Just For an Hour

One of my habits when spending the day at home writing is to just pop out for an hour for a walk in the countryside, and on one such occasion, the afternoon of Thursday 15th November 2000 I decided to visit Gunton Wood (TM 541958), just to the north of Lowestoft and take in the circular walk passing the western edge of the golf course. Alexanders, Smyrnium olusatrum a common sight in Lowestoft, was inspected here and I was able to locate many leaves holding the bright orange spots of the rust fungus Puccinia smyrnii. With winters becoming milder this biennial is becoming very invasive in this area. Green alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens was in flower, which lifted the spirits, but reminded me that it should be flowering in May!

Coral spot fungi Dacrymyces stillatus prevailed on the dead wood as I continued north along the muddy path looking for other plants in flower or anything else of interest. Holly Ilex aquifolium was inspected for the leaf miner Ilex ilicis and one or two scars produced by the insect were soon found on the shiny leaves. A calling Great spotted Woodpecker was heard toward the damper part of the wood, and at the woodland edge I was pleased to see Scaly male-fern Dryopteris affinis and Hart's-tongue Fern Phyllitis scolopendrium, both growing close to each other. (TM 541963).

Passing the perimeter fence by Pleasurewood Hills I could see that the old elm stumps held the Stump Puffball Tremella foliacea. Almost all the stumps here were producing these little growths. Nearby one single flower of Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg was showing. After much slipping and sliding along the well-trodden path I came onto the golf course, where I was pleased to find a Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna in full leaf! The nearby Hawthorns were bare of leaves with a few berries showing, whereas the full-leaved tree had no berries at all.

Finally, as I reached the football pitch (TM 535985) I found the ground-dwelling fungus Lyophyllum loricatum, a medium sized fleshy agaric with a dark brown cap and dull greyish gills. This common, slimy fungus is found in clusters on grass or in open woodland. It is suprising what can be seen on even such a short walk as this, if one takes the time to look.

Colin Jacobs

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