Out of autumn and into winter

While the woods and the hedgerows have been opened up by the leaves' fall, there has been little light around on my walks and runs in Apedale recently.  While birds have been more visible, dark skies dashed any hopes of photographing them.  Despite being overcast, November was warm for the time of year and there were still dragonflies around in the first week.

The few opportunities I have had to walk or run in Apedale recently have all been on overcast days.  I suppose it is that very same grey blanket that has kept the overall temperatures unseasonably high.  Light has been so poor that my compact camera's auto focus has thrown tantrums on occasions.  The warmth and damp conditions have been good for fungi at least.

Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)

I encountered a very fine growth of honey fungus on one long dead tree in Watermill's wood.  I don't think I have seen this fungus looking quite so pristine before.  It was growing quite high on the tree trunk and I think this accounted for the excellent state of preservation.

Turkey Tail fungus (Trametes versicolor) growing on a log in Miry Wood.

Until recently, most of the Turkey Tail fungus that I have seen has been old and shriveled.  Fresh growth is now quite plentiful on the logs lying in the clearing in Miry Wood.  There was just enough light, even to get a close up of the pores on the underneath of this fungus (below).

Left: Pores on the underside of a white variety of Turkey Tail Fungus.  Right:  What I think is a Bay Bolete (Boletus badius)

I found what I thought at first were a Ceps in Miry Arena.  They were rather past their best and the wet caps were quite slippery to the touch.  This made me think instead that perhaps they were Slippery Jacks, though they seemed a little pale.  There was no sign of any veil on the stalk,  on closer inspection, which is a feature of Slippery Jacks so I think that they were most likely Bay Boletes.

Wood Ear fungus - Watermills Wood

I found a good growth of Wood Ear Fungus, I have bought this stuff from Wing Yip's in the past, it is more or less tasteless, but prized for its texture in China. I do like it in hot and sour etc.  I left this lot where it was growing, for others to see.  This fungus is also known as Jew's Ear a corruption of Judas's ear, due to the fact that it grows on Elder, the tree Judas hung himself on, and its resemblance to an ear.

I also found more of the 'King Alfred's Cakes' that I saw last month in Burgess' Wood.  Unlike the previous lot, the softer brown type and the bone hard black were growing together here.

While on my run one Sunday, I spotted some small yellow mushrooms growing in the verge at Butters Green/Bignall End.  It was hard to get my camera to focus, but I got a reasonable 'record' shot in the end.  I am not really sure what these mushrooms are, my research suggests that they may be 'False Chanterelles.

I think this may be a  'False Chanterelle' (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca).