On a mild dry morning
we set out to walk the James Hill woods to Allum Green House, taking the upper
path for the outward route and returning along the lower path. These woods were
full of autumn colour consisting mainly of Beech and Oak with areas of Holly
covered in their bright red berries.
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| Our route © Ordnance Survey |
At the entrance to
the woods there were stacks of felled trees where fungi were forming. The early
November winds had blown down several lichens, the green-grey Parmelia caperata, the curled branches of
Evernia prunastri and the fine threads of Usnea subfloridana. Several old fallen Beech trees had various
species of fungi on them, but without a fungi expert we had difficulty
identifying them. There were groups of Inkcaps and Mycena fungi, together with
Turkeytail Trametes versicolor and King Alfred’s Cakes Daldinia
concentrica.
Growing beneath the trees were False Deathcap Amanita citrina, Beechwood Sickener Russula nobilis and, the deflated
ochre coloured Common Earthball Scleroderma citrinum.
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| Grey Wagtail © Chris Robinson |
Along the route we could
hear the calls of Jay, Nuthatch, and Redwing and where the woods opened out to
heathland Redwing were seen in the surrounding trees together with a few
Starlings and Woodpigeons. At this point we took the track that turns down to
Allum Green House and some cottages. To the front of the house is a green. On
the house roof a Grey Wagtail was seen, and Pied Wagtails were flitting around
together with a small flock of House Sparrows.
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| Butter Waxcap © Richard Smith |
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| Parrot Waxcap © Richard Smith |
On the green itself
we found the cup shaped fruiting bodies of the lichen Cladonia and an egg-shaped
fruiting body of a stinkhorn that had not emerged yet. On the grassy areas
Butter Waxcap Hygrocybe ceracea and Parrot
Waxcap Hygrocybe psittacina were found. Scattered under a large Oak we noticed
numerous spangle galls. These galls are caused by a tiny wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. The spangle galls detach from the
underside of the Oak leaves and fall to the ground. Then when the Oak leaves
fall the leaf litter formed protects the galls over winter. In April the wasps
emerge and lay unfertilized eggs on Oak catkins and a current gall is formed.
In June both male and female wasps emerge from the current gall, they mate, and
the female then lays fertilized eggs on the underside of Oak leaves and the
whole process starts again.
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| Spangle Galls © Richard Coomber |
After studying the
spangle galls, we walked up to the memorial bench dedicated to the 4 soldiers
killed when Allum Green house was bombed in 1940. In this area we saw several
more species of fungi. They were Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria
amethystina, Blusher Amanita rubescens and a group of cup shaped fungi called
Hare’s Ear Otidea onotica together
with Upright Coral Ramaria stricta.
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| Upright Coral © Richard Smith |
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| Pathercap © Richard Smith |
Walking on we
followed the return track through a very wet area where Wet Rot Coniophora puteana and
Phlebia rufa were visible on decaying wood. Finally turning left up to the
path leading to the car park we came across fallen wood that was stained green
from Green Elfcup Chlorociboria aeruginascens and a flock of Chaffinches feeding on
Beech mast. Other birds seen were Robin, Goldfinch, Blackbird and Wren. PP
