Happy Fungi Friday, everyone! Today's outing started even before I reached the forest, proving that sometimes a find is pure chance.
I actually spotted a large bolete while driving past a grass verge. It was so big that it caught my eye from the car window. I pulled over to take a closer look, but unfortunately it had already fallen over. I stood it against a dry stone wall so I could take a photograph of the huge cap and reddish stem.
Once in the forest, the cool air and crispy dead leaves underfoot gave me instant autumnal vibes. Several red fly agaric caps caught the light beside the track.
You really can't beat fly agarics, especially when there are a lot coming through.
Nearby, a small group of blusher caps poked up straight out of the dirt.
It wasn't long before I stumbled across something far more unusual. I knelt down to get a better look at a patch of white mould completely swallowing a fungus. Standing out against the forest floor, it looked a bit grim, almost as though the fungus had exploded! I'd never seen anything like it before and had no idea that mould could take over another fungus like this.
And once I started looking, I realised it wasn't just a one off. All over the place, different fungi seemed to be attacking each other. I kept spotting weird white moulds smothering old fungi and fuzzy patches creeping over other caps. It turns out, some fungi actually feed on each other, while others just take over as things rot down.
Nature really is full of surprises, and even fungi in the forest aren't safe from each other!
Further along the track, there was a massive birch polypore sticking out from the side of a tree trunk. I could have rested a cup of coffee on it!
Every time I head out into the forest, I'm amazed by the sheer variety of weird textures, shapes and colours I come across. Today seeing so many fungi attacking each other was quite something.
#fungifriday initiated by @ewkaw.
You've been curated by @plantpoweronhive! 