and with three alternate pairs of thick and narrow black bars it has earned the nickname of the marmalade hoverfly but you probably will not find it referred to as that in reference books. This particular insect caught my eye as it has three grey bands and I wondered if it was something other than 'balteatus' but upon reference to my 'bible' on hoverflies I find the markings ca...

  For my walk on Sunday afternoon I thought I would take a closer look at the Knowle which I previously paid a casual visit to about a month ago, not long after I arrived here in Sidmouth. As far as I can tell this area is the garden of Knowle House which was once one of the most prestigious houses in Sidmouth with extensive gardens but subsequent conversion into a hotel and then to East Devon Council offices has meant some of the grounds have been lost to the enlarged building and areas of access road and car parking. The house is now empty but I see has been acquired by McCarthy and Stone for conversion into luxury apartments for the over 60s. The gardens are currently a public park but whether this will change with the new development I do not know. Anyway, to the natural interest of the site which is why I visited. The area seems to fall into two sections; the 'formal' gardens to the front of the house and a more 'informal' section alongside the main road from the t...

  One of my favourite encounters as I walk along the seafront in Sidmouth is with the small flock of turnstone that can frequently be seen on the beach or on the rock sea defences. There are about twenty in the group and in autumn and winter they certainly flock together being birds of a feather. Turnstone are what are termed 'waders' and are distant relatives of the sandpiper family but although they are 'waders' you never see them wading. They are very much a bird of the shoreline resting on rocks and walls at high tide, scouring the beach when it is available to them and then, at low tide, examining rock pools and exposed seaweed.  The turnstone gets its name, of course, from its distinctive feeding habit of turning stones over to raid any grubs that might be hiding underneath but they also are adept at turning over seaweed and can often be seen rummaging around the tide line where drying weed and debris attract flies. On the beach in Sidmouth they run around between...

  Being a new arrival in Sidmouth I am discovering that my new surroundings are very different from where I have lived previously. The geology here, the different habitat types that it creates and so the species one sees means that there is always potential to find something I have not seen before.  This is treacle mustard [Erysimum cheiranthoides], it is a member of the cabbage, or cruciferae, family; it has four petals which is a characteristic of this group of plants. It is a low growing annual plant with cylindrical seed pods and it is the seed pods that help distinguish it from related plants. It favours bare ground, according to my field guide often occurring in sandy locations, and flowers from June through until September. The name 'treacle' mustard came from the Greek, theriaki, meaning antidote to poisonous bites as the plant was thought to have healing properties (Wikipedia). Research has shown the plant, like many of the cabbage family, contain chemicals which giv...

  On any stroll along the prom in Sidmouth you will see herring gulls. Despite popular belief herring gull populations are in decline as they struggle with diminishing natural food supplies and nesting habitats. They have become quite resourceful and have adapted their behaviour to nest on roof tops and to scavenge for scraps that humans leave behind although that scavenging seems to be reaching the point where they will boldly take food before humans have left it behind! The herring gull is a stocky bird and not something one would wish to tangle with especially when it is in the air near you and in some places it is claimed visitors are staying away because of the gulls. In Swanage recently a local started a petition to try and get the town council to 'cull' them as they are considered to be a nuisance. It is, I think, a shame that we humans act in a way that encourages animals to become what we then consider to be a nuisance and then our answer is to want to kill off the poo...