David

Growing on the stump of a conifer, possibly a leylandii, in a front garden, plums and custard mushrooms. They’re named for their colour, not their culinary qualities. I couldn’t bend down far enough to get the gills on the underside of the caps into view, but they are bright yellow.

With the arrival of autumn and plenty of autumn rain, the season for fungi shows at least some signs of getting going.

It’s possible that some people could confuse these with ordinary field mushrooms (ordinary supermarket mushrooms). They aren’t. More likely they’re yellow stainers, which cause gastric upsets if eaten. Always avoid eating any mushroom with flesh which turns yellow when recently exposed.

This tiny and distinctive-looking snail was nibbling busily at the edge of a leaf, giving me time to add a close-up filter when I noticed it.

Twilight on a September evening in the French Basque country. A little way out over the sea, skeins of geese passed heading south.

On rough ground overlooking the sea in the French Basque country, pampas grass was growing wild. Pictured here with the mid-morning sun directly behind.

Another bird heading south on autumn migration, pausing for a little rest and refreshment on the French Basque coast. This one’s a little ringed plover.