Category: David

Common inkcap mushrooms growing in the hollow in the middle of a tree stump, as well as among the roots.

The remains of the upstanding trunk of a dead tree in Himley Plantation. A close-up at about eye level shows the wood where the bark has fallen away marked by depressions, the ends of excavations made by bees or other burrowing insects.

Tiny spider which seemed to be hovering unsupported in mid-air. The threads of the web it was hanging from were little easier to see by my naked eye than in these pictures.

Four of the other species growing in the Castle Grounds on the day of my visit. While many fungi come in variations of the standard mushroom or toadstool shape, others such as the coral fungus and stemmed puffball featured here don’t.

Collared earthstars, probably the commonest species among this alien-looking group of fungi. Can sometimes be found right through the winter.

Magpie inkcaps, striking mushrooms, and the ones I actually went to revisit.