MAINLY MINIATURE MYCOLOGY (02/10/10)

After yesterday’s continuous downpour today dawned bright and sunny. We were off out at first light. We strolled along for half an hour with nothing seen then we happened across a couple of Roe deer, they were off like a shot, long before I could get a shot. I was fortunate that Molly didn’t notice them. She can be gone an hour or more after deer. They only run for a hundred yards or so then stop, this allows her to catch up and on it goes.

On our way back to the truck I noticed a delicate little Toadstool so after breakfast decided it was macro fungi day. My initial thought was to include nothing bigger than my little finger nail. That went by the by pretty well immediately.

    This giant bracket fungus is one and a half feet across and was too high up this Ash tree for me to see the top. Fill flash has done it’s job but to the detriment of the tree. I suspect it is Curry Comb fungus, used for brushing horses not for curries. We are in for much misidentification and mystification today. The problem is I’m no mycologist, in fact couldn’t have spelt it without my trusty wild guide.

  These are excellent value, there’s a complete series covering, flora, fauna, insects in fact anything one is likely to find on a wander out. They are always discounted to a few pounds so don’t pay anything like the cover price.

The big problem for me is am I looking at a baby one or a mature miniature, degradation is what I tend to go by but after yesterdays rain I suspect fallibility in this approach. Not to worry they are gorgeous things.

        This could well be a young Liberty Cap. No it isn’t I couldn’t be that lucky and the stalk isn’t long enough. Pessimist I am…………….. it’s a baby one.

          I’m going for Moss Pixy Cap this one on it’s own…………………

         Here a forest of them, they are finger nail sized and neither edible nor hallucinogenic, very pretty though.

              This is one of the crumble caps Coprinus something. It is a quarter inch across and near perfect, there were some older ones not much bigger so I suspect this one is mature.

                 These two are the same fungi, again I can’t identify them but I’m hoping they are one of the many Bonnet caps.

                I am afraid that yet again I haven’t a clue, a milk cap or funnel cap maybe, it’s in near perfect condition.

That’s all for fungi, only so much ignorance one can display at a time.

                A Rose Hip, they taste awful I don’t know how they get the syrup out of them.

               Elder Berries they taste little better.

Very wet is the ground today so I took a bin bag to lie on, a great idea saves one getting soaked…………..until you forget which is the wet and muddy side it does………….waste of time that was. I now have wet muddy clothes and a wet muddy bin bag.

Have a great Sunday.