2017 First Quarter | Hainault Forest

FIRST QUARTER 2017

This Journal covers the first quarter of 2017 from January to March.

Welcome to the Website

Welcome to the website's first Journal. Hainault Forest has some marvellous fauna and flora which many visitors overlook. The website hopes to show you many of the wonders that you may possibly see on your visit.

Dawn

7.14am

Hainault Lake with the full moon casting its reflection over the water.

Hainault Lake

Icy Waters

A cold start to 2017 with Geese and Mallards having to cope with icy waters.

Foxburrow Farm

Snow

Mid-morning snow fell and settled on the 13th. Foxburrows Farm did not open due to the icy conditions. All the animals were locked away in their sheds.

Storm Doris

Fallen Tree

Storm Doris hit Britain on 23rd February 2017. Severe weather warnings were issued because of high winds. Hainault Forest entrance closed just before noon to safeguard visitors. This tree was blown down on Hainault Golf Course.

Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

Kestrels are often seen flying over grassland areas and near Hainault Lake.

Snowdrops

Galanthus nivalis

One of the first flowers to appear in damp woods and hedgerows as springtime approaches. Not common in Hainault Forest.

Spurge Laurel

Daphne laureola

This evergreen shrub has a preference for chalky soil. It develops greenish flowers early in the year.

Cap-thread Moss

Orthodontium lineare

A silky, narrow-leaved moss, with leaves that curl in several directions. It froms dense growth on tree trunks. This was introduced from southern hemisphere in early 20th century and has spread.

Foliose Lichen

Parmelia subaurifera

An olive-green leafy foliose lichen. Synonym: Melanelia subaurifera.

Yellow Brain

Tremella mesenterica

These bright yellow fruiting bodies mainly appear during autumn and winter on fallen deciduous branches. The fruiting body turns hard and orange when dried out.

White Brain

Exidia thuretiana

This Jelly fungus is found on rotten hardwood, particularly beech, during autumn and winter. In dry weather the fruiting bodies shrink becoming hard and leaving just a transparent rubbery spot on the host wood.

Witch's Butter

Exidia glandulosa

Found on deciduous dead wood during autumn and winter. The fruiting bodies attach to the wood using tiny stems. More noticeable after prolonged wet weather when they become plump and fleshy

Jelly Ear

Auricularia auricula-judae

A fungus found on tree trunks and branches all year round, especially during autumn and winter. Initially very soft with a velvet-like texture, becoming smoother with age. Grows on deciduous trees, particularly Elder.

Scarlet Elfcup

Sarcoscypha austriaca

Typically appears during winter months on dead twigs, this fungus has a preference for damp shaded locations where it is usually found partially buried in moss.

Common Jelly Ear

Dacrymyces stilatus

Found on all kinds of damp and decaying wood. The fruiting bodies are normally orangy-yellow and 2-5mm across. Dries out with maturity becoming darker and marginally tougher.

King Alfred's Cakes

Daldinia concentrica

Initially pinkish-brown, this fungus aka 'Crampballs' blackens with age. When cut in half concentric growth rings are revealed, hence 'concentrica' in its Latin name.

Velvet Shank

Flammulina velutipes

Often seen during January and February, normally appearing on deadwood after frosty weather. This fungus has orange-brown caps that measure 40-120mm across. The dark stipe is velvety at the base and grows up to 100mm long.

Poplar Bell

Schizophyllum amplum

This fungus is mostly associated with growing on Poplar trees during wet spells, often seen after high winds when small branches have fallen from trees. It has no gills and dehydrates quickly and can vanish quite fast.

Hairy Bracket

Trametes hirsuta

The brackets of this fungus are 40-100mm across when fully grown. They are initially white or creamy with the upper surface covered in hairs. It develops concentric ridged colour zones. The area near the outer edge usually has brown or ochre coloration. The fruiting bodies gradually turn greyer before decaying.

Willow Bracket

Phellinus igniarius

Very tough fungus associated with willow trees. Seen all year round on lower trunks of older trees. It grows in concentrically ridged layers; with a fresh layer forming each year. The new layers are light-brown and feel like velvet. Older layers turn grey, then blacken and often develop cracks. The largest ones at Hainault Forest are about 20cm across.

Birch Besom

Taphrina betulina

Birch Besom is a gall caused by a fungus which deforms Silver Birch. A dense mass of shoots grow from a single point with the resulting structure resembling a witch's broom or bird's nest. It occurs throughout the year but becomes more obvious during winter when there are no leaves on the trees.

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Britain's largest Grebe has distinctive breeding plumage used during courtship in head-waggling displays. Grebes dive underwater to catch fish and also when they feel threatened.

Mandarin Duck

Aix galericulata

Mandarin Ducks feed on plants, seeds and insects. Males has colourful plumage. Females are dull by comparison. This species is originately from Asia.

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

The commonest type of diving duck found on Hainault Lake. Both sexes have distinctive yellow eyes. Male shown, females are brown. They feed on vegetation, insects and molluscs.

Ducks

Anas platyrhynchos

Indian Runner Ducks (two on left) stand erect and run rather than waddling. There is no evidence to support that they originate from India. Pekin ducks (right) originate from China and are sometimes mistaken for Aylesbury ducks. Most Pekins in the UK have been imported from Germany. They are pure white with orange legs.

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

The Moorhen has a red and yellow beak, dark brown back and wings and a blackish belly with white stripes on the flanks.

Coot

Fulica atra

Coots are related to moorhens, but are larger, all-black with a white head patch and beak. Coots are renowned for having an aggressive nature. Resident Coots defend their territories when visitors arrive and fierce battles take place. Coots have flaps of skin on the toes which act like webbed feet when swimming.

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

This Heron stood on a chimney in Marlyon Road for nearly ten minutes possibly looking for a garden pond to raid. Gulls upset by the Heron's presence started dive bombing until it got fed up with their attacks and flew away.

Common Gull

Larus canus

The Common Gull has greenish legs. It is not very common inland despite the name. Occasional visitors to Hainault Lake normally only turning up in very small groups. Their diet consists on worms, insects, carron, fish and scraps.

Treecreeper

Certhia familiaris

The only British land bird with a curved beak. It is normally seen climbing up the side of tree trunks searching for food. Treecreepers feed on Insects, arachnids and seeds.

Woodpigeon

Columba palumbus

Britain's largest pigeon species feeds on grain, nuts, seeds, cabbages, sprouts, peas, buds, shoots and berries.

Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

First recorded breeding in Britain during the 1950s. The Collared Dove has a pinky-brown body, black neck collar and red eyes. It feeds on buds, shoots, grains and seeds.

Comma

Polygonia c-album

Upper wings of the Comma butterfly are orange-brown with black and yellowish-brown markings. Undersides are shades of brown with a white 'comma' on the hind underwing. At rest the Comma resembles a withered leaf. Maximum wingspan of females is about 60mm, males are generally smaller. When hop farming declined so did the Comma because large quantities of the larval foodplant disappeared. Stinging nettles are now a major food source for this species.

Smooth Newt

Lissotriton vulgaris

Smooth newts are the commonest British newt.

Dark-edged Bee-fly

Bombylius major

The Bee-fly is a harmless two-winged insect that resembles a small bumblebee about 12mm long. The long proboscis is used for drinking nectar and is not a stinger. Usually seen in spring resting on leaf litter or hovering above flowers. Its larvae feed on bee and wasp larvae.

Garden Snail

Cornu aspersum

The Garden Snail has a thick shell usually brown with a variable yellowish-brown zig-zagging lines and a wrinkled surface. The shell has 4½ to 5 whorls and grows to a height of 25-35mm. This is a nocturnal species that appears during the day after rain. Often found in gardens, hedgerows and on rocks.

Shiny Common Woodlouse

Oniscus asellus

One of the largest and most common Woodlouse species in Britain and Europe, growing up to 16mm long and 6mm wide.

Oyster Mushroom

Pleurotus ostreatus

Oyster Mushrooms are shell-shaped mushrooms with little or no stems. The cap flattens with age often becoming split or wavy at the edge. Caps come in various shades of grey or brown, sometimes very pale, sometimes dark. They measure up to 150mm across. They grow in groups on fallen trunks and stumps of deciduous trees.

Glistening Inkcap

Coprinellus micaceus

This fungus appears in large groups on deciduous stumps, trunks and buried wood. The caps are covered in fine scales that often seem to glisten. The smooth stipe and gills are white when young but with age they blacken as the mushrooms deliquesce.

Barren Strawberry

Potentilla sterilis

Barren Strawberry has a hairy stem and oval leaflets which are toothed, lower leaves are ternate or palmate. The small solitary flowers measure 8-15mm across and have white petals which are slightly notched with gaps in-between.

Butcher's Broom

Ruscus aculeatus

An evergreen shrub with flat shoots known as cladodes that look like stiff spine-tipped leaves. During spring tiny flowers appear singly in the middle of the cladodes. The female flowers produce a red berries which birds feed on which assists in distributing seeds. Butcher's Broom also spreads by using rhizomes. Butcher's once made brooms out of this plant to sweep the floor, hence the name. It was also placed at the base of doors because its sharp nature prevented small rodents entering through the gap. This plant grows in Hainault Lodge.

Coltsfoot

Tussilago farfara

Coltsfoot has s#solitary yellow flower-heads that appear on scaly stems. Heart-shaped leaves appear after the flowers. Often found at the end of Hainault Lake and bare ground during spring.

Primrose

Primula vulgaris

A low perennial with large, oval leaves, hairy on the underside. Flowers appear from February to May singly on stalks (pedicels) extending from the leaf-rosette. Leaves gradually taper towards the base.

Ground Ivy

Glechoma hederacea

Common throughout the woodland and edges. Ground Ivy is a softly haired creeping perennial with square leafy stems. It produces a strong aroma when crushed.

Wood Anemone

Anemone nemorosa

A short perennial with unbranched stems. The lobed leaves grow in whorls and the flowers grow singly. The flowers have 5-9 white sepals which are tinged pink on the underside. There are no petals. Not common in Hainault Forest, but a small patch exists along the Headland Path near Peter's Gate.

Procumbent Pearlwort

Sagina procumbens

A common perennial found in wild and disturbed habitats, particularly where damp. It sometimes grows on lawns or in pavement cracks, where if forms hairless green mats, sometimes moss-like in appearance. The solitary flowers typically have 4-5 sepals and 4-5 small white petals, however the petals are sometimes missing.

Spring Squill

Scilla verna

Found growing on a forest path near Woolhampton Way. This is a plant not normally seen in Hainault Forest and is probably a garden escape.

Frutiose Lichen

Usnea subfloridana

Since the 1970's and the reduction in pollution levels this lichen is gradually returning to London. This was found on a branch blown down from the treetops by Storm Doris.

Daffodil

Wild, but not native

Were these native daffodils on Hog Hill? It was time to contact the experts to confirm or dismiss our find. Botanist, Enid Barrie, visited Hainault Forest: "Although quite a few of the features do match the wild daff, the hypanthium is not twisted and the corolla is lobed." Leading expert and County recorder, Ken Adams said: "Looks as if Redbridge had some spare bulbs from one of their verge planting projects. If you go on the internet there are loads of companies offering ‘Wild Daffodils’. The coronas look very lobed to me and the hypanthium does not appear to be twisted which is critical for the native form but often bred out in the cultivars. You have to be careful using the word ‘wild’ as some people might think it means native."

Solitary Wasp

Nests

A bare piece of ground on Cabin Hill is covered with mounds each with a tiny hole on top. These are solitary wasp nests. The majority of wasp species are solitary insects. Many dig burrows in the ground. Having mated, a female will build a nest and forage for the benefit of her own offspring. Some solitary wasps nest in small groups alongside others of their species. They eat mostly insects and spiders.

White Frog Spawn

Rana temporaria

Frog spawn is laid in clumps in shallow water, normally appearing before toad spawn. Tadpoles stay together in a writhing mass when they first hatch. White spawn appears when it has not been successfully fertilised. This usually breaks down naturally in the water, however sometimes the white dots develop into white or ‘transparent’ tadpoles.

Thank you to everyone that have contributed to this Journal.

This website uses necessary cookies. It does not use targeting or advertising cookies.