You thought this was our time to rise and this time, you thought right
All year our troops have mustered, slowly gathering their might
With caps of ink and lobes of pink our uniforms are proud
And we’ll parade in full cockade till winter draws its shroud
So come from field and town and lane to marvel at our powers
The fungi army stands supreme, for this season is ours
The first sound I heard when I arrived at Durlston was the piercing cry of a Jay nestling somewhere among the Japanese Spindle of the entrance road. I ignored it and headed straight for the Woodlands, I wasn’t in the market for birds, not in these wonderful autumnal weather conditions.
The earth was still birthing a steady supply of Pale Milkcaps, with older half eaten specimens crumbling beside younger, fresher stock. This merely served to whet my appetite for discovery and I continued on with nothing but the moaning of the wind and gentle creaking of Sycamore trees for company.
Crouching down to examine the end of a log I spied a suspected cluster of Sulphur Tuft, this clutch of a dozen or so yellow-orange mushrooms looking very fresh indeed. Just a little further I came across a duo of Giant Puffball by a section of dry-stone wall. These two had already gone to spore and therefore must have been here a little while. How had I not noticed them before?
My fungi foray continued to bear dividends with a Mystery Fungi (ID pending) and several enormous Shaggy Inkcaps adorning a tree stump opposite the entrance to the Shed area. These in particular I was happy to see as I’ve only ever seen them on the Downs before.
As I at last emerged from the Woodlands I noticed a Goldfinch and a Robin fluttering about a patch of Bramble. They were the first birds I had seen, heard or cared about since the Jay. They were immediately forgotten as I walked down the Timeline past Rooting Boletes and a Red Cage Fungus that was just starting to emerge.
On Caravan Terrace I had another encounter with the Bird Man, who reported Goldcrests and Firecrests, as well as Mediterranean Gulls out over the water. After a windswept walk over the Clifftops I returned via the Diagonal Path, with Dryads Saddle, Jelly Ear and Glistening Ink Cap rounding off the best morning of fungi sightings since I arrived at Durlston. Good times.