HUGE mushrooms and other stuff in the woods

OK, Saturday's star of the show has to be this huge bolete:

Not sure what kind, but maybe an Orange Birch Bolete? Next one I know, the imaginatively named Brown Birch Bolete, also pretty big:

This next set is interesting. When we coppiced round the pond a few years ago, we left some birch logs on the side, and they are now covered with Sulphur Tuft:


They're in quite a damp spot, but just over a few metres away, on the other side of the pond are some more logs in a drier spot:

but these have no Sulphur Tuft, just some kind of Turkey Tail:

There's loads of other fungi out too, and I don't know what they are:



Although I do know this last one, Fly Agaric:

I got some interesting insect photos too, such as this hornet nest in an oak tree:

and this beetle making a home and dragging dung into it:

I also spent a while stood in the wayleave trying to get pictures of dragonflies in the air. It's not very easy to be quick enough and get them in focus, and I need some more practice, but here's my initial attempts:


Along the footpath, or "wildlife corridor", the bit of the track that got muddy last winter has recovered brilliantly with the light it's getting, and is now grassing over:

The rain's probably helped too, and has certainly filled our makeshift rainwater harvesting behind the firewood shelter:

The sun and rain has also helped the coppice growing from last year's cutting. Bear in mind that all the trees in these photos have only been growing since this Spring! Ash and Hazel:

Sweet Chestnut (with me for scale):

Ash:

Hazel, but this time one that's been grazed, presumably by deer:

We were also pleased to see this Rowan (Mountain Ash) doing well along the footpath. We clearly avoided it while felling there in 2008/9, but I don't remember seeing it before. No doubt it's healthier for the light it's now getting, and it had a few berries on it.

One more tree, and no idea how these got here. Horse Chestnut at the top of Sweep Wood, near the road:

Last but not least some flowers from Sweep Wood, including a Violet:

A Nightshade:

Something I don't recognise:


and a Snapdragon, which has clearly escaped from a nearby garden!

These were all growing in this patch near the top, which is teeming with life:

Nice to watch it develop over the seasons...

That's all for now.

Mike

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Back to the woods...

Last weekend was the first time in what seems like ages that I actually got up to the woods. Tracy was still at Bentley Woodfair, so I cycled up and did a few odd jobs and walked around to see what's happening there. I found this cool fungi growing in a ride:
I think it's an Orange Birch Bolete, but I' not confident enough to eat it...

A little further along was this leaf hanging from from some spider silk:
Nothing odd about that - but this one was actually anchoring the bottom of a spider web! I guess the spider made the web while the leaf was still up the tree, and has carried on using it now it is dangling.

A couple of other things - the spring has dried up this summer, and this is all that's left of the pond right now:
However, this gives us an opportunity to dig it out a bit.

The other thing is the squirrels are very much in evidence:
My parents are visiting for a few days now, so we'll be up in the woods and I'll have more to write about.

Mike

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