Winter walking

Last week I walked to Bragg Bay after work to check out a pile of soil that might be suitable for filling the tyres on my planned retaining wall. It was an overcast day with showers breezing through but again I was blessed by the Weather Gods and avoided getting wet. It's about a 30 minute walk with plenty of interest along the way.

Google map - walk from work in red, walk home in blue

The 3 'B' beaches - Bathing Beach (top), Butterfield Beach (middle)
and Bragg Bay (bottom)

The heap of dirt will be fine if the guys can avoid the clump of the Aluminium plant, Lamiastrum galeobdolon, that's growing at the back. This exotic garden plant has 'escaped' and is now forming dense mats in a number of places; I really don't want it transferred to my place - read about it on the excellent T.E.R.R.A.I.N website.

The tide was going out so I went exploring...

Seaweed species growing on rocks

An old chain, now a solid chunk of rust

A red mite clambering among the seaweed - wish he'd stand still so I could
get a sharp photo!

Looking across Bragg Bay toward the main road

An interesting wee island off Bragg Bay - I'm not sure if you can get across
at the lowest tide but the Google aerial map suggests you might be able to.
Halfmoon Bay and Oban village in the background.



This delicate gill fungus was growing a metre from the road

A large rock completely covered in various coloured mosses and lichens

Close-up of the moss showing their spore capsules

T.E.R.R.A.I.N has a great explanation of mosses, complete with diagrams of their life cycle here

A puff ball - maybe a Lycoperdon??

A red fungus - it might be a decaying Weraroa erythrocephala (Scarlet Pouch)