KSnow mould is a fungal disease that leaves lawns with white patches in spring after snow melts. Then there’s this, a blanket-like blanket of strangely white material in a field beneath Screel Hill on Solway Firth. I have never seen anything like this in all my years spent watching nature.
At first, I drove past it to my favorite beach with Connie, the springer, thinking that the salt residue was salt like the salt pans of Portugal. This hollow is often filled with water. It was far enough from the sea to be considered saltwater, but that was only after reflection. I had assumed, as is always the case with unnatural history, that the water table fluctuated and that this pool held rainwater. Similar lakes are located on the west coast, also called turloughs. They appear or disappear depending on how much rainwater is allowed to drain into the ground. There are several. Turlough in WalesOne in Norfolk and Three in Northern Ireland. There is however none in Scotland.
A large, fibrous blanket similar to handmade paper was discovered upon closer inspection. It was smooth on its surface, but rough underneath where grasses or reeds clung to. It could even be written on. It felt rough under my feet and under Connies, and when I cut some pieces with scissors, it felt almost like cutting a cereal container. As a primary school teacher, it was like being back at school. It created fascinating natural sculptures, like a galleon, by clinging to the reed socks. You can think of lampshades made from cheap paper that is stretched over the wire.
So what is this mysterious substance? It is likely that it is snow mould. However, the fungalspores have multiplied at an extraordinary rate. It is possible that this spot was able to provide the perfect microclimate for growth, with the right temperature, humidity, and initial snow cover. It is hard to understand why it is so papery. I have not found any photographs, illustrations, or written documentation of such a large cover.
We don’t stay too late because, like other moulds, theirspores can trigger an allergic reaction in some people. Connie, please come here now!
