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  1. awarner

    Working woodsman boots

    Looking to buy a decent pair of working, hiking boots that are !00% waterproof and can go a good ankle deep+ in salt water. Currently my much loved Solomons have had their day and while they are the most comfortable I have ever work having goretex on the outside id great until the dirt gets into...
  2. awarner

    Slime mould, not one I’ve seen before

    I've seen a few slime moulds in the woods, dog vomit, slimeflux, dog sick & wolfs milk etc but can’t seem to pin this one down and it seems to be still growing. Initially thought it may have been false puffball but from what I have seen about it’s the wrong colour ( it’s alway been a light...
  3. awarner

    New plant for my site and completely stumped

    Bit if an unusual one for me, have two of these small plants growing in the nature reserve I look after but cant seem to pin down what it is. So it has a very thin stem that feels square so thinking mint/ dead nettle family. The leaves look more like gypsywort but that has different flowers...
  4. awarner

    Beefsteak fungi best way to prepare or dry?

    Finally caught the beefsteak at the right time, but whats the best way to cook? One walker through my woods relayed a story on how her mother used to dry it first as it's very watery and cooking it with a little oil is as some have said previously a little aquired taste. So any suggestions or...
  5. awarner

    Been busy in the woods again

    Had a busy weekend with more visitors than I've ever seen before, in part due to a recent free magazine article advertising the bluebell walk in my woods. Between greeting visitors I managed to build another handrail, slightly different than before using a round peg and fox wedge rather than...
  6. awarner

    Bridge handrail project with a foxtail wedge tenon joint

    Been busy in the woods again, this time making some handrails for bridges. No screws or nails used with the exception of bolting the uprights to the bridge bearers to hopefully stop vandalism. The top handrails are secured with a foxtail wedge tenon which is a really strong locking joint and...
  7. awarner

    Is this a real "fun guy?" ban play on words I know

    Thought I would share this fun image, no idea on the fungi as yet but the growth made me laugh. Looks better in the original portrait rotatation
  8. awarner

    Somethings causeing a lot of oaks to die in a local wood, possible fungi issue?

    A friend of mine has a problem in his woods where a lot of oaks are dying, the sample he has given me looks like just an old part rotted branch but apparently the rot is right through the tree from top to bottom and it's like punk wood under the bark but the central heartwood is still solid...
  9. awarner

    Wild service tree fruit my new favourite fruit

    Finally managed to try the elusive wild service tree fruit and I have to say it's now my favourite fruit with an apple/date sweet flavour. I've never tried making jam of any kind so will probably leave that for another day or year, as the fruit is already so sweet would you really want to add...
  10. awarner

    Strange flower/tree bud I keep finding on the woodland floor

    No idea what these are, looks like a clover flower head but the stalk is thick and woody, I keep finding these in an area of my wood populated with oak, ash, hazel and field maple but only in one section of the woods. I wonder if the squirrels are responsible? Any thoughts or ideas post away...
  11. awarner

    Fire pump drill advice

    Having a go at making a fire pump drill but it seems I am making a few mistakes. The shaft of hazel I have is about 15mm wide and a good 600mm+ long, the pump handle (if that's the correct term) is about 400mm and the flywheel is around 200mm by 30mm thick made of holly so it has some weight to...
  12. awarner

    Hummingbird Hawk Moth

    Caught a shot of this little critter the hummingbird hawk moth at a friends garden. Not the best focus but taken on the phone I'm happy especially as this is only the second one I have ever seen.
  13. awarner

    Sloe Gin advice?

    Finally going to have a go at sloe gin/vodka and the same with hawthorn. Now as we are getting into the sloe season, any hints and tips on getting the best from the harvest? Also do you need to strain out the fruit before bottling or can you just bottle fruit and all or would there be a...
  14. awarner

    Step project in the woods.

    Been a busy day in the woods again, after a trial of rebuilding a couple of steps using hazel I decided to do a complete section with the help of a fellow volunteer. Along with the steps, to also deter cyclists a very crude dead hedge (further work required) has been added as bikes were...
  15. awarner

    Unexpected truffle find

    On the pavement at work I came across a rather large and what I presume is a summer truffle. I can only think that a badger had dug it up and while having a munch was disturbed going by the state of it. I work in an enclosed site so apart from a rare badger coming onto the site there is no...
  16. awarner

    Brackish/marsh plant from the Hamble (sorry stumped again)

    Hate being stumped, but this one will not show up on my key id websites I use http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/ & http://www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/index.html And the Collins book being drawings is handy but not the best. So I can tell you that is was found in clubrush on the banks of the...
  17. awarner

    Laplander replacement blades what's the best price?

    I'm looking for a replacement blade for my trusty Laplander as it's getting a bit dull after a year of hard graft. I know the XT7 is the same blade but the cheapest I can currently find is on the Ray Mears site for £11 plus £4 postage. I'm tempted to get a couple which technically brings the...
  18. awarner

    Umbellifer advice is this Honewort?

    As the title says is this Honewort? the size of the plant around 20cm (possibly a little less), the ridged stem all seem to match based on the book reference of T.G.Tutin There appears to be a male and female flower so presume this is the male as it's more uniform. Just to add this is not...
  19. awarner

    In teresting plant that I can't seem to ID

    One site I use for plant id when I get stuck is http://www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/index.html Great site but I'm stumped on this one. The flower is similar to purple toadflax but the leaf is different with a square stalk, height is over 60cm stumped at the moment as none of my books seem to...
  20. awarner

    Woodland culvert project

    Not sure if this is of interest but he's a woodland project I've been working on. Due to questionable drainage from a local farm I have had a long standing issue with runoff causing the path to be constantly waterlogged with sewage rather than just rainwater. After proving to the National Trust...