A Fungal Flourish

Autumn is officially here and in Jubilee Wood, on the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge and in local gardens there is a fungal flourish!

Everyone has a firm favourite but most recently the following have all been spotted locally:

*the lilac-blue 'Wood Blewit'
*the fleshy pink gills of the 'Deceiver Fungi'
*the freaky 'Jelly Ear Fungi' (shaped just like an ear) and, of course,
*the 'Fly Agaric', known for its distinctive bright red appearance with white spots and which has been spotted everywhere this autumn

Most of what we see above ground level are the 'fruiting bodies' of the species which then release the 'spores'.

You can very quickly become adept in identifying all manner of 'gills', whether they be fine-gills, cross-threaded gills, brittle gills or wide gills, and whether the fungi are 'spore shooters' or 'spore droppers'.

The names are equally amusing – 'Shaggy Parasols', 'Crystal Brain Fungi', 'Ugly Milk Cap Fungi' and 'Caps' galore, whether they were 'Milk Caps', 'Tawny Funnel Caps' or 'Butter Caps'.

'Crusts' exist in abundance such as 'Bleeding Oak' or 'Hairy', and as for 'Bonnets', there are many.

As you enjoy the Autumn glories, look out for the 'Fungal Flourish' BUT please be responsible and leave everything in place for others to enjoy and do not eat anything that you might find!

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