Of deer, toads and toadstools
Autumn seems to have arrived quite suddenly although a lot of time has passed since my last visit to Crow Wood as we have been away. In my absence there has been a lot of deer activity with many droppings present, many branches grazed and a curious hollow which looks as though the stags have been showing off using their antlers to dig: it is the rutting season after all. They have found last year's Christmas tree, which I thought I had protected well enough with a chicken mesh fence but no they have chewed the leaves and used it to rub their antlers on. I should have done a better job of protecting it. I do like knowing that the deer are there but they can be pretty destructive. I am unclear how they know but they are very adept at finding and eating my special trees ! It looks like a very good year for chestnuts and fungi. I am not very good at identifying the many species that ...
