David

A family of moorhens were happily feeding on the towpath side of the canal opposite the Wildside Activity Centre.

The two parents were there, together with two well-grown chicks. But this was the only bird which wasn’t facing directly away from me.

Puffballs and earthballs are both rounded fungi which can be mistaken for small stones at first glance.

Earthballs have a rougher surface, sometimes looking warty.

The first two pictures here are of the same set of puffballs, seen from different angles. The earthballs were just a few feet along from them.

Heather just coming into flower in one of the heathy areas of Sutton Park.

A wider view of this landscape. The line of trees masks the railway line which cuts across the park.

Scarletina bolete, a mushroom with a cap with an upper surface that looks almost velvety. This one was the best of several which were growing on the grassy area in front of the Finchfield shops.

The flesh exposed when a kicked-over one was cut turned blue almost immediately.

Damsons, almost ripe enough to eat.

Entrance to a badger’s sett, in a sandy bank in a quiet country lane by Forestry Commission land. Setts normally have several entrances, usually better camouflaged by vegetation than this one.

The trail of sand below the entrance is characteristic.