Order Polyporales

Kingdom: Fungi > Phylum: Basidiomycota > Class:  Agaricomycetes > Order: Cantharellales These are the bracket fungi. 1. Family: Fomitopsidaceae Fomitopsis betulina, birch polypore, birch bracket, razorstrop Phaeolus schweinitzii, dyer’s mazegill   2. Family: Gandodermataceae Ganoderma australe, southern bracket Ganoderma resinaceum   3. Family: Grifolaceae Grifola frondosa, Hen-of-the-wood   4. Family: Meripilaceae Meripilus giganteus, giant polypore   5. … Continue reading "Order Polyporales"

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Order Auriculariales

Kingdom: Fungi > Phylum: Basidiomycota > Class:  Agaricomycetes > Order: Auriculariales These are the jelly fungi.  The banner is the jelly ear fungus. We have come across some splendid specimens on our walks. Family Auriculariaceae Auricularia auricula-judae, jelly ear Exidia nigricans, warlock’s butter Exidia nucleata, crystal brain The crystal brain was identified by the small white mineral … Continue reading "Order Auriculariales"

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Order Russulales

Kingdom: Fungi > Phylum: Basidiomycota > Class:  Agaricomycetes > Order: Russulales Russulas are fairly common.  Here, as with everything else, there are some changes  but according to the Catalogue of Life (CoL) who use Kew’s Species Funorum database (2017), there are around 3000 species in this order in 13 families with a few not yet assigned a family.   … Continue reading "Order Russulales"

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Kingdom Archaea (Archaebacteria)

Archaea can live in the most extreme places are often classified according to the environments in which they live: Halophiles are salt-loving, Thermophiles live in extremely high temperatures, Psychrophiles live in extremely cold temperatures and Methanogens are anaerobic and produce methane gas.  They can be found from the frozen Artics/Antarchtics to the boiling acidic springs … Continue reading "Kingdom Archaea (Archaebacteria)"

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Kingdom Bacteria (Eubacteria)

Bacteria are single‑celled prokaryotic organisms found in almost every environment on Earth. Although some species cause disease, most are harmless or beneficial, playing essential roles in nutrient cycling, decomposition, and many ecological processes. My own photographs of bacteria are limited, but this section is included to complete the overall classification framework. How Bacteria Are Classified … Continue reading "Kingdom Bacteria (Eubacteria)"

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Subphylum Hexapoda — Insects & Relatives

Hexapods represent the most successful body plan in the history of terrestrial life. The name Hexapoda literally translates to “six feet,” which is the defining characteristic of this group. Unlike other arthropods like spiders (eight legs) or centipedes (many legs), hexapods have a body strictly divided into three sections: a head, a thorax (where the … Continue reading "Subphylum Hexapoda — Insects & Relatives"

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