Last of the Ceps

 

It's not been an awful year for mushrooms, though nor has it been a particularly good one - around my roams at least. That said, some of my usual choices have been better than others. Ceps (boletus edulis) have been patchy, requiring careful and sustained searching to acquire, whereas Hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum) have been commonplace and easy to acquire, and Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) very rare indeed, only appearing in limited numbers after rain. Still, I'm not complaining, there have been worse years. I've enjoyed mushrooms for lunch every day bar one for 6 weeks, and count my blessings. I think this little fellow may represent the last of the Ceps; it's the only one I've seen in a couple of days now. I'll leave him be. Hail and farewell 'till next year.

Oysters

It doesn't matter what the season, nor where you go in the forest, after the rain you'll commonly find Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), mostly on the trunks of fallen beeches. 

Oysters

 

As if they've just been waiting to burst out with the first signs of significant rain, which of course they have, young Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) explode in to life. Fungus is crazy Shit, man, older than the hills, they've seen out epochs and the inhabitants there of, their mycelium networks stretching over miles as well as time, they're the grid into which our woodlands are intrinsically connected. I'm hoping for a grand mushroom season, the signs are looking good. Or are they? We've been tricked before, eh.

Oysters

Nice find.  An extensive spread of fresh young button Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) clumps on a fallen beech in Mark Ash Wood. The rains have really brought the forests' fungi to life. I've now seen Oyster, Summer Cep, Chanterelle, a variety of Russula and Puffball, and plenty of others whose identities are unknown to me. The forest continues to riff on that autumn vibe. 

Natures larder

These uncertain times have brought the fragility of the mechanisms which support and sustain us into sharp focus. It's said that we're only nine meals from anarchy, and I think that'd be a fair assumption. Hyperbole? Maybe. Although the fabric of society is already worn thin, with derision and division common as the façade of civility slips. There are several scenarios I can envisage where a knowledge of wild food resources and where to acquire them becomes invaluable. That in mind, I try as often as possible I to utilize wild food resources when they present themselves; not only do they make a welcome addition to the pot, engaging the foraging muscle also helps to keep it sharp. Today's find, a tidy clump of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus); a common fungi found throughout the year on deciduous trees (in my experience, beech), especially after rains when you'll regularly find sprawling assemblages of them; a good edible, and one that's difficult to misidentify (never collect any wild food you're not 100% with). Until relatively recently an understanding of natures larder would have been commonplace, learnt in childhood and utilized through life, as had their ancestors into the mists of time, a lineage unbroken; not so much now though.

Dry Spy

The woodland and woodland fringe fungal communities of Red Rise appear to have faired far better than their more exposed community neighbours on the open heathland and lawn of Spy Holms. It's by no means been a bumper mushroom season in the forest, though some woodland inhabitants like Chicken of the Woods, Beefsteak and Oysters have been well represented, the Boletes were respectable and there are plenty of Hedgehog mushrooms too (as have loads of other mushrooms/fungi).  It's a very different story on the adjacent exposed open lawn and heath. Usually covered in a really diverse community, this year...nought!  Or near nought. I've seen two Parasols, when commonly it would dozens, no Wax Caps, no Puffballs, no Liberty Caps, and very little beyond. Where normally you'd have to look where you're stepping, you can look but there's nothing to see, it's barren.  Drier autumns don't do mushrooms any service, I hope they don't become too frequent.

A hint of rain

A hint of rain and the Oysters are out. Well, probably out yesterday, they're still good, although are taking on a rubbery aspect with their rims drying and are not going to make the pot.  The forest felt fresh again today, still summer, sure, though autumn stalks the stands and you feel its reach extending.