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Culbin Forest wildlife

Culbin Forest wildlife


Postby BlackPanther » Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:34 pm

We went for a walk in Culbin Forest on Sunday. Hoped for some mushrooms for mushroom soup but it's obviously too early in the year for chanterelles. Still, we were surrounded by wildlife :D :D Not edible, but interesting nevertheless :lol:
In gravel-pit ponds, frog offspring was hopping about...
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They are so cute I couldn't resist picking one up for petting :wink:
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This one still has toad tail:
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Little fishies:
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Away from the pond, rosebay willowherbs proudly presented their pink flowers:
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Restharrows were a bit more discreet...
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It was mating time for ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus) - plenty of them flying about:
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I noticed this bright lemony-yellow fungus growing on a tree stump. I guess, it's Tremella mesenterica - "yellow brain":
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But the main attraction were the little, black workers :D
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Red wood ants (Formica rufa), red with black abdomen and legs, fascinating little fellows:
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I spent a lot of time watching them from safe distance - if disturbed these tiny soldiers can inflict a painful bite!
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Busy...busy...
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A closer look:
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Many ant nests in Culbin are located very close to tracks and paths, so it is easy to spot them - but please, don't harm these little fellows if you stumble across their home!
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BlackPanther
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby nathan79 » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:30 pm

Never fails to amaze me how small frogs and toads can be. Small, medium or large I can't resist stopping to play with them.

Love the yellow brain fungus!
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby Reginald Rat » Thu Jul 18, 2013 12:28 pm

I think your brain fungus is probably a slime mould.

Very cool things slime moulds - they are classified in a biological kingdom of their own + have some very strange properties. The attached link is a good example...

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2000/09/28/189608.htm
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby Caberfeidh » Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:30 pm

BlackPanther wrote:Not edible


Who says?!

nathan79 wrote:Love the yellow brain fungus!


Maybe that's what's wrong with me.... :D
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby BlackPanther » Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:19 pm

Caberfeidh wrote: BlackPanther wrote:Not edible

Who says?!


:lol: :lol: :lol: Some things are edible but just once :wink:

I tried frog legs when I was living in France and didn't really like them... A bit slimy.
Never tasted ants though... :shock: but they tasted me a couple of times when I was standing too close to the nest!
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby basscadet » Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:23 pm

I ate some sugar ants in Oz.. Blooming lovely they were, like little juicy golden nuggets.. :D
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Re: Culbin Forest wildlife

Postby Caberfeidh » Thu Jul 18, 2013 5:28 pm

Ray Mears ate ants eggs in one of his programmes, he said they tasted like shrimp. I'll take him at his word, and just have a sandwich... All this living off the land stuff seems an awful lot of bother to go to, when you can just buy stuff fairly cheaply and know your not picking the wrong mushroom/plant, or getting eaten alive by irate ants for nicking their eggs. Though I do like to catch fish from hill-lochs or the sea...
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