Fooled...and then rewarded

I went to a particular wood this afternoon hoping to photograph earthstar fungi. It is a location where they were particularly abundant last year. I thought I spotted some in the deep leaf litter soon after entering the wood, but on closer inspection each one was an open case of a Sweet Chestnut fruit. It seems many have been blown down a little earlier than normal by the strong winds. I managed to collect some of the nuts where the squirrels had been a bit tardy getting to them. On reflection, I decided that the protective spiny case seemed a bit over the top when most seemed to have split open soon after dropping to the ground. I suppose it does ensure that the squirrels can't plunder the nuts while they are still on the tree. Anyway, I never did find the earthstars - perhaps a little too early.