Fungal forest

Today the dark clouds lifted and the temperature dropped. I'd agreed t drop Alex in Wansford, and hen went straight on to Old Sulehay for a morning walk in the sunshine. It was certainly bracing, but after ten minutes or so I acclimatized and enjoyed the sharp freshness of our first frosty morning. The Snowy Waxcap in the extra was almost living up to its name!

After a circuit of the quarry I headed into the wood, wondering whether I would be able to re-find the Crimped Gill I photographed in gloomy conditions over a fortnight ago. Much to my surprise I walked straight to it - clearly my spatial memory is better than I thought! 

As I was making my way back to the path I spotted a forest of tiny and inconspicuous fungi emerging from the carpet of gently decaying leaves. Despite their vast numbers, these Slender Clubs are very easily overlooked because they blend in so well with the leafy background. 

Although they're supposed to be quite frequent, I've only seen them a couple of times in local woods - once in a different part of Old Sulehay Forest and once in Thorpe Wood. They're saprobic in damp woodlands, on the dead leaves or leaf stalks of deciduous broadleaf trees, especially Beech and Ash but also occasionally Sycamore.