Hornets and Cauliflowers

                    Hornets are wonderful insects that unfortunately generate a lot of fear in people.   They are much less aggressive than common or garden wasps and unless provoked are pretty harmless although they do carry a more powerful sting than their smaller cousins. I often see them buzzing about in our wood but only once have I found a nest. The mild conditions this Autumn has kept them on the wing for longer than usual although the cold will kill them off as only the Queen will survive through the winter months. In late summer she lays eggs that produce males and new queens. Once mated these new queens will find somewhere to over-winter, the males having died off, and produce her own offspring in the spring. This week I watched several hornets cruising back and forth along a sunny ride and tried to figure out what they were doing. They did not seem to be hunting and several of them were clearly queens so I could only assume that they were either freshly mated and looking for winter quarters or on the lookout for suitable males. Whatever the reason for their activity, they are very welcome in Crow Wood.

               Fungi have also enjoyed the warm and damp conditions. Although many of the edible boletus have quickly succumbed to mildew as a result of the warmth,  Fly Agaric have put on a very good show this season. We found a very unusual fungus this year growing from the base of a dead pine tree - a Cauliflower Fungus, Sparassis crispa. It is parasitic on conifer species and although the reference books say it is edible and tasty this one looked a bit too old to sample.

            The seasons are moving on and the first Redwings are arriving from Scandinavia. These winter thrushes migrate south to spend the winter months here. They will make short work of the Rowan and Holly berries in the wood. With luck they will bring some cold weather down South. 

 

A Queen Hornet, males are redder in colour

Fly Agaric

                                                            The Cauliflower fungus

The first Redwings arriving

These Rowan berries will soon be eaten up