Category: David

One of the West Park squirrels pausing to scratch its flank with its back leg before it carries on searching through the short grass, possibly looking for some food it had buried.

Moss growing thickly on one of the fallen trunks in Himley Plantation. Rising above the rest of the plant are the stalks topped by capsules containing the spores, looking like a miniature forest.

Earth stars — exotic-looking fungi. These are collared earth stars, the commonest species. They were growing through the mulch in one of the flower beds in the Castle Grounds park in Bridgnorth.

A single feather by one of the Severnside footpaths at Bridgnorth, wet after recent heavy rain.

Cellar cup fungi grow in a variety of places, usually where it is damp. In cellars, of course. But also in mortar, in the gaps between paving stones, on rotting sandbags, on vegetation or on manure. These were on one of the fallen tree trunks in Himley Plantation.

Fly agaric mushrooms, bright red caps with white warts, are usually easy to find growing near birch trees in late autumn. I’ve been on the look out in lots of places they usually pop up round here, and no sign this year.

The only exeption was this lone toadstool growing in an area of short grass (with birch trees) by the Wombourne bypass.

The heavy rains have washed the bright red of the cap to a glossy tan colour and removed most of the white spots. Something has found the cap a tasty treat, removing chunks which give a view of the gills.