Alden Lane and Lodge

The lane to the rear of the White Horse Hotel at Helmshore is already producing Marsh Marigold (caltha palustris) with several flower heads, and heading further up the lane towards Alden there is some Hart's Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) in the left hand side gutter (see photo and click over to enlarge). There are lots of lichens on the wall tops including the lemon coloured specimen (xanthoria parietina), I have still to identify others.

Just before reaching the cottages on the left was this very old digger. Closeby Some kind person was feeding the birds in the tree opposite with nut bags and it was attracting several Blue Tits and a early Reed Bunting which was nice to see. Just past the cottages to the right, some clearing work with a large mechanical digger was being carried out in the Woodland area, it was noticeable from a fallen sign that this Woodland area had been up for auction quite recently..

Reaching the Alden Lodge, an idyllic spot, we startled a solitary Moorhen and a pair of Mallard which where just relaxing and absorbing the little sun which occasionally would be on offer.. We heard the piercing call of a Kingfisher closeby..

Also there was this orange fungi called Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) -See photo on left - which was about 15ft up a mature decideous tree. Also a rotten fallen tree very near to the entrance stile produced this Black coloured fungi which is called Dead Man's Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) and it was present all over the rotting trunk (see photo and click over to enlarge, and also click over photo 2 in fungi listings).