Last Saturday morning some friends and I descended upon a mist-bathed Westonbirt Arboretum, along with other keen weekend woodlanders. It seemed like the perfect time to visit: just now the Autumn leaves are in their prime, bright and vivid and crisp.
As it turned out the trees weren’t the main attraction for my camera lens; instead it was the multitude of fungi growing hither and thither in the Old Arboretum. Such a dank year as we’ve had seems to have helped them thrive. If I was better educated in the mushroom sector I would have labelled these pics below with the correct species names. If any of you know them, and can enlighten me, please do. In the meantime, I’ve given them my own monikers…
Fairy’s Tale
Flatheads
Goldenroot
Hundreds and Thousands
Naughty Boy
Fanny Craddock
But undoubtedly the strangest looking thing I saw that day was this peculiar specimen below. After I’d cowered for a couple of minutes pleading for mercy and begging it not take over our planet, I realised it was quite inanimate and is, in fact, the seed pod of a magnolia tree. Who knew?!
Resistance is futile
Take me to your leader
Harrison Chase eat your heart out…
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