Alex Press

Alex Press

@alexoutside.bsky.social

17 year-old naturalist and pan-species lister, my favourite taxon is the Erysiphaceae (powdery mildews)!

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Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

I only just remembered to look for the Agapanthus Gall-midge πΈπ‘›π‘–π‘”π‘šπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘π‘™π‘œπ‘ π‘–π‘  π‘Žπ‘”π‘Žπ‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘β„Žπ‘– while on the famously π΄π‘”π‘Žπ‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘ -filled islands of Scilly, and it took me all of two minutes to find larvae of this species developing in buds.

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

Dream morning today on St Mary's, Scilly when I opened the moth trap to find my first Death's-head Hawkmoth π΄π‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘›π‘‘π‘–π‘Ž π‘Žπ‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘π‘œπ‘ !

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

And now one I've been hoping for all week, Striped Hawkmoth 𝐻𝑦𝑙𝑒𝑠 π‘™π‘–π‘£π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘π‘Ž! Ni Moth π‘‡π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘π‘™π‘’π‘ π‘–π‘Ž 𝑛𝑖 was also a highlight.

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

Bog Asphodel π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘π‘–π‘’π‘š π‘œπ‘ π‘ π‘–π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘š is only found in one location in Woking, but I still found that these plants hosted sizeable populations of two saprobes: πΆπ‘™π‘Žπ‘‘π‘œπ‘ π‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘’π‘š π‘œπ‘ π‘ π‘–π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘”π‘– and π‘€π‘–π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘‘π‘–π‘π‘™π‘œπ‘‘π‘–π‘Ž π‘›π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘π‘–π‘–.

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

A search for πΈπ‘Ÿπ‘¦π‘ π‘–π‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘ π‘–π‘– led me to its British stronghold in Oxfordshire, where I soon found it at Hartslock NR. This high-quality chalk grassland was also the site of my 4,000th species in the British Isles, a day shy of five months after my 3,000th and a couple of days before my 17th birthday.

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

π‘‡π‘–π‘™π‘–π‘Ž is practically unknown as a host for powdery mildew in the British Isles, so you can imagine my surprise when I found not one but two infected trees in an area of Woking yesterday. The infections are very sparse, causing discolouration and only on younger leaves.

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

πΈπ‘Ÿπ‘¦π‘ π‘–π‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘’π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘™π‘–π‘Žπ‘›π‘Ž, specific to πΏπ‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘’π‘šπ‘–π‘Ž, is rare in the UK but there is a population doing well at RHS Wisley which has been known from here in previous years. My first time seeing this stunning powdery mildew species!

Alex Press
@alexoutside.bsky.social

Multiple species of Erysiphaceae occur on π‘ƒπ‘Žπ‘π‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ, and are best separated microscopically. Shown here are πΈπ‘Ÿπ‘¦π‘ π‘–π‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘™π‘’π‘ π‘π‘’π‘– on π‘ƒπ‘Žπ‘π‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Ÿβ„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘Žπ‘  (which forms single conidia) and πΊπ‘œπ‘™π‘œπ‘£π‘–π‘›π‘œπ‘šπ‘¦π‘π‘’π‘  π‘π‘œπ‘™π‘Žπ‘¦π‘– on π‘ƒπ‘Žπ‘π‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘›π‘–π‘“π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘š (which forms catenate conidia).

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