the first False Deathcap of the season

the heavy rainfall of last week brought it's rewards....

False Deathcap Amanita citrina

had to get close up on this wonderfully smooth and shiny stem and ring-smelt this before I stumbled across it.Highly poisonous of course...

Grey Spotted Amanita Amanita excelsa

aerial view of the False Deathcap

Stout Agaric Amanita spissa

Tawny Grisette Amanita fulva

Dryads Saddle Polyporus squamosus, already being devoured by insects

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa-this slime mould really was quite beautiful-the clusters of rosettes reminded me of frost

am assuming this is also a slime mould-no idea what at present though.It reminds me of the liquorice sweets in a bag of Allsorts that I am not too fond of

minute green beetles happily ensconced on a bracket





seemingly random I know-but they were too beautiful not to include

'the wood is decked in light green leaf'

Cow Parsley loved up by bugs

aged Oak apples

Malachite beetle (characterised by its red rear)

like a tightly wrapped parcel this fern frond is waiting to unfurl

in my (now common) naivity I thought a thistle was a thistle until I opened a book-am thinking it probably isn't a thistle at all.Another watch this space I'm afraid.

no idea what this bug with it's smaller companion in tow is. I did sit and watch it for an inordinately long time to see if anything interesting would happen when the smaller one crawled all over the other -but it remained static and I eventually got cramp in my hand through watching it magnified through my camera lens ...

ah-now I think this is Marsh Thistle

Common Spotted-orchid,'spotted' by an eagle-eyed mother so I can't take the credit

nothing to do with the woods of course,but in someones back garden along a quiet country lane.Why would anyone keep a llama? It made a good job of staring us down until we moved on..like goats they apparantly eat any old rubbish.