Seventeen members, led by Ken Thomas, met at The Red Lion in Upper Basildon and, after a visit to a very beautiful and interesting modern church, walked through suburban and country lanes past Blandy’s Farm and through Harley Hill Wood down to Hood End Farm, then up the lane and around Rushdown and back to the pub for lunch.
Twenty-three species of plants were found in bloom, just about all of them in the first half of the walk and none of them unexpected. The walk starred fungi, over fifty different species were noted, a surprisingly good number bearing in mind that very little of the walk was through woodland. Some courageous members collected Blewits, Agaricus augustus and Tawny Funnel Cap to eat (and very good they were!). Very few birds were spotted, perhaps not surprising on a dull, very windy morning. The walk was, nevertheless, very enjoyable.
PLANTS IN FLOWER
Giant Hogweed
Goatsbeard
Dandelion
Hawkweed
Sowthistle
White Deadnetle
Creeping Buttercup
Groundsel
Daisies
Yarrow
Wild Carrot
Greater Periwinkle
Nipplewort
Spurge sp.
Feverfew
Herb Robert
Ragwort
Red Clover
Flowering Tall Oatgrass
White Campion
Common Scabious
Mayweed
Ivy
FUNGI
Agaricus augustus
Agaricus placomyces
Agaricus sp.
Clouded Agaric
Armilaria mellea
Bonnet Mycena
Brown Roll Rim
Buttercap
Candle-snuff Fungus
Clytocybe geotropa
Colybia dryophila
Cortinarius calochrous
Cortinarius sp.
Crepidotus variabilis
Entoloma nidosorum
Fairy Ring Champignon
False Chanterelle
Galerina sp.
Giant Puffball
Glistening Inkcap
Gymnopilus penetrans
Hebeloma sp.
Inocybe sp.
Lepiota cristata
Lepiota sp.
Lycoperdon perlatum
Lyophyllum loricatum
Marasmus wynnei
Melanaleuca arctuata
Mycena flavo-alba
Mycena galopus
Mycena leptosphala
Mycena pura
Mycena sp.
Psathyrella conopilus
Psathyrella sp.
Red-cracked Boletus
Shaggy Inkcap
Shaggy Parasol
Spotted Tough-shank
Stropharia caerulea
Stropharia semiglobata
Sulphur Tuft
Tawny Funnel Cap
Tricholoma suphureum
Wood Blewitt
Woolly Milkcap
Hypoxylon fragiforme
Schizopora paradoxa
Xylaria fuscum
Xylaria nummularium
(Article by Chris Bucke, photos by Ricki Bull)