Of birds and bees

Crow Wood, 11th October - 

It's the red season and this year there seem to be more Fly Agaric than any other kind of fungus. Maybe other varieties will follow in the next few weeks but for now the red and white ones rule the woods. Every year I try to get a decent photo of a perfect specimen but every year the slugs get there first and the best I can do is snap rather tatty ones. Its the same this year but they are still worth enjoying - I always wonder if the slugs hallucinate as a result of their indulgence. 

There are some really good reds in Crow Wood just now with the chestnut and oak leaves only just beginning to change colour. We have a few Blueberry plants growing wild and the leaves go a spectacular shade in the autumn. They like the acid soils under our wood and were probably escapees in bird droppings from local farms along the Greensand Ridge. 

We also have a small number of Guelder Rose plants, mainly ones we have planted to diversify the understory, and they too are a good red colour just now. And we have one Red Oak. Yes, its an alien species and but it has good colour in the autumn and worth tolerating one or two specimens just for that. Its such a shame that it does not hold its leaves for long and the winds will quickly strip them, leaving bare twigs again.

Fly Agaric

Blueberry leaves

Guelder Rose

 

The first few chestnuts have been brought down over the last week - it remains to be seen whether it will be a good chestnut season as well as a good red one.