Eleven members met at the Blade Bone and walked through Ironmongers Copse, Withy Copse and Greyfield Wood. In some years this area has been so rich in fungi that a walk got no further but this year there were few fungi to be seen. The walk continued alongside High Wood and into Beenham village, down to Beenham church to admire the view, then back through Butler’s Farm, up to Gunnell’s Farmhouse and back along the road.
Fungi were seen; the occasional fly agaric, sulphur tufts, birch polypores, Ganoderma applanatum, various Coprinus species and Mycenas. Some brilliantly orange fungi very close to the end of the walk proved to be honey fungus and an oak tree nearby was infected with Griffola frondosa. A tiny wax cap was found – probably these will become more plentiful, and larger, as the season progresses.
The most noteworthy species seen were a hare, between Butler’s Farm and Gunnell’s Farmhouse, and fine displays of Corn Marigolds (Chrysanthemum segetum) (between Beenham Church and Beenham Stocks) and Sharp-leaved Fluellen (Kickxia elatine) in a very weed-rich field between Greyfield Wood and High Wood. One of the Fluellen plants was a metre wide. Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies were noted.
Other species were:
A Stereum species
Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)
Charlock (Sinapis arvensis)
Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis)
Corn Mint (Mentha arvensis)
Field Pansy (Viola arvensis)
Black Bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus)
Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima)
Soft Rush (Juncus effusus)
Buzzard
Red Kite
House Sparrow.
(Article by Chris Bucke, photographs by R. Bull)
