Wolves Wild

Heron perched on a sturdy fence post separating a small stream from a marshy field outside Berkswell.

Orange peel, fungi unmistakable once it is clear they are not the discarded outer layer of the citrus fruit. These were in SWest Park, at a spot where they have been growing every autumn for several years.

There was the herd of bullocks grazing in the field by Berkswell bordered by the stream carrying the outflow from the eponymoua well. One of them had decided that the tastiest vegetation was growing right beside the stream, and was standing with the water up to its knees as it ate.

When I returned a little later, it had returned to dry land. Its legs now had a mud coating as knee-length stockings.

Possibly the easiest to identify of autumn fungi: fly agarics with their bright red caps (fading to orange after rain) flecked with white “warts”, the remnants of a veil which protects the fruiting body as it emerges through the soil.

The first three pictures are of the same mushroom seen from different angles; the next three still the same mushroom on the next day. The final picture is one elsewhere, showing its age and the signs of extensive nibbling.

As the days draw in there are less and less flowers available for those insects which rely on collecting nectar. This visiting bumblebee was making the most of a dahlia back in mid-October.

Heron, confident it was safe carrying on watching for prey even though the reeds it was in were right by the main path through Doxey Marshes. Much closer to the path than the wary heron nearby which had fled my approach. This one seemed unconcerned as I passed, as did someone with a dog off the lead.

Glistening inkcap clusters are common, usually found growing on dead wood such as this mossy log in Himley Plantation.

Perhaps the most common view of a pheasant, retreating as fast as its little legs will carry it. This was a male, more brightly coloured than the female.

A common autumn fungus, birch boletes have a rich dark brown coloured cap with pores rather than gills on the underside, and lines of scales on the stem. Grow, as the name implies, in association with birch trees.

Wary heron which had chosen a fishing position right by the main path through the Doxey Marshes. I was still some distance away when it decided to move to a quieter spot.

Wood mushroom (Agaricus silvicola), a common autumn fungus of woodland (doh) in autumn. This one was growing at the edge of the patch of birches behind Wightwick Mill Lock.

Touch of autumn frost on two different years’ seed heads of bullrushes growing in the increasingly vegetation-bound pool in Compton Park.