Category: David

Destroying angels are a mushroom which live up to their name. Beautiful to look at, but deadly to eat. Also possible to confuse them with perfectly edible species: these were almost pure white, but they are often browner. Then they look a little like the field mushroom (the wild version of the common or garden supermarket mushroom).

Just below ground level, destroying angels have a volva, a sac that the fruiting body is growing out of.

These specimens had been imported into Northycote Farm in a batch of wood mulch. They were photographed just before they were removed for safety by farm manager Ian Nicholls – it’s his hand holding the one toadstool with a slight brown colour to the cap.

CORRECTION: identified by Lukas Large as rose-gilled grisettes

Damsons, or possibly plums, on a tree growing wild, unripely green and just beginning the series of colour changes marking ripening.

Scarlet tiger moth, just started flying for the day and clinging to a bush by the River Severn, perhaps to warm up in the morning sun. That meant it was staying still to have its picture taken, but only giving occasional glimpses of parts of the bright upper wing.

Chinese pagoda primrose growing in the new sensory garden at Northycote Farm. This garden flower is also known as the red hot poker primrose and as the orchid primrose. The plant actually does originate in China.

Bee about to land on a flag iris flower, and a hoverfly just after landing on another.

Male house sparrow, resident somewhere near the footpath along the River Severn heading downstream from Bridgnorth. First he landed on the raised earth of a molehill. Then seemed to decide that wasn’t high enough as a vantage point, and moved to perch on the back of a nearby park bench.