Ferns, fungi, nuthatch, and buzzard

From the Google cache.

Ferns, fungi, nuthatch, and buzzard

Date: 12/11/05 at 5:35PM

Mood: Looking Playing: A forest, by The Cure

Today, again to national park Zuid-Kennemerland.

To a different part, however: a more wooded part at the eastern edge of the dunes, called Midden Herenduin.

In a meadow, rooks, a magpie, and Egyptian geese.

At the start of our excursion, ferns.

Most ferns in The Netherlands don’t show their leaves in winter.

Here, however, is an exception: the broad buckler-fern.

This common species, like its rarer relative, the narrow buckler-fern, stays green in winter.

Later, we see a Polypodium fern. Now also a green exception to the rule.

We also find Atrichum undulatum, one of about 350 “real” moss species of The Netherlands.

In this forest, there are probably about 60-70 species.

Like bank haircap, and Eurhynchium praelongum, and star moss.

There are also about 350 lichen species in The Netherlands; which may look like mosses, but are not.

Most mosses are sexually active in winter, when they have less competition from flowering plants.

Moss prevents water from just seeping into the ground, providing important conditions for other plants.

Among the trees here are common walnut; Douglas fir; yew.

And silver poplar and hawthorn and maple.

Some trees have parasites: honeysuckle.

On the forest floor: garlic mustard and ground ivy.

Over half of all plant species of The Netherlands can be found in the dunes along its coast.

We find candle-snuff fungus.

And razorstrop fungus on a birch.

On a tree a bit further, white brain fungus.

On the ground, a circle of Mycena pura.

The seabuckthorn is very common in the dunes here.

Migrating birds, like fieldfares and redwings, eat its berries.

However, the birds sometimes get drunk from fermenting berries.

Foxes are said to wait to catch the birds till they are drunk.

The brown-tail, a moth, is very dependent on the seabuckthorn.

Each year, basically in June, the Dutch butterfly association has a special night to catch and watch moths.

On the forest floor, a panther cap fungus.

On a branch, a witch’s butter (later, another one of this species).

On trees, standing in water: many surgeons’ agaric.

Since a few years, there is grazing in Dutch nature areas by highland cattle.

Their dung attracts new beetle species. Which, in turn, in the eastern Netherlands, benefit badgers.

In the dunes, the beetles may be a food source for the red-backed shrike.

Recently, the slow worm also came back to the dunes of The Netherlands.

On a maple, hairy bracket fungus.

On a birch, Merulius tremellosus.

On a silver poplar, both Rough-stalked feather moss; and Cladonia, a lichen.

As we walk back to where we started, nuthatches’ sounds.

And a buzzard flying just across the path.

My last impression of Midden Herenduin: wood sage.