I made it out this morning for my weekly gull nest survey. A few surprises, including a new nest location I’ve never seen before. I’ll try and have a post up in a day or two about it. Until then, here’s a collection of recent photos of some curious plants, slime moulds, fungi, and a wasp.

Monotropa uniflora

A recent tip from a friend got me out in search of Monotropa uniflora, also know as Ghost Pipe. These are some weirdo plants that have given up their chlorophyll and can no longer photosynthesize. Instead, they are mycoheterotrophic – they parasitize fungus to obtain the nutrients and energy they need to grow.

Monotropa hypopitys

A day later I was exploring recent sightings on iNaturalist and discovered someone found Monotropa hypopitys (aka Pinesap) in another local park. It’s another mycoheterotrophic plant, and from what I could tell it was the first one ever reported in Pacific Spirit Park. A friend and I headed out and although it took us around fifteen minutes, we finally successfully located it.

Stemonitopsis typhina

A macro photos of a slime mould – probably Stemonitopis typhina – growing on a decomposing log.

Stemonitopsis typhina

Another photo of the same patch of Stemonitopsis typhina.

Orbilia xanthostigma

This tiny fungus in the genus Orbilia known as Glasscups.

Stemonitis axifera

Another slime mould found on a decomposing log that seems to be Stemonitis axifera.

Ichneumon annulatorius

Lastly, a ichneumonid wasp I spotted resting right beside the trail. The species is possibly Ichneumon annulatorius.

Until next time…

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