Julia Cooper and Ian Duddle led a circular walk round Sulham Woods on Wednesday 20th November. It was a cold grey morning with a warning of heavy rain on the way. After the first frost of winter, the leaves on the trees were showing autumn colours close to their best. The walk started from the car park at the top of Sulham Hill and headed southwards across the fields, passing 3 very different dew ponds. The first was surrounded by big oak trees and had a collection of plants still in flower around the water margin, including Black Nightshade, Redshank and Marsh Cudweed. The second was next to the remains of Sadler’s Farm and was overgrown by dense willows. The third was out in the open field, without encroaching vegetation.
The route then dropped steeply down through the woods, with oaks dominant at the top and ash at the bottom, before emerging in the grassy field below, where there were distant views across the Kennet valley to the Hampshire Downs on the horizon. Traveller’s-joy and Wild Basil in the field margin indicated that the underlying geology had changed from the Reading Beds of the woods to the Chalk below. Returning to the woods, the path continued through the strip of deciduous woodland which surrounds the conifer plantations of the interior. A collection of small greenish apples on the ground prompted a search in the canopy for the apple tree. Further on, another apple tree had dropped copious numbers of smaller red apples. Nearby was a plant of Butcher’s-broom, with a few bright red berries. There were many different fungi in amongst the leaf litter, including a very photogenic Magpie Fungus.
The route then crossed Sulham Lane near the bottom of the hill and continued into the northern section of Sulham Woods. The leaves on the Beech trees along the western boundary showed glorious autumn colours. A heavy rain band passed through during this section of the walk, but the trees provided a lot of protection against the worst of the weather. Looking down, the beautiful gold and red colours of Wild Service-tree leaves prompted another search through the canopy for the parent trees, and several different clumps of trees were located. Then chunky orange-red berries and pale-backed leaves betrayed the presence of Whitebeam trees. There were many fungi in the woods, including a big ring of the Hedgehog Fungus Hydnum repandum. Instead of gills, it had spines on the underside and its white stem bruised yellow near the base. There was also a grey twisted fungus at the base of a Beech tree which was tentatively identified as Black Helvella. There were occasional glimpses through the trees of the view across the Pang Valley.
The walk continued round the northern end of the woods, with new views across the Thames Valley. The deep call of a Raven somewhere overhead was heard. At the edge of the woods were several big flat Parasol Mushrooms. The path lead out into the fields, then along a hedge which had Spindle bushes with many pink berries. The final section of the walk was through Vicarage Copse. There were a few magnificent Fly Agarics and a branch covered with Jelly Ear fungus. Patches of blue began to appear in the sky as some of the group continued to the Greyhound in Sulham for lunch.
Pictures by Rob Stallard and Laurie Haseler