US social scientist Kenneth Boulding : ‘If you believe exponential growth can go on in a finite world, you are either a madman or an economist’.

Friday 13 November 2009

13/11/09: More material added to 'GardensNOTcarparks'

After a bit of a lapse, some updating work has been done on my

http://gardensnotcarparks.blogspot.com/

site, with pointers to some new resources and 'lines of argument'.

In particular, I have drawn attention to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's very good new booklet 'Grey to Green', which argues that green infrastructure does not receive anything like the investment or management that goes into grey infrastructure, and that this should change dramatically given the multiple benefits and climate change mitigation value that would result.

It is downloadable here:

http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/grey-to-green

Much of it is applicable to local authorities, and should be of interest to current and aspiring green-minded Councillors.

Monday 9 November 2009

9/11/09: Bexleyheath - further fungi

More unidentified fungi, this time from Bexleyheath. Pictures all taken 8th November.

Toadstool-producing species in woodchip, front garden on Erith Rd, south of Bursted Wood. This may not be native - there are an increasing number of reports in 'British Wildlife' magazine of exotics growing out of this sort of material.

Rather distant view of a mass of fruiting bodies in a lawn near the junction of Long Lane and Erith Rd

Another kind of toadstool, these rather large, also in a front garden near the Long Lane / Erith Rd junction

Fungus on a dead tree stump, Erith Rd south of Mayplace Rd East/West junction

9/11/09: Barnehurst fungal fruitfulness

Although I've got a couple of decent books on fungi, my few attempts at identifying any have not resulted in what I felt to be 'safe' determinations. Part of the problem is that I don't know what the key features are that define the various groups of fungi, so that I end up having to work through most of the pages in the book, usually more than once. Which is off-putting. So here are some pictures of 'un-named' fruiting bodies taken in the last few days to at least illustrate some of the diversity to be found in the area.

Small 'toadstools' in the short grass immediatly behind the 'up' platform, Barnehurst station, 4th November


Two species of fungi in the short grass immediatly behind the 'up' platform, Barnehurst station, 4th November

Fungus in former street tree site, Windermere Rd, 7th November

Bracket fungus on dead tree, former Pitch and Putt course, Barnehurst, by Bursted Wood, 7th November

Fungus on old coppice stump, Bursted Wood, 7th November

Fungus on old coppice stump, Bursted Wood, 8th November

Bracket fungus on cut tree trunk, Bursted Wood, 8th November