The Local Guide

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Apologies for the lateness of this post and also apologies for the silence from me! I've been at university and it's saf...
18/02/2022

Apologies for the lateness of this post and also apologies for the silence from me! I've been at university and it's safe to say that my studies have certainly made the time fly by.

However, those who recognise this marvellous building could probably guess where I'm studying... This is Norwich Cathedral. Construction began in 1096 and eventually it grew to become an influential structure of monastic importance in East Anglia - one of the most populated regions of Medieval England. However, it was consistently overshadowed by the still standing Abbey of St. Edmund, now the ruins that lie in Abbey Gardens, Bury St. Edmunds.

Norwich Cathedral survives as a beautiful reminder of medieval construction, showcasing brilliant examples of Normanesque, Byzantine, Gothic, English, and even modern architecture, with very friendly tour guides that are more than happy to dispense detail. Even down to a single tomb and the life of the crusading knight that lay there.

Apologies again for the quiet, if I have any time again soon you'll be hearing from me!

- Connor

Look out for Jelly Ear on your travels now! They can be found on dead wood (saprophytic) and are really common in the UK...
06/01/2022

Look out for Jelly Ear on your travels now! They can be found on dead wood (saprophytic) and are really common in the UK. Mostly found on dead Elder, the rubbery ear like brackets grow parallel to the ground (geotropism) and are often a shiny brown on the inside and a velvety mat brown on the outside.

- Ben

Marcescence (mar-ses-ence) Some species broadleaf trees retain dead leaves throughout winter, these are known as marcesc...
22/12/2021

Marcescence (mar-ses-ence)

Some species broadleaf trees retain dead leaves throughout winter, these are known as marcescent leaves. Whereas most deciduous trees drop they're leaves in autumn; Oak, Beech, Hornbeam and some palms will hold onto some of their leaves after they have dried up and turned brown.

We're not really sure why, but most explanations involve protecting new buds against herbivores as the dry leaves would make an unpleasant meal and marcescent leaves occur in larger numbers on lower branches. Interestingly hedged beech and hornbeam will hold onto alot of their leaves in winter which supports this theory because hedges are regularly pruned which is much like plants being regularly browsed by herbivores.

Other theory's including protecting new buds from high winds as the old dead leaves will slow down the wind around them. Some say that the tree using these leaves to mulch the ground in spring to help the soil retain water. Another theory is delaying leaf drop to smother competing plants and/or help feed saplings in the spring.

We really don't know why exactly but it's still an interesting feature to look out for.

What do you think is the purpose of marcescence?

- Ben

Oak marble GallsRemember gall wasps?Gall wasps are a tiny type of wasp that are parasitic to plants, they lay their eggs...
15/12/2021

Oak marble Galls

Remember gall wasps?
Gall wasps are a tiny type of wasp that are parasitic to plants, they lay their eggs in the buds. The growing larvae secrectes chemicals that causes the bud to deform creating the perfect home for the wasps larvae as it grows. The eggs are laid in May and the adult wasp emerges in September through a tiny hole seen in the picture below. The galls are about the size of a marble, hard, woody and easy to see this time of year now the leaves have fallen.

Oak Galls have been used by Romans and possibly earlier cultures for making a purple to black ink used for writing as well as dying leather and cloth.

Just a frog on a common polypody fern.- Ben
29/11/2021

Just a frog on a common polypody fern.

- Ben

Remember Hargrave church? I posted about this little village church in the tiny village of Hargrave for my first post on...
27/11/2021

Remember Hargrave church? I posted about this little village church in the tiny village of Hargrave for my first post on this page over a year ago, yet I'm now faced with fascinating knowledge about this small place.

During the tragic time of the Black Death in its first wave throughout England in 1349, every single person was affected (of afflicted) in one way or another - the scale of death was apocalyptic.

Some say roughly half of the English population died this year, and parish records show that families and land holdings were utterly devastated.

Yet one place remained unaffected...
..Little old Hargrave...

Professor Mark Bailey, from the University of East Anglia, has stated that England's parish records are one of the best ways of denoting the tally of English casualties to the Black Death, and the only place in East Anglia with no death records from the 1349 plague is the tiny village of Hargrave.

This did not last forever, though, and Hargrave was hit hard in the 1361-2 waves, though it is fascinating to see how one tiny parish survived the most devastating early wave supposedly unscathed. I'd be interested to see if there may have been any reason for this.

- Connor

Weeting Castle is a fascinating hidden gem of the breckland countryside.Although it's not actually a castle... it's a me...
17/11/2021

Weeting Castle is a fascinating hidden gem of the breckland countryside.

Although it's not actually a castle... it's a medieval Manor house!

Built in around 1180 over the top of a potentially earlier small settlement by the Norman noble Hugh de Plais, it was said to have resembled the designs at Castle Acre, owned by de Plais' lord. It included a large hall, a three storey tower, kitchen, service areas, and a later 13th century moat.

While this hall was beautiful and lavish, it ceased to be used in the 14th century and fell into disrepair, where it now stands to this very day for all to visit and marvel at what guests this building may have entertained, how much wine drank and food eaten...

Weeting Castle is free to enter in Weeting-upon-Broomhill, just outside of Brandon near Thetford. There is a beautiful church right next to it and a medieval pilgrimage cross hidden in the surrounding woods that I have previously posted here before if you feel up for the walk!

Like and follow for more.

- Connor

An interesting little fungus and one I needed the help of to help me identify is the Apricot club or clavulinopsis lute...
15/11/2021

An interesting little fungus and one I needed the help of to help me identify is the Apricot club or clavulinopsis luteoalba. As you can see it's tiny and shorter that the grass around it.

-Ben

Ferns have an interesting life cycle, instead of the usual flowers and seeds ferns have an archaic two stage reproductio...
01/11/2021

Ferns have an interesting life cycle, instead of the usual flowers and seeds ferns have an archaic two stage reproduction method which doesn't rely on pollinators.

Step 1 is the "sporophite." This is the mature fern we all know. Underneath the leaves spores are produced and when they turn brown they're ready to spread and disperse in the wind or water.

Step 2 is the "gametophyte." If spores are lucky they'll land in a good location, usually a cool, shady and wet place. The spores grow into a gametophyte which is a small green pad that has both male and female reproductive organs. The s***m needs a film of water to find its way over this to an egg and once fertilised grows into a mature fern and then the cycle starts again.

The picture shows a mature fern or sporophite with dark brown spores ready to go.

-Ben

Ivy can be an invasive pain in some woodlands but there's no doubt it's an important part of the English country ecosyst...
18/10/2021

Ivy can be an invasive pain in some woodlands but there's no doubt it's an important part of the English country ecosystem. It's an flowers offer a "last supper" for alot of our pollinators as it flower late in the season. The berries last for alot of the winter too making it a important food source for birds and it's evergreen cover also offers a safe refuge for a winter's rest for our hibernating species.

Check out this little honey bee stocking up for the cold weather.

- Ben

On this day, 955 years ago, the history of this nation changed dramatically.On this day, AD1066; William of Normandy def...
14/10/2021

On this day, 955 years ago, the history of this nation changed dramatically.
On this day, AD1066; William of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxon army led by Harold Godwinson.
This ushered in half a century of Norman rule in England, playing a large part in accelerating the nations fortification efforts and the introduction of new laws and language.
However this was not a peaceful event, and many would suffer under Norman rule, particularly those in the North of England.

The Anglo-Saxon period largely ended with this event. If things had gone differently at Battle, who knows where we would be as a nation!

Earthstars happen to be one of the strangest fungus I have found locally as they look like some kind of alien egg! They ...
30/09/2021

Earthstars happen to be one of the strangest fungus I have found locally as they look like some kind of alien egg! They burst out of the ground when regular rains start late summer/early August because rain is an important part spore dispersal. Rain hitting the spore sack in the middle causes spores to puff out of the hole in the middle.

Look for cool damp and undisturbed stops under trees to spot them.
-Ben

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