Bridleway from Chilswell Farm to Boar's Hill

A walk earlier this week from Chilswell Farm towards Foxcombe Road on Boar's Hill. Sun shone.

This gall on an oak, a marble gall, caused by the larvae of a small gall wasp - the adult wasp emerges from the gall. The gall starts green, this is one from last season, and's now gone brown.

I like the English names - this one's the fungus called King Alfred's cake. Legend has it that King Alfred left some cakes to cook to long - and indeed these do look a bit like burnt buns. Their less romantic Latin name is Daldinia concentrica - but again it's descriptive as the cross section shows a pattern of concentric circles. Dried, the inside lights very readily and can be used to get a fire started. Also known as cramp balls and coal fungus, it grows on dead and decayng wood especially ash.

Pussy willow was attracting bumblebees with several on this patch - here a buff-tailed

and here a red-tailed bumble bee

Blackthorn much in evidence - huge splashes of white.

Butterflies were enjoying the sun too - a Peacock looking a bit tatty from last year, and a Small Tortoiseshell.