The forest floor is littered with dead stems
Three Cornered Leek and Ransoms breathe their last
What spring brought forth its passing now condemns
This was always their fate, their die was cast
The rain was falling enthusiastically as I arrived at the park this morning. By the time I had adorned myself with (supposedly) waterproof clothing. A few House Sparrows and a stray Blue Tit were audible as I set off towards the Woodlands, marking the sum total of my bird sighting for the day. Dog Roses were in flower in the Car Park, alongside Dogwood and a few pale Poppies.
Heading into the shelter of the Woodlands, I started hunting for fungi and discovered an interesting specimen. Possibly either a Beefsteak Fungus or a Red Belted Bracket. I will investigate further.
The rain was reduced by the sheltering canopy of the Woodlands, but not stopped completely and I became increasingly aware of the partially waterproof nature of my outer clothes as time went on. Stems of Garlic Mustard supported Cuckoo Spit with Froghoppers nestled safely inside. Several Sycamore trunks supported large radial blooms of Green Shield Lichen. I never notice lichens spreading or contracting like I do with plants, they always just seem to be “there”.
A great dying has come to the Ransoms and Three Cornered Leeks, with all the plants I saw either yellowing or lying limp on the ground, their flowers crumpled and shrivelled. Faring a little better were a few Jelly Ear, which are supposed to be floppy.
Zig-zagging down the Timeline I admired the flowering Fuchsias before breaking cover and examining the flora at the front of the Castle. Mallow sat beside Common Clary with more Poppies beside them. Behind the bottom of the Timeline stood a crowd of Horsetails, a most appropriate plant to grow astride the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic era.
Heading back to the Learning Centre I stopped to investigate the Pocket Plum Galls on a few of our Blackthorn bushes. They are caused by the infection of a fungus called Taphrina Pruni, which hollows and elongates the fruit. Fascinating.