Wildlife from Wolverhampton and nearby
Bird footprints left in soft mud, River Avon, Stratford. After heavy rain, the river had, just, overflown its banks. As it receded, it left behind a thin band of silt, forming soft mud which was taking clear footprints. These were probably made by one of a resident pair of wagtails.
We decided that a charge of £10 per head was a bit steep to wnader round the grounds of Charlecote Park, so set off to see what was visible while walking along the road and a public footpath along the edge of the park.
As soon as we’d crossed the road bridge over the River Dene, there was a little egret fishing in the river. It carried on fishing for a few minutes, undisturbed by our presence. Then it flew off, a little way beyond the far bank. Tune in again tomorrow to find out what had disturbed it.
Tiny puffballs, fungi growing right up against the base of a tree trunk in Himley Plantation. They may be spiny puffballs (Lycoperdon echinatum).
Grey knight mushroom, another one quite common in autumn. This was growing by a hedge which ran along the side of a car park.
Tansy, flowering earlier this month on a plant growing by the footpath along the River Avon, just outside Stratford on Avon.
I never previously noticed blue roundhead (Stropharia caerulea) mushrooms before. But this autumn, they seem to be popping up all over the place. The blue colour on these was very faded, or rather literally washed out after lots of heavy rain.
Pictures taken on a return visit to a site where these mushrooms had previously been much more vivid in hue