Earthtongues

I escaped for a long, slow mooch round Old Sulehay this morning. The fungi are just about at their peak - the mossy grassland in the old quarry was studded with four species of waxcap (Snowy, Blackening, Honey and Limestone) which were accompanied by thousands of earthtongues - a veritable shout or chorus of these interesting and rather creepy looking fungi - somehow fitting for All Soul's Day!

The ancient woodland was just as good, with the best areas being located on the more acid soils where birch and bracken abound. Among the species  recorded were Amethyst Deceivers, Deceivers, Fly Agaric, a Brittlegill and the well-named Angel's Bonnet, which grows on fallen and has a characteristic aggregation of transparent filaments at the base of the stipe (see extra). I also found one of the grisettes - at first I thought it was the common Grisette but there are several characters which suggest that it might be a much rarer species which is seldom recorded in the UK. Expert advice will be sought!