A mass of fungi at Westonbirt arboretum

I treated myself this afternoon to a couple of hours of peace and quiet exploring the old woodlands at Westonbirt arboretum today. I wanted to see how the approach of autumnal weather is affecting the colourful display of trees as they prepare to shed their summer apparel.

Surprisingly there were only a few reddish tones on the maples, mostly from the helicopter seed heads. But a few leaves seemed to be making a test run to demonstrate the imminent display for which the arboretum is justly famous.

But this mass of fungi close to a large Quercus Robur, a common oak, delighted me the most. The fallen leaf landed nearby and I placed it on top for effect, so you can get an impression of the surroundings which were covered in fallen leaves. There were several large patches of fungi, each wholly different and I could have spent ages looking closely and just enjoying sitting in the patches of dappled sunlight on such a beautiful afternoon. But I had to kept going looking for further revelations. I will be back, hopefully with Helena, in the near future.