Summer seemed to end rather abruptly and we accelerated in Autumn at an alarming pace! One minute we were in shorts and the ground was scorched and brown…. then some autumnal rain and a drop in temperatures, everything greened up and the fungi started appearing. I am always amazed at how quickly they appear. I often walk the same route with my dog, Wren, and they can be a tiny pale suggestion of a dome in the ground one day and a fully fledged mushroom, the next!
I am not very good at identifying fungi, but you don’t have to be able to identify everything you see in the wild to be fascinated in it! I just love the architectural nature of these forms. Here are a selection of species I have photographed, whilst out on my dog walk over the last few weeks. The largest ones , in the grassy area are Shaggy Parasols…. any help in ID for the others would be gratefully received!
The other joy at this time of the year is conkers! With the heavy winds over the last few days, there was a fresh fall of these beauties. I have very fond memories both as a child myself and with my kids, collecting these every Autumn. I still revel in that moment when you break open the case and the glossed promise of a new Horse Chestnut tree lies within, perfectly encased and protected…. simply beautiful….