The Woodland Trust’s Himley Plantation is maintained to be nature-friendly, and supports a wide range of fungus species. These parasols had probably emerged the night before these pictures were taken. If left undisturbed, they could grow to be the tallest mushroom-shaped fruiting bodies which are likely to be seen around here.
Himley Plantation is between Himely and Wombourne. The South Staffordshire Railway Walk runs through the wood.
Female Carolina duck at rest on a pond. The plumage has a similar pattern, but much more muted colours than the male of this exotic species.
Flower on a decorative artichoke in the cloister garden at Hereford Cathedral, and the developing seed head of another former flower on the same plant.
Grey spotted amanita mushrooms: the spots, the remains of a veil which protects the fungus as it emerges through the soil, had been removed by rain which had also washed out some of the colour from the caps.
These were on a lawn by a main road, a place where they come up at around this time every year.
Flowers beginning to develop on an auracaria (monkey puzzle tree). This tree had branches low down, so the flowers were not far from my eye level.
Russula mushrooms on the lawn in front of a block of flats. One of the several russula species which have pinkish caps like these, some of which have their colours washed out after heavy rain.