A Woodland Wander and the Wonderful World of Fungi
At the weekend we went for a walk at Clumber Park, one of those places where you can quite happily wander around for hours without really having anywhere in particular to go.
This time of year is wonderful for woodland walks. The leaves are changing colour, there is plenty happening underfoot and, if you take a little time to look around, there is an amazing amount of nature to discover.
One of the things we particularly enjoy looking for at this time of year is fungi.
It really is quite incredible how many different varieties there are out there. We came across all sorts on our walk, growing amongst the fallen leaves, in the moss, on old tree stumps and on fallen branches.
And quite a few fly agarics!
I do apologise, but you can never have too many photographs of fly agarics. There is just something about those bright red caps with their white spots that makes them so appealing. Whether they are just emerging or have opened up into those familiar mushroom shapes, I always seem to find myself stopping for another photograph.
Of course, they weren’t the only ones we found. There were all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, some of which were quite unusual.
I’ve numbered the photographs Toadstool 1 to 19. You’re not going to find any clever scientific names here. Sometimes it’s just nice to enjoy looking without needing to know exactly what you’re looking at.
We do recognise a few, but there are plenty where we haven’t a clue what their proper names are. Some even have names we’ve given them ourselves, which is probably just as much fun.
We have never really been interested in picking fungi or foraging for mushrooms. We’re quite happy just finding them, having a good look and taking a few photographs before leaving them exactly where they are.
I know there is a whole world of identification and foraging out there, and that’s absolutely fine if that’s what interests you. But you don’t have to know what everything is, or be able to tell one variety from another, to enjoy finding them.
Sometimes it’s just nice to look.
And that’s one of the things I love about walking in the woods. You set off for a walk and have no idea what you might come across. You might spend ten minutes looking at something growing on an old log, or find yourself crouching down to photograph a tiny little mushroom amongst the leaves.
It’s not necessarily about how far you’ve walked or how much ground you’ve covered. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the walk.
So, if you get the chance over the coming weeks, go find yourself a woodland walk and see what you can discover.
You don’t need to pick anything, you don’t need to know its proper name and you certainly don’t need to be an expert.
Just get outside and enjoy what’s there.
And if you happen to come across a few fly agarics, well, I wouldn’t blame you for stopping to take a photograph or two. Or three. Or ten!
Don’t create nature. Get outside and discover it.