Wolves Wild

This is a largish mushroom, fairly common near birch trees in the autumn.

The web of this small spider was breaking the morning sunlight down into the colours of the rainbow as it moved in a morning breeze.

This is some species of boletus, but I’m not sure which.

As autumn approaches, fruits and berries begin to ripen, like these rosehips.

Boletes are a group of species of mushroom which have approximately a classic toadstool shape, but the spore-dispensing bodies under the cap are pores rather than gills.

The specimen above shows the pores to the extent they can be seen without picking the fungus,

Side view of another fruiting body, somewhat nibbled at the sides. Again this is about as much of the underside of the cap as can be seen without picking. The front rim of the top of the cap is showing the beginning of the cracking process which gives this species its name.

Finally, below, view from above of yet another fruiting body, this one forming the landing platform for a fly.

All the mushrooms pictured here were part of a scatter of perhaps 60 to 80 which were standing along a grassy verge. Others had been kicked over as often happens to noticeable toadstools. Had these been undisturbed there would probably have been over a hundred altogether. It is quite possible that all of these fruiting bodies come from a single underground fungus.

Squirrels have already had all the nuts from this hazel, and already in August the catkins which will flower early next year are beginning to form.

This mushroom was growing on the mulch in a border right by the underpass leading under the ring road to the Molyneux.

These haws seemed to have ripened completely in the last week of August.

This bird seems to be pretty much a resident on one of the islands in West Park.

This large bracket fungus probably killed the tree which formed its host.

This cross spider has just wrapped the fly it has caught in silk and killed it.

Now it is eating.

This web was standing out against the hawthorn hedge it was woven on by the remnants of the overnight rain clinging to it.