When we bought the field exactly 5 years ago now, we had no idea whatsoever about the world it would open up to us and the new focus it would give to our lives.
Now and again the field throws up some oddities or unusualness and this time the curiosities are fungi and archaeology!
Earthtongues, Corals and Spindles
Scything in the part of the field closed off to livestock in October, Danny (from Handpowered of Llanidloes - look them up, they are a skilled couple) found what looked like blue-green plastic cabling in the grass close to the soil. On inspection he realised it was organic, not man made. I took a photograph, put it on to the fungi page on Facebook (as you do), and lo and behold within around 2 minutes we were told we may have found quite a rarity - a green earthtongue fungus called Microglossom Pratense.
A sample examined under the microscope by Rob Rowe (thanks Rob!) confirmed this ID. Rob also subsequently found an uncommon little coral fungus (again confirmed under microscopy) called Ramariopsis subtilis. A closer look around that part of the field found a flurry of other (more common) grassland spindle and coral fungi nestled in among the long grass. These are generally fungi of short/grazed turf which raises the question about how we might manage this part of the field going forward. Our original intention was to let this section become rough grassland between the main hay meadow and the trees planted down the western edge. Longer, rougher grass can be fantastic for overwintering insects and barn owls, but it means our interesting fungi might begin to struggle...
Earthtongue fungi are often overlooked because they are small. The quite intense blue-green coloration in these fungi changed fairly quickly and in a couple of days they had darkened considerably; after a week they looked like drying liquorice stalks. They are continuing to fruit in that area 3 weeks later.
These fungi form part of what ecologists call the CHEGD fungal assemblage - that is the key fungi groups that appear in old, 'unimproved' grassland and which are often found in association with each other - in so-called "Waxcap grasslands":
Spindles, club and coral fungi (Clavarioids)
The waxcaps (Hygrocybe)
Pinkgills (Entoloma)
Earthtongues (Geoglossum), and
Crazed caps (Dermoloma and relatives).
It is tragic that these grasslands, scattered as they are at certain times of year with jewel-like fungi of differing forms and bright colours (yellow/green/orange/red/white) bubbling up from the turf, have been mostly lost in the UK due to agricultural improvements, ploughing/soil disturbance and nitrogen pollution. Nearly 90 percent of all waxcap species are threatened or on the Red List. Churchyards are often good places to see waxcaps these days since they tend not to get ploughed or fertilised.
We are very lucky here to have a good number of Waxcap species in the field and will be taking part in the Plantlife Waxcap Watch this autumn. Thanks to Rob Rowe for taking the time to walk the field and ID species with us from time to time. Here is the current list of waxcaps in the field so far ID'd over the last few years, just a few of which are shown in the gallery below:
Hygrocybe virginea - Snowy Waxcap Hygrocybe pratensis - Field Waxcap Hygrocybe ceracea - Butter Waxcap Hygrocybe coccinea - Scarlet Waxcap Hygrocybe glutinosa - Glutinous Waxcap
Hygrocybe chlorophana - Golden Waxcap
Hygrocybe russocoriacea - Cedarwood Waxcap
Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens - Orange Waxcap
Hygrocybe quieta - Oily Waxcap
Hygrocybe pratensis var. pratensis - Meadow Waxcap
Gliophorus psittacinus - Parrot Waxcap
Hygrocbe conica - Blackening waxcap
Hygrocbe insipida - Spangle waxcap Hygrocybe reidii - Honey Waxcap
Hygrocybe intermedia - Fibrous Waxcap
... and a Bronze Age round barrow ...?
The field is not a straightforward square handkerchief of land but has an interesting shape and unusual topography. As well as the two big tumps at the bottom of the field which we think are probably glacial in origin - and perhaps give the field its name - Stony Field - maybe drumlins or moraines that have weathered down over the ages(?), there is a smaller more conical tump about two thirds up the field.
It's an odd gathering up of land just at the break of slope before the field steepens down to the south. Used as a feeding place for sheep by past tenant farmers, it's now rather docky and nettle-y with the increased nutrients animal feeding brings.
Having attended a fascinating talk in Herefordshire on Neolithic monuments in Walton (Powys, not far away) I contacted the archaeologist speaker who lives in our area to ask him about the tumps. Whereas he agrees the bottom pair are probably 'natural' (ie glacial in original perhaps) he was very interested in the top tump and after a visit to the field and having looked closer he thinks it could well be a Bronze Age round barrow. This needs more investigation since it's not mentioned on any of the county heritage mapping or referred to by any antiquarians who roved the landscape in the 19th century looking for such things, so it's another field mystery to be followed up.
Haymaking in August
The heat of June was beginning to dry out our thin soiled tumps until cool, wet July arrived and rather outstayed its welcome. However, by mid August the tumps had never looked as colourful with wildflowers as they did this year. Harebells, Birds Foot Trefoil, Tormentil, Ladys Bedstraw - and Knapweed - all seemed to be spreading quite noticeably particularly on the tumps but also into the main meadow area where little floating clouds of colour could be spotted amongst the blonding grass. The Greater Trefoil (also called Marsh Trefoil) ran riot this year and formed a pact with Meadow Vetchling at the laneside for which could rise up the tallest!
I collected 1.5kg of Yellow Rattle seed by hand in July and early August and could have collected much more had I had the luxury of more time! I sifted and sorted it and sold a fair amount of it to new meadow owners/creators to raise money for our "Field Fund".
Haymaking was delayed this year until mid August due to skylarks nesting for the first time in the upper part of the meadow and poor weather in July. I was astounded to hear that 34 big round bales had been taken off the meadow, I think a result of waiting longer to mow during which time rain and warmth (finally) combined to give the grass a final spurt of growth. We are very lucky we have our farmer neighbour to mow the meadow and take the hay for his cattle. We also sell a few bales to local horse owners. We are equally lucky to have another farmer who puts his sheep on to the field to graze in the autumn and winter.
Insects took a while to become apparent this year with the long cool spring but I was so relieved to see and hear the grasshoppers return and the leafhoppers, shield bugs, spiders and other bugs. Butterflies came back finally and we had the biggest number of common Blues I've seen so far. They must be one of my favourite insects (well along with Beautiful Demoiselles - also a shade of blue). They are so small and their flight so seemingly chaotic, Common Blues rely on Birds Foot Trefoil as a food plant and we have plenty of that.
Walks and workshops
We held several events and walks in the field this year: two field walks, two art workshops (cyanotype and monoprinting) and a hedgerow surveying workshop for CPRE Shropshire. The newly repaired barn has come up trumps each time for shelter from hot sun or fierce rain! If anyone is interested in trying their hand at botanical monoprinting, please let me know.
A book of the field
I realised earlier this year that my recording of the field through this free blog was less than secure, should this site ever 'go down' so I spent some time downloading all the blog entries and putting them into book form with a selection of photographs. I used Blurb to make the book. It's not really for sale since it costs a silly amount to publish (though Blurb do have good sales from time to time), but I have a couple of copies here now which I take to events and people seem to like looking at them. You can see it electronically here or by clicking on the cover shot below. This is an ongoing story, so at some point, there will be a sequel!
We absolutely love your book, what a great way to share your field and all you have done. There's an amazing variety of habitats and flora, you must be thrilled with how the land is developing. We bought a couple of fields just a year after you, and the decisions, interactions and work on the land are all-consuming, but rewarding.
This summer we had visits from two botanists who have catalogued everything that is growing (including a surprise orchid).
The risk of the blog being lost was a concern to us in the early days, and our son recommended the 'wayback machine'. We store each blog post there, it's easy and efficient.
Best wishes!