Henry's Wildlife and Nature

 Yesterday we went for another walk in Pincyn Llys, whilst walking through the wood we found a few different fungi. It was damp in the woods, after the rain the night before, so perfect conditions for them to grow and now is the ideal time to find them. There are over 15,000 species of fungi in the UK that come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Fungi can be teeny-tiny to the biggest organism on Earth. Fungi are responsible for breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients into the environment. Specific types of fungi often grow by certain plants and trees. Be careful if you are foraging, as fungi can be deadly poisonous, some species are edible but you need to be very sure of what you are picking.  Common inkcap This is very common in the UK, and often appears after rain. This is actually a mushroom. Mushroom and toadstools are the fruit of fungi. Beechwood sickener This fungi is toxic and can only be found in beech woodlands. This fungi helps beech trees take up nutrients from

The other week we met friends and all went for a walk in Pincyn Llys which is in the Clocaenog Forest. A lovely view Me, Tommy and our friend Anni Us on the monument Lovely flowers Us in a den We also found a millipede! We also played a nature jigsaw with the tree and fallen bark Pincyn Llys Pincyn Llys is the highest point in the Cloceanog Forest which has an ancient monument on top. The Cloceanog Forest has lots of lovely walks and we have done a few, but there are still more to explore.  There is a lot of heather and gorse growing there and it was lovely to see all the colours. Lord Bagot built the monument in 1830 to celebrate the planting of the forest. The forest was cut down during the First World War to make wooden weapons, and was replanted in 1930.

Sorry I have been a bit quiet, my camera has gone to a shop to be mended. I'm due to get it back this week. I'm SO exited! In our garden we have a massive diadem spider. I got some good pictures of her with her food and also her wrapped up food. We went to look this morning to see if she was out, we couldn't see her or any food. I just had a look then and saw her on the mini greenhouse frame. These pictures are taken from my mum's phone. Her wrapping a fly up Her eating the fly Cross Orbwever The cross orbweaver is also called European garden spider, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider and crowned orb weaver. The females can grow to be 20 millimeters, and the males are smaller. Adults can be found from late summer to autumn so now is the perfect time to see them. Females can lay between 300-900 eggs, so that means this spider could make 900 spiderlings. If you were to get bitten by this spider it would cause pain, swelling, and redness.

 In our garden, there has been a regular visitor at night. Thanks to my camera trap we got some good shots. We left some old sunflower heads in a drawer in the garden, this mouse seemed to visit every night and help himself to the seeds Here are some videos! I think this is a field mouse due to the shape of its nose and large back feet. The field mouse is also known as the wood mouse. They are a cautious mouse and always sniff anything unfamiliar. Field mice tend to mostly eat seeds but will also eat snails, insects, fruit, berries, nuts and fungi. Their tricky to spot because their fast and are nocturnal. They sleep in burrows during the day and look for food at night. They play an important role in woodland ecology, because they store seeds in the ground and often forget they are there, which means new trees are planted. They are the most common mouse in the UK, followed by the house mouse.  

 When we went to White Scar Caves we noticed lots of swallows flying around, and then a lady pointed out a swallows nest on the inside of the shelter. We stood very quietly and heard what we thought were chicks. We were right! A little chick suddenly popped its head out. Swallows were swooping around and the mum and dad would swoop above our head and feed the chick. It was quite tricky for the mum and dad to get there because it was very windy. It took several attempts for the parents to get to the nest, because it was so gusty. Here's a video to show you them! Swallows Swallows nest in sheds and barns and often sit and sing on a aerial or wire. They visit Europe in large groups in the summer. They will fly around villages and hedges to look for their favourite food, flying insects like big flies. They weigh around 20g and around 800,000 pairs breed in the British isles every year. In Britain you can find them everywhere except in the Scottish Highlands and islands. Swallows strugg

When we were at Scotland we visited Finlaystone Country Estate . It had a walled garden, park, a lovely woodland walk and play area, gift shop and café. Here are some things we did and saw while there. I will explain what the pictures are along the way. We made a den with a ranger Me and my little brother, Tommy, on a wooden pirate ship Petting farm Me using flint and steel to start a fire using cotton wool Me and Tommy on the climbing frame An old monument Me on a different climbing frame Me and Tommy going down a slide on a wooden play tram Me and Tommy going down a slide that was built into the hill The walled garden Me and Tommy on the basket swing Chaffinch Me and Tommy looking like soldiers Woodpigeon

 I haven't noticed a lot of bugs in our garden recently, but here are a few I have seen out and about. You can find minibeasts anywhere whether it is a wasp on a thistle near a pond or a ladybird sitting on a sunflower leaf. Comma Butterfly Comma Butterflies are found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The adults have a lifespan of up to a month. They eat tree sap, rotten or rotting fruit so if you want to encourage these beautiful species to your garden you could put out fruit. Yellow slug These slugs live in Wales and England and are found in towns and gardens. You can see them all year round and they can get 10cm in length. Meadow brown Meadow browns are found in Europe, Russia, Asia, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The larvae feed on grasses and adults can be seen flying in big numbers. This butterfly flies whether its raining or not. This species is the most common in grasslands. Brown lipped snail These snails can be found all year round, I spotted this on the