It started with a King Alfred’s Cake; small and unassuming and found completely by accident. Amazing what you can find when picking up other people’s rubbish! Before long it was Dead Man’s Fingers and even his foot. When I came across a Jelly Ear I thought I might end up finding a whole body!
Before long, going for a walk turned into a mission to find as many different guises, shapes and colours as possible; Oak Brackets, Veiled Polypors and Beefsteaks, sitting proud and in the open for all to see. At the opposite end of the scale was the Splash-cup Birds Nest, no bigger than the nail of a child’s thumb, with its tiny ‘egg’.
Those named after animals and birds abound – Hare’s Ear, Turkey Tail, Hen and Chicken of the Wood and watch out for the Tiger’s Eye! Don’t speak too loudly though, or you may be overheard by the Wood Ear…
You might want to relax with a White Cheese Polypore and sup from a Wine Glass. Some have names that hint at a centuries-old collaboration with man; Tinder and Charcoal Burner, as they can be carried while holding a flame. Others warn you to stay well away – the Death Cap and Sickner speak for themselves…
These are just a few of the fungi that inhabit South Wood.
