Rising waters

 

Change is slowly afoot around the forest. Underfoot the ground is starting to soften, standing water is becoming commonplace, and the winter born drains and rivulets are flowing well, consequently the streams are rising too, their numerous gravel crossing spots are all but gone. It's that time of year when you need to consider your routes, the forests' streams come into their own in the wet season, becoming formidable obstacles.

Parasols

The forest is a strange world at the moment, seasons collide and blend. It's been the weirdest of summer to autumn transitions, with nature appearing at odds with itself as to how to manifest. I've mentioned previously the late flush of mushrooms, and that continues with the arrival of Parasol Mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera), October is beyond their usual fruiting window, yet here they are, and growing in number daily.

Sunrise

 

Early walk over Wilverely Plain

 

Ready for drying

 

Up until a couple of years ago I'd traditionally dried mushrooms in the airing cupboard. This year I thought I'd try oven drying some, and have been very happy with the results. Simple too, cut the shrooms 5 or 6mm thick, lay them out on baking sheets, place in a 120 degree oven with the door 30mm open (in order to let steam out), check regularly over a few hours, and ta dah! The proof though will be in the eating, so time will tell.

End of the rainbow

 

End of the rainbow

I say!

I say! Spotted a couple of these chaps out on our roam this morning. I'd imagined after such an arid summer and autumn Psilocybe semilanceata would be no shows this season. The spots you'd usually associate them with do remain stubbornly bare, and these were somewhere I'd not normally expect to see them.

Morning along Avon Water

 

Morning along Avon Water.

Nice

 

After our long dry summer followed by an autumn drought, I'd wondered whether we'd have any mushroom season at all this year. The ground was, and remains, so hard that I thought we'd have needed sustained rain to have any chance. I've been pleasantly surprised by how responsive the mycelium has been to he light rains we've received so far.

Fly Agaric

Fly Agarics (Amanita muscaria) are popping up amongst the birch stands of the forest. Easy to spot from a distance through its' unmistakable post box red cap sprinkled with white crusty scales. Undoubtedly the most recognizable mushroom in the woods, it's synonymous with fairy tales, and a symbol of winter, magic, Santa and the All Father. If you asked anyone to draw a mushroom, there's a good chance it would be a likeness of a Fly Agaric.

Oh hurrah

Oh hurrah and hussar! When I went down to the woods today I was in for a pleasant surprise. The rains have worked their magic awakening the mycelium prompting them to burst forth their fruits. It's as is they know they're late and that the opportunity to fruit maybe limited, subsequently they're determined to push out as many fruiting bodies as they can. They're not out all over, but where they are out, they're out out, there are over 30 in the top photo alone. Amazing.

Notable Oak

 

I've always loved this notable oak at the edge of Old Sloden. My photo doesn’t really do it justice. It enjoys a wonderfully wild and twisted form, all flailing limbs, an antidote to the uniformity of many of the forests' trees.

Rainbow flying high

It's feeling more like autumn every day.

 

All change

Stacked timber continues to crowd the edge of many of the forestry tracks as the radical transformation of Dames Slough rolls on.  The extend of the clearance and restoration is massive, it's all change as the coniferous stands are removed bringing an older, more open landscape back to life.

Maybe

I understand that one Cep (Boletus edulis) does not make a season, or even the guarantee of one, but still, hope is kindled. Even at this late stage, come on.

Frogger

We associate them with ponds and wetlands, though it's just as common to find a Frog (Rana temporaria) amongst a woodland stand, a stack of old wood or in the corner of a field. We've seen a couple of them on the move in recent days, no doubt about preparing to over winter in some hidden damp spot.

Red Rise Brook

 

Red Rise Brook

 

Indian summer?

 

We're enjoying a lovely autumn out here in the forest, it's glorious, the light, the colours and all, maybe an Indian Summer in the making. Though I find myself conflicted. I know these conditions aren't right, it shouldn't be like this, too dry, too warm, but I also remember what being cold and wet feels like, and I'm in no hurry to be reacquainted with them.

Studand

 

May through September dogs are required to remain on their leads throughout the Studland and Godlingston national nature reserve. So this morning was our first walk here since April, and it was lovely to be back. So much change. The beach and dunes are quite a fluid environment always in flux and some cliff collapse at Redend Point were natures contribution to change, though it was the hand of man which was most noticeable. Middle Beach has been transformed, the stone filled gabbions are gone, as is the slipway, and all signs of the former parking area and café, the road down now truncated just hangs there. The only reminder that there was ever anything here are the line of slighted World War Two anti-tank obstacles in the intertidal. One thing that hasn't changed is the Type 25 pillbox on the beach below Redend Point, testament to 1940's engineering maybe, even though undertaken in a hurry and under duress. I remember the pillbox being half way up the cliff in the late 1970's, and I imagine it was once stood on the top of the head close to the nearby Fort Henry.  

Sweet Chestnuts

 

We're entering peak chestnut harvesting period and the Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) casings I'm seeing about the forest are still a bit on the small side, which doesn’t bode well for the chestnut harvest this year.

Mill Lawn morning

A proper autumnal morning greets October at Mill Lawn.