#365daysofbiking Optimal:
October 19th – The Japanese parasols are still bursting out a fresh crop every morning outside work on the industrial estate grass verge. They need to do this as these tiny, delicate fungi peak for a couple of hours but decay to nothing within 24.
It was lovely to see that in the October sun, I’d just caught these ones at their most perfect.
A lovely start to the day.
November 2nd – Further on my way to work, I caught something out of the corner of my eye n a patch of roadside verge grass. On the neatly mown turf were lots of one of my favourite toadstools – the delicate and very short lived Japanese Parasol. With a delicate crinkled cap no larger than a two pound coin and a very slight stature, these pretty little fungi will be gone without trace within a day.
These are a wonderfully fragile, transient beauty and I’m so glad to have seen them this year.
September 27th – I was lucky to spot this Japanese parasol toadstool fully open on Clayhanger Common on my way to work. They are generally so short lived that actually catching one fully open is quite hard to do.
When open, you can see just how these delicate little fungi got their name – fragile, with a pleated cap no bigger than a 10p piece, they’re one of my favourites.
Twelve hours later it will have disintegrated to nothing.
October 8th – I was right about the rain and the fungi. On Clayhanger common in the morning, pleated ink caps, sometimes known as the Japanese parasol. These delicate, paper like caps only last a day, and 24 hours later, there will be no trace. They appear straight after heavy rain, their spores lying dormant until triggered by nature.
The fly agaric are also going for it. In Pleck on the canal bank, a nice crop which will surely proliferate now. Such lovely fairy-tale toadstools.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 