David

Shaggy scalycap mushrooms by the base of two of the trees in Bantock Park. The mushrooms appear in the autumn. They are the fruiting bodies of one of the species of fungus causing white rot in trees.

Carrion crow sitting on a branch emerging from West Park lake, getting ready to preen. Something disturbs it, so it takes off. It’s heading almost in my direction. Lands in the bare branches of a tree overhead. Pause for breath. Then it starts preening in earnest.

Tightly clustered group of puffballs pushing their way through the tarmac at the edge of the entrance road to Bantock Park. Possibly the pestle puffball (Handkea excipuliformis).

Canada goose standing in another of the many puddles left around West Park after this autumn’s persistent heavy rain, contorting its neck at it preens under its wing.

Clouded agaric mushrooms growing from under leaf litter, these from several different locations. Best avoided by the fungi foragers: they cause severe and unpleasant gastric upsets in roughly one in five people.

Purple of ripe beautyberries seen against the yellows of leaves which were still managing to cling on to their trees. Autumn colour in West Park.