Ephemeral pond
Here today, Gone tomorrow
Welcome back my friend
The sun was just cresting the top of the Woodlands as I walked in through Long Meadow, casting its steadily strengthening rays on the Dogwood and Horse Chestnut to my right. Great Tit, Goldfinch and Green Woodpecker were all seen and heard among the trees as I walked. Yesterday on my way home I spied an emerging Yellow Stagshorn on a rotting log which I was very happy to see. Much more of that sort of thing to come.
The signs of the recent heavy rains were everywhere, with squishy footpaths and patches of water resting on the surface of the Meadows all around. I have the soggy socks to prove it. Inside the Large Copse our Hereford Cattle made steady progress munching through the Ivy on the forest floor while my attention was grabbed by a small cluster of Glistening Ink Caps. A Hen Pheasant skipped out of my way as I followed one of the trails trampled by the cattle into South Field.
Field Mushrooms young and old were to be found here, as well as the almost disintegrated remains of some Common Puffballs. Dung Roundheads and Egghead Mottlegills clustered on top of cow pats, the former a more even hemisphere, the latter more egg shaped (surprise surprise). A few steps further out meadow-ward and I was delighted to see several enormous Field Blewits showing their waxy tops and beautifully formed gills. I’ve been checking for these for a while now, great to see them finally arrive.
As I walked I noticed a lot of fallen lichen, with Evernia prunastri and Ramalina fastigiata dotted around the landscape. Cock’s Foot, Wild Parsnip and Red Clover were still flying the flag for team grass and wildflower, but their numbers were on the wane. Clustered on a few threads of Tor Grass was a Cauliflower Slime Mould, looking pretty much exactly as its name implies.
I arrived at the Dew Pond and spent a few moments gazing into its muddy waters. Apparently Ephemeral ponds support a lot of wildlife even though they’re dry for part of the year. Nature thrives on cycles.