Category Archives: Plants

All plant categories

Living fossils on campus

Posted on 2014/12/21 by Fay Newbery

Some species have been described over the years as ‘living fossils’ because they are the last survivors from groups that were once common in the fossil record. The Coelacanth is an example. It belongs to a group of fish first known only from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Early spring flowers

Posted on 2014/12/19 by Fay Newbery

Not only are flowers lingering late this year – as mentioned by Chris Foster in his recent blog – but some plants seem to think it’s spring already!   This hazel, seen in the wilderness on the 16th December, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Betulaceae, Flowering Plants, Plants | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Christmas in Bloom

Posted on 2014/12/16 by Chris Foster

The warmest year on record seems to be allowing a number of plants to cling on in flower. Perhaps they’re limbering up for the BSBI’s New Year Plant Hunt, which this year is being coordinated with assistance from Reading graduate Ryan Clark. Both Scentless … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Plants | Leave a comment

Clearance in the Wilderness

Posted on 2014/12/08 by Chris Foster

Anyone who frequents the part of the Wilderness woodland closest to the Lyle building entrance will have noticed a dramatic change over the last week. A big swathe of invasive rhododendron and laurel has been taken out and chipped, leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Plants | 5 Comments

Shuttlecocks – fungi designed them first!

Posted on 2014/11/22 by Fay Newbery

At this time of year the fruiting bodies of the powdery mildew species, Phyllactinia guttata, are easy to find on the underside of hazel leaves (Corylus avellana) on campus. The minute fruiting bodies – known as clasmothecia – can be seen as … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hello from Alice

Posted on 2014/11/18 by aliceont

Hello, my name is Alice Nette-Thomas. I am a first-year undergraduate studying Ecology and Wildlife Conservation at Reading University. I am volunteering in the University’s Herbarium because species identification skills are something many Ecology graduates lack and I would like … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbarium RNG, Legumes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Looking down 2

Posted on 2014/11/17 by Fay Newbery

Under some of the oak trees on campus, as well as the fallen leaves, tiny pale discs are appearing. Sometimes these are present in large numbers. They show up particularly well on tarmac pavements. These are button galls which were … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Fagaceae, Galls, Insects, Plant Pathology Research Group | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking down 1

Posted on 2014/11/04 by Fay Newbery

  I often feel that I miss the world going by if I walk along with my head down. But sometimes I see things that I might have missed otherwise. For example, what’s this bright yellow stuff appearing around Whiteknights? … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A walk around the Whiteknights Lake

Posted on 2014/10/29 by evanr

Whilst this walk did not encompass the entire lake as the rain came down hard part way through, I did manage to find a small selection of plants with which to update the records of whiteknights biodiversity. Mostly plain and … Continue reading →

Posted in Flowering Plants, Plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Walk through the Wilderness 15th October 2014

Posted on 2014/10/16 by evanr

As part of my time volunteering at the University Herbarium, I will be attempting to document some of the species on campus, in order to update the WB blog species list. To start me off, as I am as yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Flowering Plants, Plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments