Sunday visit to Cranford Park

The weather was a bit dull today which made photography quite challenging against the grey sky, so I decided to stick to subjects lower to the ground.

 

On the most protected side of the stone bridge, a self seeded clump of red dead-nettle has flowered quite early.......

 

In Cranford Woods I was followed down the main path by a very obliging Robin....

 

 

All over the woodland floor there are signs of the first emerging Bluebells....

 

In St Dunstans the snowdrops are finally blooming.....

 

 

There wasn't too much to see today but I did hear one of the Little Owls calling from the oaks in front of the Information Centre but despite checking every tree, I neglected to find it.

 

The mild wet weather has encouraged a lot of fungi to fruit.

 

I found some Velvet Shanks in an area I've not seen them before....

 

spot the Turkey Tails....

 The Candlesnuff fungi is spreading nicely...

 

 

But by far the most prolific fungi seen today were the Jelly Ears, with four new sites found....

It's hard to imagine this revolting looking fungi is actually edible !

 

I found several examples of Coral Spot throughout the woods, but the specimen below was the most intense. Coral Spot is one of the fungi 'baddies'. The effect of Coral Spot infection is that small twigs and branches die back, and then dense clusters of soft, pinhead-sized pink fungal blobs (the sexual stage in the complex lifecycle of this fungus) break through the thin bark. Later the blobs harden and turn dark reddish-brown (this is the conidial stage in the lifecycle), and by this time the infected timber is so weak that it tends to snap off during windy weather.

 

For some reason conifer trees are never infected and the fungus is mainly attracted to Beech trees.

 

As in the last few weeks there was a lot of woodpecker activity today, from both the Great Spotted and the Green. Several times I watched Great Spotteds picking at loose bark or checking out favourite vantage points, including this one below by the stone bridge.....

 

and this Green was first seen feeding on the grass by the clock before flying under the furthest arch way and settling on the dead trunk behind the stable block.....

 



 

So not a great day out due to the gloomy weather, but I can always find something at Cranford Park to keep me interested.