Autumn on Duddon Moss

 The Duddon Mosses have been well visited this year as a local escape into nature from Covid19 and for that reason the bracken has not overwhelmed the paths.  Now all is quiet as people walk elsewhere and only the birds were in residence as we walked the paths and boardwalk.

One of the joys of this time of year are the variety of fungi

such as these common earthballs nestling in the grass.  I love this passage in my old (1978) Observer's Book of Mushrooms and Toadstools .  "This fungus is unwholesome and should not be eaten; nevertheless as it somewhat resembles the truffle (in looks, not taste) it is sometimes used by unscrupulous restaurants in conjunction with the real thing" and then it finishes off with the zinger "but this happens mainly on the Continent as Truffles are little used in this country" . What were we eating in 1978 that may be thought of as continental?   Woman and Home tells me it was cheese fondue and quiche lorraine.  Heady days.

My fungi knowledge is scant but nevertheless I can admire their shapes, sizes and colours. This hat shape I think is a type of Cavalier

And a perfect round

From a distance this looked like a potato lying by the path.  I think it might be a Parasitic Bolete (Boletus parasiticus) and is parasitic on Earthballs (seen in the first photo) although it is now conjectured that they simply consume dying earthballs.  If my observation is correct it is an uncommon find.

Not looking in the best of health.

So lots of fungi but one I did not see was the instantly recognisable Fly Algaric which is very strange as usually there are a lot of them here. 2018 was an especially fruitful year as can be seen in my post at the time here

Leaving behind the paths we wandered across the boardwalk to admire

the Bog Asphodel whose other name is the Lancashire Asphodel and Lancashire is what this part of the country used to be until governmental edict turned it into Cumbria. The plant is in fruit

and they give wonderful colour to the green moss.  As we took the path to leave through the

wood a Speckled Wood butterfly flew past to gently land and open its wings to take in the warmth of the sun

and a young oak glowed with autumn colour.
 

 

 

 

 

ABC Wednesday - Oak

An ancient oak, with an opening, or perhaps a gate. In Celtic mythology the oak is the tree of doors, the gateway between worlds, a portal.  Its strength and longevity making it a thing of myth. I wonder how old this tree is? There are ways of measuring their girth and estimating their age, but because it is hollow and has gnarled roots, these are signs that it may be hundreds of years old.

Oak avenue in Levens Park, originally a mile long carriage drive to Levens Hall (famous for its topiary gardens dating back to 1694).  It is now a popular stroll by the River Kent, some of the older trees are further on, these look in rude health.There are some wonderful trees in the park, it is a walk for all seasons.

But here is an oak tree just starting out in life and festooned in oak flowers. The wind will spread the pollen, a sunny warm and breezy spring, which we are having at the moment, means that there will be many acorns in the autumn. A wet spring washes the pollen into the ground and then the flowers do not catch the pollen they need to swell into acorns.  The main oak here in the north is the sessile (Quercus petraea), it is smaller and has a narrower crown than the large southern English oak (Quercus robur). One way to tell them apart is the English oak acorns have stalks, whereas the sessile do not and sit directly on the twig.

At this point I was going to show the acorns, however my memory had played tricks on me , the photo I was thinking of was actually of hazels, a tastier, and safer, option, also by coincidence my Celtic tree birth sign. The hazel is the knower, obviously not in this instance. If you are born between 10th June and 7th July then the oak, the stabiliser, is your sign, strong but gentle.

Over at ABC Wednesday there are lots more words starting with the letter O