Autumn is great for getting your boots proper muddy and seeing what the woods are up to. I go walking most days, and honestly, you do not need a grand plan or a map. You just look to see what is there as you go along. On a recent walk, the wood was a nice mix of fallen leaves, bright berries, and all sorts of fungi.
Stepping off the road and straight into the trees feels like ducking into another world entirely. The sun’s rays cut right through the high branches, lighting up the area.
Clusters of beech leaves clung on for dear life, while others had fallen and lay scattered across the woodland floor.
Along the edge of the path, old ferns have dried up and turned rusty brown, flopping across the track like they have had a long day.
Keep your eyes open as you wander along, and you'll catch all kinds of interesting things. Plonked right in the middle of the mud were several classic fly agaric mushrooms.
One looked for all the world like a bright red dinner plate dotted with white spots. A stray yellow leaf had landed smack in the middle, floating in a little pool of rainwater. These were a nice surprise, as I don't often see fly agarics in this particular wood. A woman had tipped me off that they were here, else I would have missed them.
Further along, a pair of bracket fungi stuck out from the side of a mossy tree trunk, showing off smooth pale purple tops attached to the dark wood.
Higher up in the bushes, bright red holly berries hung in bunches, with raindrops from a recent shower clinging to their undersides.
Nearby, late season wild blackberries that had never quite ripened still clung to prickly stems, showing off their hard red skins as the weather turned cold.
Down near the tree roots, sweet chestnut husks had fallen into the dirt and split wide open. The glossy brown chestnuts sat inside, but most of them were far too small to be worth taking home to roast. It was a shame as I do love a chestnut.
Emerging from the trees at the top of the wood, the landscape opens right up. You get a lovely view across the green fields. Getting out into the woods most days never gets boring. There's always something different to spot if you take the time to look.
