Hypholoma fasciculare

Some of this years fungi photos!

common, popular, bright, flourishing. also poisonous :)

27th November 2022: Pig Bush in the New Forest and bits at home 

We came to Pig Bush for the second Sunday running to see if we could see the Great Grey Shrike. We didn’t, but had a lovely walk here. It was so notable once again to see how wet the landscape is, even at a spot with a lot of water. It was interesting to see bits that are usually trusty banks beside the water now under water and very mindful to listen to rushing water, see a whirlpool and hear its almost tuneful gush as we have at this site before and stand on the bridge looking across all the water. This gave me a great chance to reflect at what an amazing year I’ve had visiting Pig Bush so far, I’ve had some brilliant walks and seen lots of great stuff here this year. There was great autumnal colour here again today with the golden birches bursting with colour and others, the dark green pines a nice constant which looked nice on a dramatic and moody afternoon in this spacious landscape. I took the first four and sixth, seventh and eighth pictures in this photoset of views here today, and the fifth picture in this photoset showing the whirlpool with bog myrtle beside it. 

There were some good birds seen and heard at Pig Bush again, with some cracking views of Redwing a bird of the moment. I also enjoyed seeing a Blackbird, seeing and hearing Meadow Pipits well including one flying off with Redwings which was a unique sight, Long-tailed Tits seen nicely in a bare tree, Carrion Crows seen nicely again and a Snipe I couldn’t quite tell whether it was common or Jack Snipe as the light was fading. I heard the cackling tone of a nice Green Woodpecker this afternoon too. A New Forest Pony was nice to see at a distance here. Plant wise it was nice to see pretty bog myrtle above and below water a great mixture of colours which I have enjoyed seeing in the forest a lot lately. It also saw gorse in flower, hawksbeard I believe and heather. I liked seeing the sulphur tuft mushrooms at the car park again after last week. 

There seems to have been a surge of autumnal colour like a last stand of the autumnal show with a lot of bare trees around now. There were nice trees overcome with yellow at home which I observed out the front and when looking towards Lakeside before we went out today, and there were bright golden allies on the way to Pig Bush as we got into the New Forest in some places ivy was the only green in the scenes. I enjoyed seeing a little bit of a sunset on the way home before we stopped for a lovely hot chocolate. It’s been a great weekend of noticing things on journeys. I enjoyed watching birds at home before going out today too seeing charming Starling, bright Goldfinch shining on an overcast day and a beautiful Robin out the back the latter a treasured garden visitor in these months which it was nice to see flitting around low in the garden I got the ninth picture in this photoset of it. I also enjoyed seeing three of the spiders I’ve enjoyed seeing lately in the hallway this evening with one emerging from the crack which was notable I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of one as well as another Silver-sided Sector spider the other side of the window. It was good to see a massive Grey Silverfish in my en suite tonight too. Another special, fun and relaxing weekend, I hope you all have a good week.

sulphur tuft

Some photos I took today, West Yorkshire, UK: Dunnock (Prunella modularis), sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare), eurasian magpie (Pica pica) and great tit (Parus major)

When you see a mushroom that looks just like a little cookie nibble and then find out it could kill you. 😭😭 Sadness.

I can't even eat mushrooms but I always wish I could. They look like such a "food" item.

Cambridge, UK, April 2023

Sulphur tufts (Hypholoma fasciculare) 

Always photographing these adorable poisonous little fellas.

Two kinds of wood dwelling mushrooms; sulphur Tufts and i think ,trametes.

Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare

Mushrooms from today! Corn Fibercap (such a good name!), pacific golden chanterelles, sulphur tuft maybe, no idea what this one is but it looked cool, red bleeding milk cap, russula brevipes, and my set up to capture sweet golden light on a patch of inky caps

Sulphur tuft fungus (Hypholoma fasciculare). Watercolour, 1892

Fairly recent. Red-tailed hawk + Tubaria sp + ...some mushroom. Almost looks like sulphur tufts or maybe a species of Gymnopus

9/10/22-Millyford Bridge in the New Forest

We came here today for another lovely forest walk, dominated by fungi. It was brilliant to see a plethora of shrooms, of different shapes, sizes and colours, all a treat for the eyes and as well as other things a big source of inspiration for photos. I took the second and third pictures in this photoset of some mushrooms on the walk.

Four species dominated, firstly a mysterious few amethyst deceiver one of which I took the fourth picture in this photoset of quite a big one. Fast becoming one of my favourites since I saw my first only two years ago one I had hoped to see for a while before that, it was an honour to have seen these for another autumn with their distinctive purple shade. We had come here in the hope of me seeing one as my Mum saw some here in the week. Catching sight of a few fly agaric on this woodland ramble was joyful, the fairytale toadstool which it has been a true pleasure to see so much of this weekend and last. A symbol of autumn which I always feel pleased to see. Another panthercap was nice to see, and after the fly agaric and amethyst deceiver two of what are probably my three favourites we spotted the third. The enigmatic yellow stagshorn rising from the floor, a mushroom I have a great affinity with. I also managed to identify common puffball on the walk the first picture in this photoset shows some of this I believe and the fifth picture shows some distinctive ones, lovely sulphur tuft and possible porcelain fungus a great white one which I have seen before in the New Forest I believe. It was nice to see a bit of lichen and possibly a gall as well. 

It was lovely to see and hear Robin, see Blackbird, see and hear Great Tit well and see a probable Wren in the undergrowth on the walk. Grey Squirrels and New Forest ponies were key sightings on the walk with cattle seen the other side of the road at the start too. Dor beetle, wood spurge leaves and tormentil flower were nice sights on the walk too.

It was lovely to take a walk through this woody and watery habitat, with autumnal colour trickling into the landscape. Rich woodland to immersed in, with the strong sunlight and creamier moments as the sun went behind clouds a bit bringing autumnal magic to the woods. A sweet feeling. As is natural in my multi faceted interest there has been an increase in my New Forest visits in recent weeks, a month or so; and I have cherished being out in this oasis of calm at various locations ones I visit a lot and others seeing top fauna, flora, fungi and scenes. I have used the words peace and tranquil a lot to describe them and it is so wonderful to enjoy the breathing space here as I have always loved. There is a potency to that as the year shuts down in autumn I’ve always thought. I took the final five pictures in this photoset of views here today it was especially great to see reflections into the stream here too in the bright sunshine today. It was nice to speak to some great people on the walk too.

At home today I liked seeing a massive spider in the living room, sunlit pink flowers in the garden and others and yellow leaves appearing in the landscape ever more especially trees I believe are at Fleming Park visible from room and some in the garden on a plant too. There were nice sky scenes tonight with the Hunter’s full moon rising which was great to see shining through cloud and views of Goldfinch today. Another brilliant weekend, I hope you all have a good new week.

The High Rocks Trail along the Highland Scenic Highway offers an easy, 3 mile out-and-back hike featuring one of the best views in the Central Appalachians. Perched on a sandstone outcropping at over 4,000 feet (1,219 m) above sea level, the overlook provides sweeping views toward Virginia to the east and the Greenbrier River Valley to the south. I imagine this would be an ideal spot to do some stargazing, as there is very little light obstruction from the valley below.

From top: views from the High Rocks overlook at the end of the trail; false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum), whose plume of white flowers gives way to a cluster of waxy, gold and red-speckled berries in late summer; two of the most impressive speckled wood lilies (Clintonia umbellulata) I've ever come across in my travels; American lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majuscula), a more robust and less densely-colonizing cousin of the more familiar European species, native to the Appalachian mountains from Southwestern Pennsylvania to North Carolina and Tennessee; the gorgeous mountain angelica (Angelica triquinata), also known as filmy angelica, an Appalachian endemic that produces the most impressive compound umbels of greenish-white flowers in late summer; and a gregarious woodland fungi, perhaps sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)?