Burley Old

Timeless Burley Old.

End of the road

Ah, a common feature of the wet season forest is the bridge or raised track which ends in an expanse of impassable mud. Today it's the bridge over Red Rise Brook. Honestly, it's such a frequent occurrence that you'd think it was intentional; extend it a few meters more and it would have reached the higher firmer ground. Still, it makes for hilarity as you try reach dry ground via a network of semi submerged sticks and branches.

Autumn's end

Bye bye Autumn, my old friend.

Now leaves are coming to end.

They gave us shade, they gave us dappled light.

Though winter's touch has seen them all take flight.

This is the end...

of Autumn. 

 

Hardcore

Make room for the mushrooms. So soft, so fragile and mostly water, that this Shaggy Ink Cap (Coprinus comatus) has been able to force it's way into the light through an imperceivable crack between the tarmacked pavement and a brick wall is quite amazing.

Hedgehogs

Currently all over the forest, wherever we walk, we see Hedgehog mushrooms (Hydnum repandum). It's quiet late in the season for them, they're usually spent by this time of the year, gone over and too often beyond use. Not this year. Maybe it's the rains coming late, or the lack of significant frost as yet. The hows and whys don't matter though, there's good eating to be had in this tasty and easy to identify mushroom.

Mark Ash

Around the forest the autumn tints are developing beautifully, Mark Ash today was absolutely magical. 

Sky

Today the sky had a lovely Rodney Matthews-esque appearance to it.

November Moon

November Moon

High light

The sun was low in the sky, and the denser areas of the common were already beyond it's reach by the time Geoff and I went for our afternoon walk. The woodland was already dark and quiet, with the cold quickly rising up through the stands, you could feel it clinging to any exposed skin. Though high in the tall Scots Pines the last rays of the sun still clipped the canopies, illuminating them, the contrast was striking.

A rhapsody to moisture

At the moment the forest is a rhapsody to moisture being performed against a backdrop of autumnal hues. It's magical, if not sodden and obstacle strewn, walking, with a glorious feel to it, as if something deep and ethereal is afoot. I could best describe the atmosphere as like wandering through a fairytale, expecting at any moment someone or something to hurry through the stands and the adventure begin. Maybe it was mythagos or something, there was certainly magic about...and, wet, lots of wet.

Lady's Mantle in the morning

I woke early this morning, before the sun had properly risen, outside I could faintly see stars as they slowly vanished into the creeping blue. I could also see that Jack had been busy, as over the rooftops and gardens there was a dusting of frost, the first proper one I'd seen this autumn too. Proper as it was, by the time I'd had my coffee and got together to go out, it had all melted...obviously not as hard a frost as I'd imagined. Still, it did leave the Lady's Mantle and other herbs beautifully bejewelled.  Which is always nice.

Yellow Brain fungus

Yellow Brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) bursting out from one of the charred gorse bush remains which litter the slope of Rock Hills.  They're a very common fungus on dead wood throughout the forest, with their bright colour making them easy to spot in the dulling autumn heathland.

Clayhill Bottom

When you think of a forest, you think of trees, and of course there are plenty of trees in the New Forest, although I'd imagine that many visitors are surprised find that nearly half of the 'forest' is open grassland and open wet and dry heathland. The New Forest heathland is but a minor remnant of a extensive regional heathland which once spanned areas of Dorset and Hampshire, other pockets of which remain scattered across the two counties. I've said it before, the forest may look natural, though it exists as a direct result of clearance to facilitate ancient farming practice and is anything but a natural phenomena. Heathland would quickly disappear without vigorous management, you can see how rapidly birch and conifers colonize when left to their own devices. A grand landscape to roam at any time of the year, although in my opinion, it's barren beauty is best appreciated through the stark winter months. 

Solstice card pencilled

A positive aspect of our current wet weather (and early sunsets) is that by cutting my opportunities for procrastination it has encouraged me to get on and do some drawing. As a consequence I've finished the initial pencilling for this years Winter Solstice card.

Nearly

The colour changes in the forest are accelerating, out on the heath the bracken and heather are russet hued, whilst amongst the stands every shade of orange is represented. The colour change is particularly evident when a deciduous tree finds it's home amongst it's coniferous brethren. I love autumn's contrasting colours, nature's glorious last hurrah after a job well done. It's always difficult to predict whether or not the stands will achieve their potential magnificence colour-wise, that perfect splendour, there are finely balanced factors at play, sunlight, temperature and moisture all affect the breakdown of chlorophyll. Or how long the show will last, the wind has been wreaking havoc through the stands of late, branches down wherever you roam and a general hollowing the canopies throughout. Time will tell. Still, in the meantime the forest gorgeous anyway.

Tenacious tree

Trees teach us many things, such as, to stay grounded, to be patient, to keep growing and to weather life's storms. With reference to the last point, the forest is full of tenacious trees, ones that although mortally wounded, heroically stand firm against the relentless elements, some even appear to stand in defiance of logic and physics. Take this gnarled Beech who still reaches upwards and whose canopy still thrives, though doing so with only a tiny fraction of it's trunk remaining. Isn't nature wonderful.

Warwickslade Cutting

Today the forest looked like this.