Wolves Wild

Two of the greylag geese from the West Park flock, watching me carefully. I wasn’t sure whether the attention was because they thought I was a potential source of food, or of danger.

Charcoal burners, one of the commonest of the russula group of mushrooms, which have gills on the underside of the cap which are soft to touch. Normally found in woodland, especially beech woods. But these were on a front lawn of a block of flats.

They look like berries, but examine them more closely. The far end is always a small hole – not a sign of nibbling by some creature. The kernel, not quite visible through this hole, is a tiny cone: yews are conifers.

The fleshy cover looks tempting. So it is for some birds. Don’t try them unless you want a stomach upset.

Fly agaric, the go-to toadstool of fairy tale illustrations. This one must have emerged the previous night: the red of the cap is still bright, not washed out after rain. The white ‘warts’, remnants of a veil which protected the cap as it was forcing its way through the soil, are still intact. And the cap has not yet started to spread and flatten.

or the best chances of finding some, look where there’s birch trees around.

There haven’t been many herons visible on the lake at West Park this year, at least when I’ve been there. This one was, recently. Standing on a beach on one of the islands, a spot which catches the best of the morning sun.

A fungus which looks very like the fruiting bodies have gone through a process of carbonisation. Apart from the fanciful King Alfred’s cakes, they are also known as the coal fungus, the carbon fungus and, presumably from their supposed herbal healing powers, the cramp ball fungus.

Their fiery connections don’t end there. They’re one of the species of fungus which can be used to make tinder if anyone wants to make fire the old fashioned, hard way.

These looked to have emerged fairly recently recently emerged when I noticed them. But unless they are disturbed, they could last for years.