Wolves Wild

Back in the middle of the month, the first snowdrops were just starting to flower under the trees in Bantock Park.

Another mushroom which was thriving through the period with daily overnight frosts. These – possibly rooting shanks – were growing under the hedge by the canal path at Castlecroft.

Scarlet elf cups are funig which are not just resistant to frost, they seem to positively thrive in the coldest months. These bright red fruiting bodies appear early in the new year, often growing on fallen twigs and branches. These were all near the Railway Walk, in Hawthorn Wood and by Newbridge.

Clear skies overnight had left behind a layer of frost over the vegetation, and bright sun in a cloudless sky. The frost on these teazle seed heads was picking out the hooks on the edge and the threads of spider web festooning the plants.

Bracket fungi often have long-lasting fruiting bodies, enduring for months or not longer, including through periods of frost. This flock of small brackets (species not identified) were on a felled trunk in Bantock Park.

The tassles, male catkins, of a garrya elliptica or silk tassle plant hanging down from the bush.