Indoor meetings:
Please see below the indoor meeting schedules:
Outdoor meetings:
Please see below the outdoor meeting schedules:
Outdoor meetings and trips – diary entries for 2023:
14 October 2023 – Fungus Foray 2023
On Saturday 14 October a group of Ledbury Naturalists members met for our last outdoor event of 2023. We took a gentle stroll up to the summit of Chace End, foraging for fungus as we walked. We were delighted to have our President and fungi expert, Cherry Greenway, leading us and helping us to identify the fungi we found.
Despite a couple of hefty icy showers and a chill wind, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and we enjoyed catching up with friends, sharing our finds and learning from Cherry.
Chace End hill is comprised of a mix of broadleaved deciduous woodland and open grassland, providing conditions ideal for a wide range of fungi. Some of the highlights included the bright yellow sticky Glutinous Waxcap (Hygrocybe glutinipes), tall and impressive Parasol (Macrolepiota procera) and grisly sounding and looking Dead Mans fingers (Xylaria polymorpha).
Glutinous Waxcaps
Dead Mans Fingers
Parasols
Brown Puffball open showing spores
The full list of finds is as follows:
Blusher Amanita rubescens
Brown Puffball Bovista nigrescens
Burgundy Bonnet Mycena haematopus
Charcoal Burner Russula cyanoxantha
Chestnut Bolete Gyroporus castaneus*
Clustered Toughshank Collybia confluens
Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum
Dead Man’s Fingers Xylaria polymorpha
Deceiver Laccaria laccata
False Chanterelle Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
Glutinous Waxcap Hygrocybe glutinipes*
Golden Spindles Clavulinopsis fusiformis
Inkstain Bolete Boletus pulverulentus*
Inky Mushroom Agaricus moelleri*
Iodine Bonnet Mycena filopes
Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae
Lilac Bonnet Mycena pura
Meadow Puffball Vascellum pratense
Parasol Macrolepiota procera
Russet Toughshank Collybia erythropus
Slimy Waxcap Hygrocybe irrigata*
Snowy Waxcap Hygrocybe virginea
Spindleshank Collybia fusipes
Spotted Toughshank Collybia maculata
Stubble Rosegill Volvariella gloiocephala
Tar-Spot Rhytisma acerinum
Note: * occasional
The white mould that usually covers Boletes is called Hypomyces chrysospermus
The Blusher
Clustered Toughshank
We also spotted a stunning Small Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) whilst on the hillside, enjoying the late sunshine.
Our thanks to Cherry for leading a fascinating and fun afternoon, enjoyed by all!
20 May 2023 – Hartpury Orchard Centre; National Perry Pear Collection
On Saturday 20th May a large group of Ledbury Naturalists came together at the Hartpury Orchard Centre, for a walk through the orchards and wetland areas created for wildlife.
The weather was glorious! Warm sunshine and gentle breezes made for a lovely walk and it was great for us all to meet up and chat whilst we ambled through meadows filled with gambling lambs. The hawthorn hedgerows surrounding the site were in full flower, filling the air with their beautiful scent.
The wetland area consisted of ponds and marshy land, where a rich variety of wildflowers could be seen, including ragged robin and yellow flag, as well as invasive parrot weed. The bird hide is ideally situated for watching for warblers, and birds are definitely abundant in the area.
We also saw large red damselflies, beautiful and banded demoiselles and broad-bodied chasers. During summer months 17 different dragonfly species are found here, so another visit is definitely recommended.
Steve, our leader, also set up a moth trap that ran during the previous night and we were treated to a good selection of early summer moths, including a lovely poplar hawk moth, a small elephant hawk moth and a local speciality, the silver cloud.
This is a truly lovely site to walk at, and you can find out more about the Centre at https://www.nationalperrypearcentre.org.uk/
Some members then moved on to Hartpury Church, just along the road, to visit the ancient stone Bee Shelter. This is a beautiful stone structure, originally built for bee keepers to shelter their hives over winter. It is well worth a visit and more information can be found at https://www.hartpuryheritage.org.uk/heritage/bee-shelter/restoration/
It’s always good to catch up with fellow nature enthusiasts, and this was a happy morning spent in beautiful surroundings.
22 April 2023 – May Hill walk
This was our first spring walk, led by Rob Guest. Rob gave us a fascinating insight into the local ecology, history and geology of the Hill.
Rob has provided some links which members may find interesting:
http://notabletrees.blogspot.com/https://mayhillmusic.blogspot.com/
http://dipwells.blogspot.com/
These are a couple of pictures of our president and members enjoying the walk and giving the only remaining Scots Pine from the original planting a hug to help it recover from damage caused by an ice storm a few years ago!
A booklet on the Hill is available from the May Hill Hub for £15.00:
https:/mayhillhub.com/shop/p/may-hill-village-publications