November – what’s out and about

Brachiopod fossils are clear evidence that the rocks of Snowdonia were once below sea level. Ash from volcanic eruptions would settle in shallow seas rich in marine organisms.

Siliceous nodules are formed in during a pyroclastic flow. Many of the rocks in Snowdonia today were formed during violent volcanic eruptions over 400 million years ago. These nodules of silica can range from marble to cannonball size and occur in ash flow tuff and intrusive rhyolite rock in Snowdonia.

Flow banding is a feature that occurs commonly in intrusive rhyolite. The lines are left as the magma is intruded into other rocks.

Map lichen – Rhizocarpon geographicum grows on rocks in mountainous areas of low air pollution. Each lichen encrusts the rock and has a black underlayer which shows through cracks in the surface and as a thin black line round the edge. Colonies are separated by these black margins looking like countries on a map.

Yellow brain fungus – Tremella mesenterica is mainly seen in winter when it grows on fallen branches of deciduous trees. You will need wet weather to find this fungus as it shrivels up in dry spells almost completely.

Fly agaric – Amanita muscaria. This attractive fungi is poisonous with hallucinogenic properties. It is associated with the birch tree and has a special relationship with its roots (mycorrhizal).

Southern polypody – Polypodium cambricum grows in the warmer western parts of Britain. The lobes are slightly toothed and the sori containing the spores on the underside of the fronds are oval in shape.

Whistmans wood in Dartmoor National Park is an ancient woodland dominated by Sessile oak trees and is designated a National Nature Reserve. It is a magical place and the boulder strewn woodland floor is covered in lush vegetation. The trees are dripping with epiphytic lichen and moss communities. A place to inspire and to breathe.