You thought us lesser beings, scarce and scattered, far and few
But now you see reality, those notions are untrue
With Brittle Gills and Blushing frills we blossom into life
Branching wide we do not hide, our fleshy fruits are rife
We’ve gathered, rallied, sallied fourth, rounded up and teemed
The fungi army musters now, with strength you never dreamed
Yesterday as I was leaving the park I was extremely fortunate to see a large Grass Snake slithering about in the middle of the entrance road. I politely waited for it to make its exit. Remember folks, even if it’s not venomous: No step on snek.
The first sound I heard in the park this morning was a Jay, its abrasive screech cutting through the morning stillness though the bird itself remained unseen. A Magpie chimed in for good measure, rattling a few short reels before falling silent. Jackdaws, Robins and Blue Tits were also to be seen. I made my way straight to the Woodlands, the yellows of Rough Hawkbit and Bristly Ox Tongue giving way to an extraordinary cavalcade of fungi.
First were the Pale Milkcaps, popping up sporadically from the depths of the earth to display their cracked heads. Among them were the Mystery Brittlegills, still no firm ID there. I continued on a less trodden path past a Lacquered Bracket and a Blushing Rosette, now accompanied by an all new Mystery Fungi. I spent a few minutes searching for another specimen, most likely a Hen Of The Woods but I couldn’t locate it. Still, the picture Ben showed me was very persuasive.
Another Branched Oyster fungi had popped up along the Woodchip Path and as I admired it a Speckled Wood butterfly flapped past. Over in the kingdom of plants I noted that a few Enchanters Nightshade were still in bloom, their tiny white flowers half shrivelled with their advancing age.
I also had a close encounter with a Garden Spider, sitting in the centre of an impressively spun web. I tried to get a photo, but the camera refused to focus. Returning back along the line of a partially reconstructed Dry Stone Wall I spied a half dozen Swallows feeding in the skies above Long Meadow.
The Clifftops were a little devoid of life, a few Herring and Greater Black Backed Gulls the only creatures to brave the brisk winds. I decided to cut back through the woods near the observation point and ran into a small Solitary Amanita on the way. Let the good times roll.