Frankly more fungi

It does seem my intermittent blog has taken a slight fascination with fungi but I spend of lot of time at the moment in woodlands and well, there is a lot of it about!  Here are some more little beauties that I recently found...

Shaggy Parasol Macrolepiota rhacodes

Jew's Ear Auricularia auricula-judae

Jew's ear is also known sometimes as Jelly ear.  It is so called apparently because Judas hanged himself from an Elder tree (which is where this fungus is most commonly found).

Candle Snuff Fungus Xylaria hypoxylon

Other odd ones growing on branches...

On a non fungal related matter, the urban greenspace that is our communal garden grows ever more fascinating.  One of my first blogs was about the interesting flora species found on the grassy area.  I believe we have a Pin Oak tree which is quite random.  It is native of North America and more of an ornamental here.  We have had the pleasure of seeing a bullfinch twice in the last couple of days, feeding on the birch.  The birch has also been very popular with goldcrest, chaffinches, greenfinches, coal tits, and blue tits.

Away with the fairies

Now's a great time to go foraging for fairies' bonnets, jelly babies, pig's ears, yellow fingers, witch's butter and slippery jack.  Yes these are all types of fungus.  I don't know who was in charge of naming the different species but I think they probably had a go at tasting or licking them first, oh there goes a fairy wearing a bonnet! I snapped a few fungalicious shots whilst out in Saddlescombe Farm and Broadwater Warren...

Egg Yoke Fungus

Velvet Shank

Brown roll-rim (?)

Brown roll-rim (?)

possible bell cap?

Fly Agaric

Bolete sp

I am not 100% on the ID and some I havent figured out but I'll keep foraging with the fairies!

Rainham Marshes

We visited RSPB's Rainham Marshes on Sunday for the first time.  These marshes just next to the Thames and London are apparently medieval.  It is a great site for waders, wildfowl and birds of prey.  It also has quite an interesting history.  It was closed for 100yrs and used as a military firing range.  There are remnants of this around the site such as this target wall (spot the kestrel on no 6):

There was also this remnant piece of tree which supposedly dates back to neolithic times (approx 6000 years ago).  It was preserved in the silt at the bottom of a ditch, preventing any oxygen access and thus decay, until now!

Wonder what species of tree it was and what sort of people used to sit under its canopy.

Birds spotted included lapwing, snipe, golden plover, teal, wigeon, shoveler, grey heron, little egret, kestrel, stonechat, little grebe, and black-tailed godwit.  Good site but prefer Dungeness or Rye.

My post obviously wouldn't be complete without a picture of some creepy looking monster - so here you go:

Araneus diadematus Garden Spider (female)

Aspen, a popular trembler

I just wanted to share with you this beautiful tree as it is a wondrous sight to behold in its autumn splendour.  Aspen is a native tree to Britain and is part of the Poplar family.  The latin name is Populus tremula, so called as the leaves appear to tremble in a breeze (and they make a rustling sound).  In autumn, the leaves turn golden yellow as you can see in the below pictures from a visit yesterday to Kiln Wood:

The leaves have a fairly distinctive shape:

(image from trees for life)

Personally I dont think we have enough of these trees.  But hey ho what do I know.