Shaggy Ink Cap at Westonbirt arboretum

We went for a walk at Westonbirt arboretum this afternoon to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and still air. We have annual membership but have decided not to renew it next year so we wanted to make full use of what time we have left.

There were fewer people there than I'd feared so we could enjoy the peace and quiet of this fine collection of trees. We both wandered about with our cameras amongst the wide range of mostly leafless trees, but I also noticed how much the coniferous varieties stand out at this time of year.

Helena got cold after a while so we headed back through the Old Arboretum to the main trail leading back to the car park. As we went through a stretch of tightly packed trees where the sun hadn't penetrated, we noticed this fungus, a Shaggy Ink Cap, which had obviously only just pushed itself up through the grass and leaves. It stalk hadn't yet appeared. I got down close to the ground and hoped for the best when I took these shots. Luckily this one has was relatively sharp.

Helena had already prepared the Christmas cake ingredients so that on our return she could start baking it. Delicious smells wafted through the house. We then got the tree that we had cut down last week and trimmed its trunk and a few lower branches and brought it into the house and fixed it in position. Helena also found the stored decorations and we put some lights on the tree ready to finish dressing it tomorrow. It is beginning to feel like Christmas now and I expect the smell of the tree's resin will start to spread through the house which is something I always love.


Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white, and covered with scales—this is the origin of the common names of the fungus. The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black and secrete a black liquid filled with spores (hence the “ink cap” name). This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores.