The magic of Autumn in Holme Fen

Today I led a walk round a small but intensely atmospheric part of Holme Fen NNR for the BCN Wildlife Trust. We started and finished in sunshine, but for most of the time we endured heavy rain, though this didn't put anyone off and made the colours of the fungi particularly intense. I took very few photos because I was concentrating on spotting fungi, so my image today was taken by one of the attendees, which shows the group just about to set off.

We found over forty species of identifiable fungi and quite a few more that I didn't feel able to tackle. I also showed the group some of the plant species that are relicts of the former raised bog, such as Bog Myrtle and Purple Moor-grass.  As a result of drainage the raised bog shrank and the drying peat was colonised by birch to become the largest and finest birch wood in lowland Britain with a notable assemblage of fungi.

The most exciting find of the day for was a small cluster of Crimped Gill (see extra), a species that I've only seen in one other woodland round Peterborough. It's relatively common in Scotland and northern England, but rare in the south, although there have been more records in recent years. I think it's one of the most attractive species and has the advantage of being unmistakable!

It was dusk before we reached the cars. I realised that the rain had seeped through my waterproof jacket, so was very glad of the heated seat in the car - it rarely gets used but stopped me getting chilled on the journey home.