Trumpet chanterelle

A bright , crisp December day was ideal for a walk around Collyweston Great Wood with five other botanists. We opted for a mix of brisk walking and plant recording, but I'm afraid the latter won, and progress was often slow as there was so much to see and discuss. We were all surprised by the range of fungi still about, incluidng several that were new to us. My favourite were these tiny yellow ones, only a couple of centimetres high, which were growing gregariously in a mossy area close to a path. Having scoured various identification guides, I came to the erroneous conclusion that they were specimens of Jellybaby, but BarbiesWorld has kindly identified them as very young Trumpet Chanterelle. They're widespread and common in mixed woodland on acid soil, but as our soils are nearly all calcareous, they must be pretty rare locally. Although they're apparently very tasty, I'm afraid they were far too small to make a decent meal!

Later in the afternoon I had to ferry Ben to the dentist. While I was waiting for him, Angelahen came in and sat down beside me. We'd met before in Sainsbury's, so I greeted her and we had a really lovely chat. I really think we should have a longer mini-blipmeet some time!