Wolves Wild

Lower end of the Barley Field in mid-November. Most of the deciduous trees bordering the Railway Walk and the more distant Tettenhall ridge had already lost their leaves.

More magpie inkcaps in the castle grounds at Bridgnorth. These had probably only come up earlier that morning, so only a little of the white veil has been lost to reveal the darker cap beneath.

These (an other magpie inkcaps featured today) were pictured after the first hard frost of the month. They may not have lasted much longer.

The inkcap group of mushroom species get their name from their caps which deliquesce as they have shed their spores. From the rim inwards they turn into a black mushy-looking mass which then disappears. The deliquescing black mass from one of the larger and more common inkcap species was the main ingredient in one recipe for making ink in centuries gone by.

This is the last remant of a magpie inkcap with deliquescence almost complete, and another in a similar state peeping out behind.

Magpie inkcaps, a striking mushroom species, with remnants of a protective veil forming irregular white patches over the grey or black fibrous surface of the cap.

Most field guides describe this species as preferring beech woods on chalky soil, an environment not found in the west midlands. These mushrooms, and others which will feature in the next two posts, are the first magpie inkcaps I’ve ever seen. They were growing under an oak tree in the park in Bridgnorth castle grounds – perhaps brought in on the wood mulch which had been spread thickly there.

Blue mould growing on a small mushroom. The first picture was taken early on a frosty morning, the other a few days previously when the weather was warmer.

Frost on the ends of the leaves of mounds of moss growing on garden walls, rapidly melting just minutes after the sun rose.

The Prince is an uncommon mushroom which grows in association with deciduous or coniferous trees. These were growing under a small stand including the yew which was the source of the berries scattered over the ground.

Frosting on a clump of purple heather growing right next to the white variety featured yesterday.

Snakeskin grisettes are members of a group of gilled mushrooms which have grooves on the rims of the caps echoing the gills below.

The “snakeskin” is patches of fleecy, easily removable grey remains of a volva scattered over the cap, not present in tawny grisettes, orange grisettes or plain old grisettes.

Frost on the end of some of the leaves of a white heather after the cold night at the end of last month.

A couple of cold nights towards the end of last month gave the first frosts of the winter, and vegetation decorated with rime.

I went out very soon after dawn, but the ice had already melted showing which parts of these bramble leaves were catching the early sunlight and which still in shadow.

Birch polypores are a common bracket fungus on birch trees. They are also known as the razor strop fungus: one of their uses was for sharpening cut-throat razors.

These were high on the tree, so the views are of the underside of the fungus, the pores through which the spores are released.