Chicken of the Woods.

Chicken of the Woods. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 The Chicken of the Woods fungus has again appeared on an old tree stump on the Church Green. There was a considerable demand in the 1990s when it fetched good prices at market. Resembling a chicken breast, a kind of vegetarian pastry. It can be eaten without ill effects - by some people, but there are reports  of dinner party guests falling out of their chairs, retching and gasping for breath, while the host dialed 999. Some people can eat it without ill effects while others suffer mild reactions such as swollen lips and giddiness. Best to try a small bit first.

Another bright yellow fungus, which is highly edible, has recently appeared in the UK, the Golden Oyster.  This very invasive mushroom which has recently been found near the norther cities of Liverpool and  Barnsley has been placed on the high-risk, invasive species list by the UK Government, alongside Japanese knotweed and Grey Squirrels. Escaping from cultivation in the USA, it has now covered some 2 million square kilometres there, damaging much of the native fungi, and could well do much the same here. 

Village Clouded Yellow Butterfly.

 

Clouded Yellow butterflies are having an exceptionally good year, with over 1,000 counted so far in Dorset .  Good years occur roughly one year in ten so it is likely that this will be my last. It was a pleasure therefore to see one in the old cricket field on Thursday. As far as I remember this was the nearest to the village that I have seen one. Usually they have been recorded near the new cricket field at Ashton, together with Common Blues and the brilliantly coloured Adonis Blue.

The Clouded Yellows at Ashton occur in a limited area, and I have wondered if it is a permanent breeding colony rather than passing immigrants.  The only known permanent colony of Clouded Yellows in the country is in Bournemouth which is warm enough for them to overwinter. There is a limited supply of one of its food plants, Birds Foot Trefoil, but I have yet to find any of its bright white, turning to pink/orange, eggs.

No photo, it flew off too fast. Pictures may be seen on the Dorset butterfly Conservation Website, www.dorsetbutterflies.com.