For my walk ... with the U3A nature recorders group November 2022
The Knapp and the Cemetery
On the morning of Wednesday, 2nd November 2022, I joined my first outing with the Sidmouth U3A (University of the Third Age) nature recorders group. We met at 10.30 in the Knowle car park under overcast skies and with a very blustery wind. Mercifully the rain help off for our walk only setting in once we were all safely back at home!
We set off up Peasland Road and entered the Knapp through the gate to the reserve and then climbed the steps encountering a fine display of fleecy milkcap fungi near the top. On a brief detour on to the Peasland Knapp wild flower area we found the 'iconic' toadstool, fly agaric, under the birch trees. It was good to find a specimen in pristine condition.
Moving on we walked down through the orchard stopping to admire the impressive array of lichen growing on the older fruit trees and then along the woodland path to the gate into the cemetery.
The best area for lichen in the churchyard is in the oldest part. Lichen can be very slow growing and so have had many years to form some good specimens on the tombstones here. Lichen can be very difficult to identify unless one specialises in them and, sadly, most people take little notice of these remarkable organisms; they are a joint partnership between a fungi and an algae. Six species that frequently occur in churchyards and that can be reasonably identified by the non-expert can be found here (they are listed in my species list - see below).
There were a few fungi to be seen including a first for me, the golden waxcap, and also some flowers still in bloom that one would have expected to have seeded some time ago but that is the nature of our milder weather now, there has been no frost to put an end to them. We had seen very few birds on our walk so a green woodpecker feeding on the ground was a welcome sight.
Returning to the Knapp we continued along the woodland path emerging into the grassy area and descended the path towards the road making a surprising find on the way. In the hedge a 'neighbour' has been depositing garden rubbish over the fence (which is very naughty!) and on the rotting mass of vegetation was an outstanding display of upright coral fungus.
From there we made our way down Station Road and onto the small area where the Knapp nature pond is but no newts were to be seen but that was not really a surprise. The diversion took us back out into Peasland Road and on to the finish back at the Knowle.
I recorded 57 species in all and others may have seen things I missed but you can see my full species list here: Species list 02-Nov-22
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