Tawny Grisette

Another, longer walk round Holme Fen NNR this morning, in beautiful autumn sunshine. Today there were plenty of fungi, but the most frequent were Tawny Grisette, whose golden caps were emerging through a dense layer of moss. These fungi are in the same family as Death Cap and Fly Agaric, but unlike them, they are safe and good to eat, provided that they are cooked. However, I didn't gather any, preferring to leave them for the many sorts of flies and beetles that eat them.

I spent some time sitting in on a log an open glade watching dragonflies - vast numbers of Migrant Hawkers swooping in great arcs  above me, jinking round the tops of the shrubs, while the many Common Darters fluttered more feebly below them, frequently stopping to perch on twigs and logs. It was also lovely to see a fresh hatch of Comma butterflies, all looking absolutely pristine (see extra). 

There were also lots of dragonflies hunting over the road when I went to pick Pete up, and I got really good views of two Hobbies, who were taking advantage of this late feast. A perfect autumn day.