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Alan Watson Featherstone

ECOLOGIST, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER AND INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
FOUNDER OF THE AWARD-WINNING CHARITY TREES FOR LIFE

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Autumn in the Inverfarigaig rainforest

Inverfarigaig: 8 December 2015 16 Comments

Bracket fungus (Inonotus radiatus) growing out of the broken trunk of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.
Alder bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) growing out of the moss-covered broken trunk of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.

Inverfarigaig is a small village on the southeast side of Loch Ness, about halfway down the loch’s 23 mile length, which takes its name from the River Farigaig that discharges into the loch there. ‘Inver’ is derived from the Gaelic word ‘inhbir’,  meaning ‘the mouth of a river’ and the Farigaig flows from the Monadhliath Mountains, which lie between Loch Ness and the Strathspey valley to the east. Near its confluence with the loch, the river flows through a narrow gorge which provides both an important habitat and some degree of protection for a special area of woodland.

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.

The narrow confines of the topography and the gorge’s west-facing aspect mean that it catches rainfall from the prevailing westerly winds, creating a local microcosm of temperate rainforest conditions. This, together with the base-rich soils in the ravines there and the more species-rich woodlands they sustain, has led to the Inverfarigaig woodland’s designation as part of the Ness Woods Special Area of Conservation – a site protected for its importance in a European context.

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) with their leaves in autumn colour, and the trunk of an ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) on the right.
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) at Inverfarigaig, with their leaves in autumn colour, and the trunk of an ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) on the right.

I first visited the Inverfarigaig woodland in the 1990s, and had been impressed by its special qualities and the lushness of the area, but had not returned since then. So it was that in early November I decided to rectify this long absence on my part, and went there for a day at the end of  autumn, hoping to still catch some of the life in the woodland, before it retreated into the dormancy of winter. It’s relatively rare for me to visit the east side of Loch Ness, as almost all of our work sites at Trees for Life are situated to the west of Loch Ness and Inverness.

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) with their leaves just beginning to change colour at Inverfarigaig.
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) with their leaves just beginning to change colour at Inverfarigaig.

Parking my car at the Forestry Commission car park, I walked down into the valley and was immediately impressed by the hazel trees (Corylus avellana) just changing into their autumn colours.

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) with their leaves just changing colour. The mossy stems and trunks in the lower half of the image indicate the temperate rainforest conditions in the gorge.
The mossy stems and trunks in the lower half of the image are indicative of the temperate rainforest conditions in the gorge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) and the trunks of ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) at Inverfarigaig.
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) and the trunks of ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) at Inverfarigaig.

They had a mixture of green and yellow leaves on them, and were growing in amongst ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) on the slopes. Inverfarigaig is noted for its more base-rich soils, and it is these which enable the ash trees to flourish here.

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) beside a small burn at Inverfarigaig.

 

 

 

Upstream view of the small burn at Inverfarigaig, with fallen hazel leaves covering the ground.
View upstream along the small burn at Inverfarigaig, with fallen hazel leaves covering the ground, and the rocks in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) and fallen leaves beside the small burn
Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) and fallen leaves beside the small burn.

 

Fallen hazel leaves with a small downy birch (Betula pubescens) leaf on top of one.
Fallen hazel leaves with a small downy birch (Betula pubescens) leaf on top of one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down beside the burn, the hazels predominated, and their fallen leaves were carpeting the forest floor with various shades of yellow, orange and brown.

Fallen hazel and downy birch leaves beside animal scat (possibly from a pine marten, Martes martes) on a log covered in moss and wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella).
Fallen hazel and downy birch leaves beside animal scat or dung (possibly from a pine marten, Martes martes) on a log covered in moss and wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella).

I estimated that perhaps just half of the leaves had been shed by the trees so far, and this meant that within a few days the layer of leaf litter on the forest floor would be even denser, when the rest of them fell. Once the leaves are on the ground, fungi and bacteria begin the process of decomposition, breaking down the organic compounds in them, so that they can be made available for use by other organisms in the forest. Because the tree roots extend deep into the soil, drawing up nutrients into their leaves, these become available on the surface every autumn, and this is a key part of the continuous cycling and recycling of organic matter within the forest ecosystem.

Fallen hazel leaves surrounding a tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on a moss-covered birch log.
Fallen hazel leaves surrounding a tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on a moss-covered birch log.

Because the early autumn was drier than usual, it’s not been a great year for fungi, but, as I was about to discover this day, there were quite a lot of fungi visible now, after more sustained and heavy rains in early November. These included a bonnet fungus (Mycena abramsii) on a moss-covered log, that was a close relative of some common bonnet fungi (Mycena galericulata) that featured in my last blog.

Bonnet fungus (Mycena abramsii) growing out of another part of the moss-covered log.
Bonnet fungus (Mycena abramsii) growing out of another part of the moss-covered log.

This species has not yet been given a common name, and to my untrained eye, it looked just the same as those I’d seen at Levishie. However, Liz Holden, the expert mycologist I consult for help with fungi, was able to identify this one correctly for me, and I found some other specimens of it fruiting nearby, on the dead wood of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa). To me, these bonnet fungi look like miniature parasols, and there is a simple elegant beauty to them, which I find very appealing.

A pair of the same bonnet fungi (Mycena abramsii) were growing together out of a dead alder branch.
A pair of the same bonnet fungi (Mycena abramsii) were growing together out of a dead alder branch.
A pair of the same bonnet fungi (Mycena abramsii) were growing together out of a dead alder branch.
Closer view of the  pair of bonnet fungi (Mycena abramsii) were growing together .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fungi (Plicatura crispa) fruiting on a piece of dead alder wood.
Fungi (Plicatura crispa) fruiting on a piece of dead alder wood.

 

 

 

As is often the case, now that I’d seen these small fungi,  I was beginning to get my eye in for tiny mushrooms, and nearby I spotted some unusual white fungi on another piece of dead alder wood.

More detailed view of the fungi (Plicatura crispa) on the dead alder wood.
More detailed view of the fungi (Plicatura crispa) on the dead alder wood.

These had distinctive patterns of folds or ridges on the underside of their caps, and I realised that this was a species I’d not come across before. The caps were very small in size and it was only by looking at them through my hand lens, and by taking these close-up macro images, that I was able to see the intricate detail and patterns of their shapes. When I sent the photographs and a sample specimen to Liz, she identified them as a species called Plicatura crispa, which currently does not have a common name.

Another view of the fungi (Plicatura crispa) on the dead alder wood.
Another view of the fungi (Plicatura crispa) on the dead alder wood.

The piece of alder wood they were fruiting on had been turned upside down, as the folds are actually on the underside of the caps, but I took these images from that orientation, to show them in the way I found them.

Here, in this wider view of the cluster of the fungi (Plicatura crispa), the orange-brown colour of the top of the caps can be seen on a couple of them.
Here, in this wider view of the cluster of the fungi (Plicatura crispa), the orange-brown colour of the top of the caps can be seen on a couple of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beetle (Aphodius obliteratus) on a fallen hazel leaf.
Beetle (Aphodius obliteratus) on a fallen hazel leaf.

While I was photographing these fungi, I noticed at a certain point that a small beetle had got on to my camera somehow, and was crawling around on it. This seemed quite unusual, as most invertebrates had disappeared by this time of the year, with the adults either dying off, or their larvae going into pupal forms for overwintering. This beetle was rather sluggish, and I was able to transfer it to a fallen hazel leaf and take some photographs of it there. It was subsequently identified for me by Sholto Holdsworth, a coleopterist at the Natural History Museum in London, as being a dung beetle (Aphodius obliteratus).

Bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) growing out of the broken trunk of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) beside the small burn at Inverfarigaig.
Bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) growing out of the broken trunk of an alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) beside the small burn at Inverfarigaig.

Nearby, my attention was drawn by some bright orange fungi that were growing out of the broken stem of another alder tree beside the burn. I recognised these as being the alder bracket fungus (Inonotus radiatus), as I’ve seen, and photographed, them before, both at Dundreggan and in Glen Affric. They occur on dead or dying alders, and can persist for several years, although these ones looked quite fresh, because of their bright colour. As with many species in recent years, the scientific name for the alder bracket fungus has been changed, and it is now known as Mensularia radiata.

Another view of the cluster of alder bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) growing out of the broken stem. The other group of the fungi can be seen lower down on the trunk.
Another view of the cluster of alder bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) growing out of the broken stem. The other group of the fungi can be seen lower down on the trunk.

The colour of these brackets seemed particularly vivid and contrasted with the green landscape, characterised by the moss that was growing on the trees, the rocks and the ground all around. Another group of the same fungi were fruiting lower down on the broken trunk.

This group of alder bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) were lower down on the same broken trunk.
This group of alder bracket fungi (Mensularia radiata) were lower down on the same broken trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fallen hazel leaves on a carpet of common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).
Fallen hazel leaves on a carpet of common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).
Another natural artwork created by the pattern of fallen hazel leaves on common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).
Another natural artwork created by the pattern of fallen hazel leaves on common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In between finding and photographing fungi, which was rapidly, albeit unintentionally,  becoming the main focus of my day, I stopped occasionally to appreciate the patterns made by the fallen hazel leaves on the vegetation they had landed on, such as common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).

Another view of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea). The reddish-brown parts of the edge of the lobes are the apothecia, which release the spores of the fungal partner in the lichen.
Another view of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea).
Lichen (Peltigera membranacea) growing amongst moss on the forest floor.
Lichen (Peltigera membranacea) growing amongst moss on a fallen log. The reddish-brown parts on the edge of the lobes are the apothecia, which release the spores of the fungal partner in the lichen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one place, a large patch of one of the dog lichens (Peltigera membranacea) was growing amongst the moss on a large fallen log. Fully hydrated by the wet weather, it looked vibrant and very healthy, with its dark-coloured thallus (as the main body of a lichen is called) contrasting with the reddish-brown apothecia on the lobe margins and the pale grey needle-like rhizines protruding downwards on the underside of the thallus.

Here. a patch of tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) is flourishing on this hazel trunk beside the small burn.
Here, a patch of tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) is flourishing on this hazel trunk beside the small burn.

Dog lichens are amongst my favourites from the group of symbiotic organisms that are lichens, all of which consist of an intimate partnership, or mutualism, between a fungus and an alga, and in some cases including a third partner – a cyanobacterium – as well. One of those lichens with three partners is tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria), which thrives in the remaining pockets of temperate rainforest in Scotland, and I came across a good colony of it on the trunk of a hazel nearby.

Moss-covered trees beside the small burn at Inverfarigaig.
Moss-covered trees beside the small burn at Inverfarigaig.

As I walked around, the luxuriance and lushness of this small area really touched me. Layers of moss covered many of the trees and their branches, as well as the fallen trunks of dead trees and rocks on the ground. Like the area at Levishie that I wrote about in my previous blog, this little patch of temperate rainforest is a more easterly outlier of the Celtic rainforest that was formerly abundant on the west coast of the Highlands, but has now been reduced to small, scattered and isolated fragments.

Hazel woodwart fungi (Hypoxylon fuscum) on a fallne hazel branch.
Hazel woodwart fungi (Hypoxylon fuscum) on a fallen hazel branch.

It was definitely becoming a day for fungal finds though, and some purplish shapes on a fallen hazel branch drew my attention as I walked past them. Although they were quite small, their colour made them stand out from their surroundings, and again this was a species I hadn’t seen before. Liz Holden identified them from my photos and samples as being hazel woodwart (Hypoxylon fuscum), which is apparently common and ubiquitous on hazel throughout the UK. This left me wondering why I haven’t noticed it before?

Blueing bracket fungi (Postia subcaesia) on another piece of dead wood.
Blueing bracket fungi (Postia subcaesia) on another piece of dead wood.

Stepping back across the burn again, some white fungi on another piece of dead wood caught my eye, and when I looked at them more closely, I noticed that they had a very interesting structure to them, being quite porous on their surface. One of them was also slightly blueish in colour, and this was a clue to their identity – Liz confirmed that they are a species called the blueing bracket fungus (Postia subcaesia).

Closer view of some of the blueing bracket fungi (Postia subcaesia), showing the structure of their pore surfaces.
Closer view of some of the blueing bracket fungi (Postia subcaesia), showing the structure of their pore surfaces.

This species occurs on the dead wood of deciduous trees, and is saprotrophic, meaning that it helps to decompose the woody structure of the log. It is part of the community of organisms that recycle and recirculate the nutrients that had accumulated in the tree during its life, playing a vital role within the forest ecosystem. A closely-related species, called the conifer blueing bracket (Postia caesia) fulfils a similar function for the dead wood of coniferous trees.

Leaf beetle (Chrysomela aenea) on a fallen hazel leaf.
Leaf beetle (Chrysomela aenea) on a fallen hazel leaf.

While I was photographing these fungi, my attention was drawn by some movement amongst the leaf litter, and I was surprised to see a small metallic green leaf beetle crawling around. Sholto was able to identify this for me from my photographs as being a widespread and common species called Chrysomela aenea. According to the Coleoptera website, it occurs in shady woodlands by watercourses, so this was the right habitat for it, but the website states that adults go into hibernation from late August, so it was quite unusual to find this individual still active in November!

Leaf parachute fungi (Marasmius epiphyllus) growing out of the petiole, or stem, of a fallen leaf.
Leaf parachute fungi (Marasmius epiphyllus) growing out of the petiole, or stem, of a fallen leaf.

With my attention focussed on the forest floor to photograph this beetle, I noticed some more tiny white fungi, fruiting on a small stem – what was probably the petiole, or stem, of a fallen leaf that had already decayed. I recognised these as being parachute fungi, a group of small mushrooms that fruit from leaves and other decaying organic matter in a very characteristic way.  There are quite a few species in this genus, but Liz was able to identify these ones as being the leaf parachute fungus (Marasmius epiphyllus).

Walking a little further downstream, I found a moss-covered log with a lot of bracket fungi fruiting on it. I took a number of photographs of these, but didn’t collect any specimens, thinking that it would be straightforward to get them identified from the images. However, when I sent the photos to Liz, she replied that they were most likely a species of Ganoderma, but she’d need an example to be certain of that. As bracket fungi like these persist for a long time, I’ll make a return visit to Inverfarigaig in the near future and collect a sample to send on for identification …

Bracket fungus (probably a Ganoderma species) on an alder log.
Bracket fungus (probably a Ganoderma species) on a moss-covered log in the forest.
Another of the bracket fungi (probably Ganoderma sp.) on the alder log.
A more developed example of the same bracket fungus (probably Ganoderma sp.) on the log.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bracket fungus (probably Ganoderma sp.) and fallen hazel leaf on the alder log.
Bracket fungus (probably Ganoderma sp.) and fallen hazel leaf on the log. Each of these fungi had its own unique shape.

 

 

Bracket fungus (probably Ganoderma sp.) amongst tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) and a fallen hazel leaf on the log.
Young bracket fungus (probably Ganoderma sp.) amongst tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) and a fallen hazel leaf on the log.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was an area of the woodland with particularly dense stands of hazel, and there were large patches of tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) there, both on the trees and on some fallen branches, giving it a particularly strong appearance of the green interior of the temperate rainforest ecosystem.

Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of a hazel tree.
Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of a hazel tree.
Fallen hazel leaf on another patch of tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of the hazel tree.
Fallen hazel leaf on another patch of tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of the hazel tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of a hazel tree, with another hazel visible behind.
Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of a hazel tree, with another hazel visible behind.

 

 

 

Closer view of the tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of the hazel tree.
Closer view of the tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) on the fallen branch of the hazel tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slime mould (Trichia decipiens) on the log with all the bracket fungi on it.
Slime mould (Trichia decipiens) on the log with all the bracket fungi on it.

It was getting towards time to leave, as the daylight was fading and I began to retrace my steps, passing once again by the log that had all the bracket fungi on it. Coming from a different direction, I noticed something I’d missed before – a group of tiny orangeish-red blobs on the side of the log. I recognised these immediately as being the sporocarps, or fruiting bodies, of a slime mould – one of my favourite groups of organisms.

Closer view of the sporocarps of the slime mould (Trichia decipiens) on the log.
Closer view of the sporocarps of the slime mould (Trichia decipiens) on the log.

They were also a species of slime mould – Trichia decipiens – that I know and can recognise easily, because of the sporocarps’ colour, shape and growth habit. These are nearly spherical in shape, bright and almost luminous in their hue, and attached to their substrate by pale, semi-transparent stalks. All these attributes give them a special character and ‘species personality’ that is very appealing to me. The miniature beauty of this organism speaks eloquently to me of the endless diversity and wonder of Nature.

This was a larger patch of the same dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea) that I'd seen earlier.
This was a larger patch of the same dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea) that I’d seen earlier.

On my way back up out of the woodland, I stopped by a moss-covered log, where there was another, and much larger, patch of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea) that I’d seen earlier in the day. This one was almost completely engulfing the mossy log it was growing on, and was at least 50 cm. by 40 cm. in size – easily the largest colony of this lichen I can remember seeing anywhere. Like the other patch, it was fully hydrated and very lush, almost tropical-looking, in appearance.

IMG_4275
Another view of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea) showing the abundance of rhizines on the underside of its thallus.

What was most impressive about this colony, due to its size, was the sheer number of rhizines that were visible on the undersides of the upturned edges or lobes of its thallus.

Detail of the rhizines on the underside of the thallus of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea).
Detail of the rhizines on the underside of the thallus of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another close up view of the rhizines of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea).
Another close up view of the rhizines of the dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea).

Resembling miniature, rapier-thin icicles, the rhizines are actually hair-like structures that anchor the lichen to its substrate – the material the lichen is growing on, which in this case was the moss-covered log. This particular species of dog lichen has some of the most visible and spectacular rhizines of all, so I made the most of the opportunity afforded by this colony to photograph their dramatic appearance in close up.

This proved to be a fitting finale to my day at Inverfarigaig, and although I hadn’t explored much of the site, I had found a lot of interest in the small area I’d spent my time in. Like so many places I visit, I’ll have to make some return trips in future to explore the woodland there more fully, and this time I won’t be leaving it another 20 years before I’m back there again.

A day in the Levishie rainforest
Remembering Doug Tompkins

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pupak Haghighi says

    30 December 2015 at 3:31 pm

    What a wonder tale! I’d love to go to Inverfarigaig next time you go there. The way you tell the tale makes this place a magic land worthy of highest respect.

    Thank you for your presence and observations in Nature.

    Pupak

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      30 December 2015 at 11:22 pm

      Hi Pupak,

      Thanks for the feedback, and yes it will be great if you accompany me on the next trip to Inverfarigaig!

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  2. Antonio Carletti says

    29 December 2015 at 6:52 pm

    Hi Alan,

    What a wonderful feeling to know there are people like you who give the rest of us so much expecting nothing in return! Why can’t we have Leaders like you running our devastated and corrupted Governments?
    I seek nature above all and feel the best when surrounded by trees and the sounds of leaves and birds and any other natural sound. My life’s most memorable moments have been the ones spent walking in woods and mountains.
    Thank you for all you are doing for us and our future. I hope to meet you some day.

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      30 December 2015 at 11:20 pm

      Hi Antonio,

      Many thanks for your thoughtful and personal response to my blog. It’s great to know that there are people everywhere like you who are connecting deeply with Nature. I often think it should be a prerequisite for any government leader before taking office to have a deep personal knowledge and experience of ecosystems and Nature, so that they can put that at the centre of all the decisions they make. What a different world we would live in then!

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  3. Peggy Edwards says

    15 December 2015 at 5:43 pm

    I waited until I had an hour to read and savor this; what a wonderful write-up complete with glorious photos of the greens, yellows, reds, that create this Autumn tapestry. Like Jeanie in an earlier response said, I recognize many of the fungi as cosmopolitan genus/species as those here in California’s central coast redwood forests. I especially appreciate the photos of the Trichia decipiens and the wee scarab! Thanks once again for sharing the forest with us.

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      30 December 2015 at 11:16 pm

      Hi Peggy,

      Thanks for your appreciation of this blog and the various details in it. Yes, there are many species in common, particularly amongst the fungi, between our forests and those of the Pacific Northwest of North America. Your ecosystems are just in better health, and with more of their species composition intact, than ours.

      Do you have any plans to return to Scotland in 2016? It would be great if you can make it to Dundreggan again then.

      With best wishes for the New Year,

      Alan

      Reply
  4. Joan Fairhurst says

    13 December 2015 at 3:07 pm

    Thanks once again Alan for a wonderful adventure into the woods. The images are so beautiful and with the additional pleasure of memorable identifications. It is the smallest things which give the greatest joy!

    We have had a beautiful and extended autumn in North Wales so I have been capturing the fallen autumn leaves in my painting, realising that even each leaf is unique. Just now we are awash and my young Australian grandchildren have arrived for Christmas…fortunately with wellies and waterproofs. Our adventures into the woods begin tomorrow.

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      14 December 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Hi Joan,

      Thanks for your comments about this blog. It is indeed the smallest things which are often the greatest source of wonder. I was back at this site at Inverfarigaig yesterday, and found a lot of frost flowers blooming on some dead hazel stems there. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this phenomenon, although I’ve known about it for years – I’ll be writing a blog, and sharing my photos of these ephemeral works of Nature’s beauty, soon.

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  5. Midge Thorne-Cringle IOM Woodland Trust says

    11 December 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Enjoyed your illustrated story .

    Your eye for natures beauty enthralls me as I cannot get out into
    the woodlands to see for myself these days.
    Thank you Alan
    Midge in IOM

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      14 December 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Hi Midge,

      Many thanks for your feedback – I’m glad you’re continuing to enjoy my blogs.

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  6. Sue Sim says

    9 December 2015 at 5:09 pm

    Another great set of photos and text to nourish me in Edinburgh.
    Thank you

    Sue

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      10 December 2015 at 9:15 pm

      Hi Sue,

      Many thanks for your feedback about my blogs!

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  7. Sonia de Winter says

    9 December 2015 at 9:52 am

    Thanks to you I am enjoying the wonderfull colors and spactacular vieuws of great and small creations of nature in the Scottish habitat!
    Many thanks for it.
    Wishing you a fine Christmas and a colourfull 2016!
    Sonia

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      10 December 2015 at 9:14 pm

      Hi Sonia,

      Thanks for your festive wishes and the appreciation of my blog from Holland – it’s great to see there’s an international audience for what I write about in the Caledonian Forest.

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply
  8. Jeanie Taylor says

    8 December 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Just lovely! The vegetation and fungi remind me of our place here in Oregon’s coast range (USA), and further up in the Olympic rainforest. Thanks for the tour and narration. Despite about 5 days with temps far below freezing (25 fahrenheit) we also are having a warm fall (heavy rains and temp in the 60’s F yesterday) with many non-dormant insects; and a native hawthorn in my yard has just now turned yellow and is dropping leaves.

    Reply
    • Alan Watson Featherstone says

      10 December 2015 at 9:13 pm

      Hi Jeanie,

      Thanks for your comment – I’m delighted that you’re enjoying my blogs from the coast of Oregon. Our rainforest remnants here have some similarities with yours over there, and the Olympic rainforest is one of my favourite places in the world – it’s about 20 years since I was last there though.

      With best wishes,

      Alan

      Reply

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  • Gannets galore, part 1

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  • ‘A Rewilding Journey’ workshop 28 October – 4 November 2023
  • ‘A Rewilding Journey’ Workshop 27 May – 3 June
  • 2023 Caledonian Forest Engagement Diary now available
  • Revised dates for our next Rewilding workshop: 15 – 22 October 2022.
  • New dates for Rewilding workshops

I’m speaking at…

  • A Rewilding Journey: Rewilding the World and Ourselves – 28 October 2023–
    4 November 2023
  • Over on Twitter…

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