Friday rolls around again, which means it is time for another instalment of @fungifriday initiated by @ewkaw. If you are anything like me, you are already heading out for your usual walk.
Foraging for food has its place, but for me, who doesn't know whether some of the mushrooms are edible or poisonous, #fungifriday is about finding the weird and wonderful of woodland fungi on camera and leaving them right where I found them! No butter or garlic required, just pure appreciation for the weirdness of nature, starting with the shaggy scalycap.
Finding fungi, however, is a game of patience and a bit of frustration thrown in. I've been very lucky so far as we've had a bumper crop in this area, but in previous years, I've been scanning all around me while trying not to trip over exposed tree roots or look like a very dodgy character lurking in the wood.
Sometimes, I get down to ground level, kneeling in mud for the sake of a photo. Usually, when I'm on the ground, a local dog walker strolls past, gives me a long look, and wonders why a grown woman is photographing a rotting log. Thankfully, when I tell them what I'm doing, they get it, as they then tell me where they've seen more fungi.
This particular stretch of woodland was a goldmine of birch polypore and ...
... hoof fungus. Normally, I only find really dull ones but these looked new and shiny.
Fly agarics (amanita muscaria) are hard to miss on a walk, with their bright red caps and white spots. The large one was difficult to get to but I managed it in the end.
They are strictly for looking at rather than eating, but they make a nice photo.
Further down the path, a fallen log provided a nice pair of purple ringed fan brackets ...
... alongside tiny fluffy cream coloured fans clustering along the bark.
Right near them were smooth, brownish caps. One looked like something had taken two neat bites out of the middle, leaving the gills exposed underneath. I've no idea what they were.
Then I came across these odd little blobs attached directly to the tree bark. One looked a bit wrinkled, while the other was completely covered in tiny drops of moisture. I think they are slime moulds or false puffballs, maybe.
The woods certainly had plenty of characters this time! Some were looking a little worse for wear, others were putting on a colourful display, and a few left me scratching my head over their identity. 😂🍄
