April 2021 – Warwickshire Wildlife/Nature

Please refer to the Introduction Page to understand the context behind the monthly photographs.

Birds

Canada Goose

Juvenille Starling

Animals

Roe Deer

Butterflies

Orange Tip Butterfly

Peacock Butterfly

Insects

Bee Fly

Young queen comon wasp

Fungi

Artists Fungus (Ganoderma applanatum)

Artists Fungus - Close up (Ganoderma applanatum)

The above fungus is known for two reasons.

as the artists fungus as the under surface when white can be scratched to leave brown marks to create an image.
this is the only insect and fungi gall combination known in Britain. The yellow flat foot fly platypezid fly (Agathomyia wankowiczii) creates the distinctive galls shown on the underside of the fungus

The gall is found in large clusters on the whitish-brownish underside of the fungus. They start as small warts that can grow up to 1cm in height. Inside each wart is the grub of the fly. Once the grub is fully grown it bores a hole into the top of the gall and falls to the ground where it buries its self into the soil before it pupates to turn into the adult fly.

Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus)

Lichen

Lichen are only recorded at each new OS Grid location (hover for Grid Ref). They are then entered on the British Lichen Society spreadsheet and submitted for their Warwickshire VC38 Lichen database and Lichen mapping.

Churchyard lichens - St Mary Magdalen Church - Great Alne

The story of St Mary’s goes back to Saxon times. The original church building probably suffered during William the Conqueror’s Harrying of the North activities, and consequently became a rectory in the patronage of the Treasurer of York Cathedral (who also was Lord of Alne). Hence the current church is primarily of the Norman period, with alterations and additions over the centuries.