The Herald of Winter

... or Hygrophorus hypothejus to give it its Sunday name, one of the woodwaxes, in fact the only one of the woodwaxes I've ever knowingly seen. I suppose it gets its name because of its late fruiting habit. I don't think I've really done it justice here - it has a shiny coffee coloured cap and apricot decurrent gills. I opted for a long exposure and natural light, as flash would have made the surface even more highlighted. I went out to a specific location to find it, so I was pleased that it was there. There were many that had gone over or had been trampled, but I found this one tucked up behind a tree away from the path.
It was a fairly quick mid-afternoon outing in the thick mist, as we had a visit from a friend earlier, whom we had not seen for quite some time, even though she lives relatively close. Now she too is retired, it will be nice to catch up with her again soon.