A few weeks ago we had a fungi walk in the wood, led by two of the Warwickshire Fungi Group’s experts, Dave Champion and Fran Verenciano, and accompanied by other members of the group and members of the public.

There was plenty to be found, although probably not as much as the previous year due to the very dry summer. It looked like some mushrooms/toadstools were waiting for a good soaking before making an appearance.

In general use, the word “mushroom” usually refers to the familiar type of fungi that have a cap and stem, and “toadstool” to poisonous “mushrooms”. But both terms are quite vague (e.g. how poisonous is poisonous?) and have no scientific meaning, and I don’t think that fungi aficionados use either word – except perhaps for those (mushrooms) you buy in the supermarket.

One of the more interesting finds of the walk was the delightfully named “ear-pick” fungus, that grows on conifer cones.

I can’t imagine why anyone would want to stick that in their ear!

We intend to have a conducted nature walk in the spring, to take in and identify sights and sounds in the wood, and hopefully enjoy the bluebells! More on this later.