It
was a sunny, almost-warm morning but in the dappled shade of Godshill Inclosure
the temperature dropped. Beech, Silver Birch and Sweet Chestnut leaves were
yellowing and beginning to fall but the best colour was in the underlying, sunlit
bracken with fronds still green, bright yellow or a rich
brown. To the thud of Sweet Chestnut spiky fruits falling and ping of acorns we
took the cycle track to the Woodgreen road and crossed into Godshill Wood.
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| Sweet Chestnuts © Richard Coomber |
At
the first cross-path we headed northwards. Despite the ground falling to our
left we maintained height to the edge of the wood and a gate where a left turn
along the lane took us to the rim of the Castle Hill escarpment. This must be
the finest view in the area featuring Breamore House and Mill and the winding
River Avon far below where dots of cattle grazed the water-meadows and we could
just make out Mute Swans and Cormorant on the water.
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| The view from Castle Hill towards Breamore House © Richard Coomber |
The
birds today were Robin, Nuthatch, Buzzard, Raven, Jay, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits. Both
Goldcrest and Firecrest were seen, although some of the other species were only glimpsed
briefly. But it was a day for fungi. Pale
orange False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis
aurantiaca) looked odd covered in a grey-blue mould. Clusters of Fly Agaric
(Amanita muscaria) in all stages of
development and the yellow, contorted trumpets of Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) dangling from a
fallen conifer were the most eye-catching.
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| Trooping Funnel © Robert Payne |
Our
list (thanks to Duncan) also included Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrina), Bay Bolete (Boletus badius), Brown Rollrim (Paxillus
involutus), clusters of Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma
fasciculare), the pale fruitbodies of Grisette (A. vaginata) and False Deathcap (A. citrina), Trooping Funnel (Clitocybe
geotropa), Variable Oysterling (Crepidotus
variabilis/cesatii), Milkcap (Lactatius
sp.), Brittlegill (Russula sp.)
and tiny, twangy Bonnets (Mycena sp.).
Our finale was a Red Admiral seeking
sunshine on a tree trunk, a Speckled Wood 'dancing' in a patch of sunlight amongst the trees and male Brimstone. MW/SP