A feast of Fungi

After a couple of days of heavy rain the forest floor is covered in fungi. Here are a few we saw today. I hope I have identified them properly. Many species are very similar and it is easy to confuse the edible with the poisonous. During the autumn many people come to the forest for the fungi. The Forest byelaws allow you to pick for your own use but sadly many fungi collect high prices in restaurants and it is not unusual to see teams of people, especially from the contintent going out and stripping the woods bare. Saddest of all is to arrive in the carparks and find discarded fungi all around. In parts of europe the older folk know their fungi well and often you will find an elderly gentleman sitting in the car waiting for his team of young collectors to come back and he then he sorts through discarding the non edible ones.

A fungal foray

Boletus edulis Penny Bun 

Flowers of tan 

Slimy beechcaps

death cap (Amanita phalloides) 

Trametes vesicolor in America these are called Turkey tails.

cortinarius varius 

Xerocomus badius bay bolete 

Rain Rain Rain

It was very wet on our early morning walk with Karen and Taivas at Fritham this morning. It was drizzling when we left the car at 8am but with i a few minutes the rain got much heavier and we were soon soaked! There was no one else around and so Missy, who is in season was able to play off lead for a little bit. We walked pass some deer sheltering in the trees and neither dog noticed. We were very close but it was raining so heavily we were unable to get a photo. Later as we walked through the woods a large herd with several big stags ran across the path but this time they were too far away for photos. Soon the Deer will start the rut and we will hear their barking as we walk. At times the rain did ease and we were able to get a few photos. We were very wet when we got back to the car but we had enjoyed our walk, it was time to go home and get a shower before changing into dry clothes. For a short while the sun shone but now it is raining again.

It looks a little brighter over there! Fritham. 

This fungus looks a bit battered. 

Taivas is making mud pies. 

Cortinarius varius is apparently very edible. it was very shiny. 

Missy is not amused by Taivas's antics. 

Miss Taivas 

Rain clouds at Fritham 

Baby Moo is watching us 

Mummy cow decides to see us off! 

The sun continues to shine

It was another beautiful day in the forest. This morning we met some very big pigs in the forest foraging for acorns.At this time of year pigs roam the forest often with little piglets eating the acorns to reduce the number left for the ponies who can become very sick if they eat too many.
This afternoon we saw a sweet little calf as we walked . there is always something to see in the forest.

Its pannage season in the forest. Commoners are allowed to let the pigs out to eat the acorns. Eating too many green acorns can make the ponies very sick so each year between September and December pigs can be seen roaming the forest  

This is two toned wood tuft and is apparently edible.......Its real name is Kuehneromyces mutabilis.  

A young Calf is in the trees. 

Missy finds a lost scrunchie 

The view at Canadian Cross 

The heather still has a little colour left although it is dying back. 

Sunbathing.

This little lizard with a stunted tail was sunbathing on a forest gatepost this afternoon. 

Basking in the sun

On a forest gatepost this little lizard (who seems to have lost a little of his tail) was sunbathing until we came past and disturbed him!