Early September days

A windy few days at the end of August has brought down a major limb on our biggest oak. The wind must have come through the wood at some speed to have done this as it really is a big limb, snapped right off and dropped underneath. There were no other signs of damage to other trees so it must have been a sudden localised gust. It is no problem for the tree as it will sprout again and on the plus side it means we now have a supply of oak logs to burn in a couple of winters time once it has dried off. This is the same tree that had a sap bleed earlier in the summer but it has produced a lot of acorns this year which suggests it is pretty healthy and maybe the weight of the acorns in their hundreds added to the loss of their limb. When tidying up the mass of branches a tiny toad came out of hiding, appearing none the worse for the events that had shaken her neighbourhood.

Elsewhere although it has been a pretty dry season the first fungi are showing themselves. We have many different varieties in Crow Wood and some of them are edible......if we get to them before the slugs and squirrels do, that is ! On my last visit I found a small group of Boletus mushrooms, both Ceps and a variety called Boletus badius, which made a fine addition to an omelette that evening. Over the years, and helped by our knowledgeable Swedish friends, we have got to know which varieties are good to eat and which are best avoided. Ceps, Porcini or Penny Buns, their local name, are the king of mushrooms and the tastiest. When dried they can be stored for years and added to dishes to give a fine woody flavour. They are not very common in our wood but such a treasure when found.

Wildlife is pretty quiet at this time of the year with many species of birds now in moult and keeping a low profile, but it was good to spot a young lizard taking the opportunity to grab some sun as did a Small Copper butterfly on the main ride. This one looked very crisp and bright, so maybe it had just emerged.

A fresh looking Small Copper

the young lizard

Boletus mushrooms, the Ceps are on the right

The oak limb processed

A toad in the hand.......

the fallen Oak limb as I found it

ps.....the truck was safe