In the spotlight...

After a grey and gloomy start, it turned into a beautiful autumn day. Chris and I took the dogs up to Bedford Purlieus to hunt for fungi. The recent rain, with help from forestry vehicles, had turned some of the rides into veritable quagmires, but it had also stimulated the appearance of many fungal fruiting bodies.

Amethyst deceivers Laccaria amethystea are a very common species found in coniferous and deciduous woods, here growing beneath beech. This species is fairly easily identified and is edible, though I've never tried them.

There were many scattered among the fallen leaves on the woodland floor, most in very dense shade, but a few were spotlighted by a shaft of sunlight. It was only when I'd taken the camera out that I spotted the very attractive cranefly poised elegantly on the rim.

Even with the shaft of sunlight, light levels were very low, so I had to bump up the ISO to obtain enough dof and a reasonable speed. I'm actually quite surprised at how much detail has been retained in the cranefly. I'm not sure what the species is - I may be able to add more when my expert returns from Leeds!

EDIT The cranefly is Limonia nubeculosa, a species of well-wooded areas and thick hedges, sometimes seen resting on logs, fences or walls (or fungi!) during the daytime. The larvae feed on rotting wood.