Sunday 7th.September 2008

Another great late Summer's day - not . At least it did stop raining this afternoon , so I headed off for a walk on Keston Common . The recent rain has certainly put the fungi into top gear , but also brought out lots of 'fungi browsers' as well , as many were mutilated or completely broken off at ground level .

I thought I would see how the Beefstake Fungus was doing first . On the way there , on the mown grass around the War Memorial were Hygrocybe ceracea , the Waxcap that I found at Down House recently . When I arrived at the Beefsteak Fungus , it had almost doubled in size ,

and was glistening with the recent rain still laying on it . Deeper into the woodland was one of the Honey Fungus family - Armillaria mellea , also known as Boot-lace Fungus , as it's rhizomormphs can be found under the bark looking just like stringy boot laces . The most common fungi at the moment is well named , Common Yellow Russula , they are everywhere , in all sizes and conditions . Another very common fungi , especially if there is Birch around , is Piptoporus betulinus - Birch Polypore . This shot shows the different stages that the fungi can be found in .

Last fungi is one of the bracket type , Coriolus versicolor - Many-zoned Polypore can be found easily , especially on stumps of trees .

I did not see any butterflies , but I rescued one moth from the middle of a path , and sticking my neck out , I'm saying Small Emerald , but will change the text if I am wrong . I saw one dragonfly , a male Southern Hawker . I stood and watched it hawking up and down the path I was on , hoping it would settle . After ten minutes , it shot over some Gorse bushes , never to be seen again .

Before posting the remainder of this post , I thought long and hard , because of the smear campaign that has been run against me , by a certain reader , inferring that I use stuffed animals in my pictures . I hasten to add that I vehemently refuted such allegations , and still stand by my statement .

That said , I was making my way back to the car , when I saw a movement on the left of the path . As I got closer , I realised that it was a Pigmy Shrew . As I got closer , it crossed the path in front of me , and when it reached the grass on the edge , stopped for food . This gave me the oportunity to snatch three shots of the animal before it disappeared into the thicker vegetation .