Bog Beacon

We walked this morning up the hill to Golspie Tower and on upwards into the woodland above it in search of orchids which, along the side of this muddy track, we duly found.

They're heath spotted orchids, one of the most common but which, so far, we've only found growing in this one area. They're just appearing in the same place we found them last year, which is good but what I would dearly love is to add more species to the four we identified in the 2020 season.

Finding something new is always exciting. We came cross this 3cm high yellow-headed matchstick for the first time in May, higher on the hill, so it isn't new but this time, after a long search, I have managed to identify it.

It's bog beacon Mitrula paludosa which, according to the Landscape Britain website here "....is only occasional in Britain." It continues, "This little fungus is found in damp ditches, slow moving streams, sphagnum patches, bogs, swamps and in the shallow margins of some lakes. It grows on plant debris and rotting twigs and leaves.

"Bog Beacon is the natural world’s recycler. It feeds on rotting leaves and stems, breaking down dead plant litter. It plays a vital role in driving the carbon cycle, by releasing nutrients it doesn’t need back into the habitat."

As if finding bog beacon, a club fungus, wasn't enough we had the excitement of a close encounter with a young roe deer stag.