Mushrooms...

We went walking in the woods at the weekend. I was surprised to see how close we are to the autumn.

The woods are full of deep red berries and the leaves are beginning to turn brown.

Bending down to pick up a couple of conkers - I never can resist their hard brown richness - I noticed this fabulous fungi. I think it’s one of the Agarics although I’ve only ever seen red ones before.

There’s something about toadstools and mushrooms. When I find them I’m always temped to pick them and take them home to identify. I’ve done it a few times, even eaten some of them, and each time I do I worry that I’ve misidentified and begin to be sure that I can feel stomach cramps. I’ve never been really ill through eating them, but I have had a few headaches.

Not this one though. You can tell just by looking at it that it’s poisonous. I’ll leave this one to the woodland folk and wait for the mushrooms I’m growing in my shed to come through.

And I may go on a wild fungi hunt next weekend, see what I can find.