14 June 2025
A small group of six, brave enough to come out, despite the wet weather, set off through the woodland shelterbelt at Dykebar hoping to get protection from the rain. The plan wasn’t as effective as we’d hoped, but without the downpour we would never have seen what turned out to be the highlight of the day! At first it seemed like smoke coming from a fallen tree, a puzzling sight. On closer inspection this turned out to be clouds of fungal spores and every time a large drop of rain hit the tiny little puffballs, a cloud of spores was rapidly expelled.
We spotted a few other fungi on our walk, including the aptly named Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida) and an impressive Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). A leech was seen in the wet grassland and we wondered if this was a medical leeches which had escaped from Dykebar Hospital! The woodland floor had a variety of ancient woodland indicator species, including Sanicle (Sanicula europaea), Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circeana lutea) and native Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). A dozen Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactus helleborine) were growing in a straight line and we surmised that this was due to mycorrhizal fungi along a tree root. There were many notable trees including a grand old Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) which we estimated to be 300-400 years old.
Fortunately, the rain went off in time for lunch and we sat next to the wildflower meadow with Greater Butterfly Orchids (Platanthera chlorantha) in full flower. The rain stayed off for the rest of the afternoon, encouraging insects to come out. Large numbers of Ringlet butterflies (Aphantopus hyperantus), Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata), Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis), Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata), Chimney Sweeper (Odezia atrata) and various grass moths flew out of the wet grassland as we walked past. An interesting find was a Thistle Tortoise Beetle nymph (Cassida rubiginosa). It carries a faecal package on its back for protection from predators, although on a day like this it probably served well as an umbrella. As we returned to our cars we reflected on the fact that much of these woodlands and meadows would soon be bulldozed to make way for houses.
Kirsty Menzies (report and photographs)
Paisley Natural History Society 