Late February 2022
Having read an article about a genus of white rust fungi on ferns, I started checking various fern species as I walked around the city. I had no luck on the small amounts of Black Spleenwort and Wall Rue that I came across, and also drew a blank on Polypody. I did however manage to find Milesina scolopendrii on Hartstongue Fern and a few days later Milesina kriegeriana on Male Fern.
Whilst checking ferns and other plants growing on walls I also found various other things of interest. The scarcest find was Black Fern Aphid, Idiopterus nephrelepidis, which was first found in Norfolk a few years ago by Dave Appleton, and at the time was believed to be the first time it had been foud outside in the UK (Dave tells me there is possibly one earlier record that has come to light since, but otherwise it remains restricted to North Elmham). The nymphs that I found were on Polypody in a church doorway.
On the same fern community as the aphids mentioned above I also found lavae of the Fern Smut moth and some Soft Brown Scale Insects, Coccus herperidium. Another interesting aphid, also found previously by Dave Appleton, was Dysaphis gallica on Ivy-leaves Toadflax.
Elsewhere in the same week around the city I found the fungus Septoria chelidonii on Greater Celandine and the liverwort Fullania dilatata.
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