Parasols

There doesn’t seem to have been that many Parasol Mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) about this season, they're usually a common sight amongst the heather of Spy Holms.

Spy Holms Barrow

 

The forest is peppered with prehistoric Bronze Age barrows, 200 or so, cremation depositories for the elite class of the communities that shaped the open heath of the forest we see today. Many have been badly degraded by time, the elements and subsequent activities of man and beast, their height slighted, now their ditched filled; once though they'd have stood proud, socially important markers in the prehistoric landscape.

Mane attraction

With a mane whose colours mirrored that of the foals' autumnal surroundings, surely the winner of this seasons coolest coloured mane goes to this beauty. That said, this years' foals have been a particularly handsome cohort all round.

Mosaic puffball

The forests' fungi realm is stirring, and with fresh rain comes fresh growth. On Spy Holms Mosaic Puffballs (Lycoperdon utriforme) are popping up all over, the sandy soils and rough grass are ideal for them.

Autumn lady’s tresses

 

Autumn lady’s tresses (Spiranthes spiralis), the last of our native orchids to appear, are coming up all over Spy Holms at the moment. Quite the diminutive orchid they're easily overlooked if you're not paying attention, attractive though, comprising dainty little white flowers with greeny yellow bracts growing spirally around a single stem. They favour rough grassland and heath, though are more commonly found on calcareous soils they will tolerate lightly acidic soils, and Spy Holms usually puts on a good display of them.

Rowan berries and the moon

 

Rowan berries and the moon

Wild Stallions

 

Two stallion foals playing, one clearly trying to dominate the other; already hierarchies are being established or at least the process learnt. Although she often looks lost in chaotic abandon, mother nature is highly structured and hierarchical; a time, a place and a season ascribed to every species of flora and fauna, and to every activity. The wheel turns with purpose. The natural world is the epitome of order.

Stampede

Not my best photo, though in my defence the stampeding ponies came out of nowhere; they converged on a ford through Red Rise Brook from three different directions, and moved with purpose up through the shade towards Spy Holms. 

Haws

 

It is a real bumper year for Haws, the forests' Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna) are putting on quite the show. If you'd ever considered collecting haws for making jams and jellies or maybe for their medicinal qualities making syrups, teas and tinctures then this would appear to be a good year. I think I may have made Haw wine once? You can eat the fleshy ones straight off the bough too, though try and spit the seeds out, they're a bit cyanide-y. That aside the berries are bloody good for you.

Purple reign

 

Every year heather's purple reign is accompanied by the buzzing sounds of enthusiastic activity; heather (Calluna vulgarisis) is very popular with the pollinators, honey Bees (Apis mellifera) particularly love it and you'll often see classic wooden bee hives tucked amongst the gorse thickets to take advantage of natures bounty.

Autumn Lady’s Tresses

Spy Holms is covered in Autumn Lady’s Tresses orchid (Spiranthes spiralis); it's been a bumper season for these delicate beauties, so much so you have to mindful of your steps.   

First proper frost

The wheel's turned and autumn's given way to winter, and winter's leaned into it's duties with relish; this morning saw the first proper frost of the year, and Jack's dusting endured throughout the day.

Heads up

Depending on who's teaching, there are either 5 or 7 S's of successful camouflage and concealment, our friend the deer here broke 3 of them; with a sudden movement she caught my eye, the shape and colour pattern of her head were incongruous with the surrounding heather and coupled with the silhouette she created popping her head above the flora she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Out of time

 

Out on Spy Holms the Parasol Mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) are coming up all over; their usual season is July to September, fresh specimens at this quantity shouldn't be about this late on in the year.  Yeah, you've always seen the odd one outside their recognised window, but this year there are dozens. I've noticed that the season has been experiencing creep over the last few years, though this is unusual. Things aren't right in the natural world are they, if you can't see it, and the evidence is there, then you must definitely be able feel it; the signs that the seasons are all askew can not be denied. However you want to frame it doesn't matter, the climate is changing; that is irrefutable. The only pertinent question is, what are we going to do about it? We're running out of time, and I've yet to see a convincing, cogent, inclusive or detailed road map for humanities future.

Galloping

 

We were just breaking Red Rise Shade and after chilling by the brook I was lost in thought, when out of nowhere about a dozen galloping ponies passed within a few meters of us, followed by handful more, then shortly after a further two small groups and finally a two pony rear guard*.  They charged through the stands into the open gorse pocked heath and up towards the sunken trackway on Rock Hills and on to Spy Holms without pausing or deviation from purpose. Geoff was all of a dither, he didn't know what to make of it or do, I'll admit to feeling similarly; their sudden appearance so close, and my concerns for Geoff's safety was quite the adrenaline rush; as they vanished into the distance I felt as if I'd absorbed some of their energy as they'd passed. Clearly my fight or flight response had been triggered; moments like this and your instinctive reactions to them reminds you you're a human animal. A few minutes later upon reaching Spy Holms ourselves we found the ponies now tranquilly grazing without a care in the world.

*I noted that 'tail end Charlie' was a stallion, just an observation

Parasols

All over Spy Holms at the moment Parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) are appearing amongst the heather.

Mornin'

 Mornin' m'deer.  

Spy Holms

Wow! A sight I don't remember seeing before, well, at least, nowhere, nowhere near to this extent. All the open grass areas of Spy Holms were completely swathed in a glistening, gently rippling sea of gossamer this afternoon. Quite the magical sight. Why? How? For that matter, how many bloody spiders did it take?

Minotaur beetle

A male Minotaur beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus), cool spot.

Spy Holms barrow

There are four Bronze Age barrows (two loose pairs) on Spy Holms, roughly dating from around 2000 to 1500 BC, of which the barrow in the photo would've been the biggest. Although centuries of forestry have no doubt destroyed many, there are still 2000 or so Bronze Age barrows surviving on the New Forest's heaths.  We have the builders of these barrows, and their Neolithic forebears, to thank for the landscape we see today. It was they who originally cleared the land for farming, only to find the soils too poor to sustain agriculture, though perfect for the development of heathland. It's difficult to identify which type of barrow it originally was, thousands of years of the elements and wildlife have somewhat slighted what must have been a substantial and important burial mound, though I'd suggest it was a bowl barrow.