A wildlife diary
Mary Smith 33 Gaynes Park Road, Upminster, Essex RM14 2HJ
December started wintry cold. Most of Britain had a frost, including here in sunny
Upminster, and some areas had snow. It was cold enough to make people, and the
animals, plants and fungi, think winter had arrived.
Thinking about winter and the seasons, just because it was 1st December many people
think that this date marks the start, even sometimes saying it is the 'official' start, of
winter. There is no such thing of course, official or otherwise. The two solstices and
the two equinoxes mark out 4 quarters of the year, but they are often thought of as the
start of something whereas they mark only 4 equal quarters of time that might more
properly be called the middle of something. For example, the winter solstice at about
22 December is often called the mid-winter festival, because it marks the shortest day
of the year (or the longest night), and the similar festival for mid-summer to match.
But because the temperature and other features of the weather usually lag behind the
Earth's 4 notable points around the Sun, the coldest days of winter are generally well
after the winter solstice, but, unlike the solstice, not predictable at a set date. The same
principle applies to the other 3 quarter days. The met office divide the 4 seasons into
winter: Dec, Jan, Feb; Spring: Mar, Apr, May, and so on, for convenience, and to fit
the usual weather patterns. But the met office, contrary to much popular opinion, does
not invent the weather or have any control over it. They do not lay down 'official', or
otherwise, names and dates of the seasons. I advocate a moving definition, based on
types of weather, something like 'it is wintry today with the frost and the cold wind,
but yesterday was like spring even though we are in December'. You have to remember
that most parts of the globe have a climate, but Britain only has weather!
The Exhibition and Social meeting on 5th was another success and enjoyed by all who
attended. Were you aware that this gathering of members and visitors actually makes
money for the Club, in spite of the food and tables; in fact everything about it is free?
The costs are more than paid for by the saving on postage for sending out the Essex
Naturalist, and voluntary donations help too. A number of members pick up their own
copy, and often take a few for other members who live nearby their homes. If you did
not attend this year, please do make a point of doing so on Saturday 4th December 2010
and help the Club make even more money at the same time as you are having a good
afternoon out with fellow members and lots of things to see and learn about, with free
refreshments thrown in.
As the month marched on it was evident that some fungi were still around, in spite of
chilly nights. We found a pretty patch of Orange-peel Fungus Aleuria aurantia (see
Plate 1) with two fruitbodies of Orange Cup Melastiza chateri (see Plate 1 inset) in a
neighbouring road, both growing on the same small area of bare soil underneath a
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 62, May 2010
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