Hackfall wood

[annew]

As it was my husband's birthday yesterday, we took the day off and went to one of the loveliest environments in the world - an ancient English wood at bluebell time (That's Hyacinthoides non-scripta to you Scots!). We visited Hackfall Wood, an SSSI in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. The sheets of Bluebells were spectacular, and there were also other ancient woodland plants, such as Lathraea squamata, parasitic on sycamore and lime here, Orchis mascula, and Paris quadrifolia.

[annew]

Also in this wood are several follies and  managed waterways from the 18th century, along with natural tufa outcrops. This is what nature, and man, does with the tufa.

[annew]

But this is what we really went for! So Barry could stick his head and camera down a deep dark hole to see a green smudge on a rock - no really! You thought galanthophiles were mad with their green smudges. This is the sexual stage of the Killarney fern, Trichomanes speciosum. Impressive, eh? Oh, and the birthday cake! (The badge says "I'm very busy")

[Maggi Young]

What a good way to celebrate a birthday. Many happy returns of the day, Barry!
The Lathraea always fascinates me, so "other worldly"   and I have never seen Paris quadrifolia in the wild... I'd love to have shared a flask of tea with you there!
Not so sure about the head in dark hole, though. Kari Haugli ( superficially a truly charming "ordinary" person) is in the Caucasus, looking for slime moulds..... there are lots of weird folks, out there, Barry, you're in good company!

[annew]

Barry's choice of how to spend his 50th birthday was to take part in a course on slime moulds, but it was cancelled due to lack of interest!

[Maggi Young]

cancelled due to lack of interest

Irritating when that happens, a chum wanted to go to a clairvoyants' conference which was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.....

By the way, Barry.... you're looking good, hardly a day over 49 

[David Nicholson]

Lovely pictures Anne, I could almost smell the Yorkshire air again. I've heard of some 'sad' moments in my time but looking for sexual stages of ferns takes some beating!