A Fungi Foray

Sometimes it’s just a question of a new way of looking. Once you’re in the habit of becoming more aware of your surroundings, it’s amazing what you can see when you’re out for a weekend's walk. My son pointed out some mushrooms growing in the woodlands one Saturday and ever since then I’ve been on the look-out for these incredible fungi. I’ve suddenly discovered them everywhere. I’ve never seen so many.

 

 

Choose a damp but clear and sunny day and you're sure to come across some. We stumbled upon this colony of delicate mushrooms, shooting up from the ground, their thin stalks with their pale white hoods made them look quite incredible.

Walking around the woods in Wimbledon, we could see the effects of St Jude, one of the worst storms to hit south England on the 28th October with winds of up to 99mph. Thousands of trees fell across the country and we could see huge trunks lying on the ground with their roots on show.

In fact fungi seem to love growing on the decaying wood of a fallen tree or branch. Whilst the wood has fallen, the fungi are in their element.

 

 

Over a couple of weekends we have found an amazing diversity of forms, shapes, textures, colours and sizes of fungi. Some are perfect and delicate with thin stalks and little hoods and gills, where as others are big and meaty and some are shaped like autumn leaves, whilst others are like jelly or simply slimy looking.  I can't seem to stop photographing them, but here are just a few that I have spotted:

 Like autumn leaves? 

 

 Velvet Shank, looking slimy and slippery

 Like rotting meat?

 As smooth as a whale's belly 

 Pretty orange and yellow tiny dots

 Black and white tipped straws

These are just some of the photos I have taken over a few weekend's whilst I trampled over the wet and crunchy forest floor. What I didn't realise is that fungi are neither plant nor animal, but are in a separate kingdom all of their own. There are around 100,000 species identified in the world, but it is estimated that there could be around 700,000 to 5 million species according to Kew Gardens.

The mushrooms and toadstools (many highly poisonous) are the fruiting bodies of the fungi that we can see mainly during autumn.  They grow for reproduction purposes to spread their millions of tiny spores, which are usually dispersed like dust in the wind.

It would be fun to use a microscope to see these mushrooms up close.

What's also interesting is I discovered that most fungi can’t be seen as they grow underground, their tiny threads spreading through the soil like roots. The biggest living organism in the world is in fact a fungus called an Armillaria ostoyae. It grows in the Oregon's Blue Mountains and is said to be an amazing 2,384 acres across making it much bigger than the blue whale.

Fungi also have an important function in that they are the 'great decomposers of the environment'. They must be enjoying this time of year when the ground is thick with leaves, branches and mud. They can secrete enzymes and breakdown all the leaves, wood and animal decay on the forest floor. By living in their food they draw nutrients from the organic material and release nutrients and minerals back in to the soil to support new life.

Fungi are also more varied and common than we might first think. If you see mould growing on a piece of bread or an old tomato, then what you are seeing is microscopic fungi spores that have been floating in the air and have landed on the food and began to grow as the food breaks down and rots.

In fact we have used fungi for this purpose to degrade organic compounds in a number of food processes including bread-making, winemaking, blue cheese and even the fermentation of cocoa beans to make chocolate.

Fungi also enter our lives in many other ways which are less pleasant than our culinary delights. Fungi can cause damage to our bodies in ways that include athletes foot and nappy rash and even some pneumonia. The BBC reported that we have around 100 types of fungi living on our body mostly on our feet.

There seems to be so much to discover about the world of fungi. I am surprisingly fascinated by them. Each time I spot a new fungi growing I find myself grabbing my camera. This is a lovely time of year to spot the mushrooms with the leaves gently falling around you and the floor a golden ruddy rich colour. My breath hangs in the fresh damp air as I spot another perfectly formed couple of delicate mushrooms. 

 

The Colours of Autumn

Fiery reds, scorching oranges and glowing yellows - the leaves of autumn against the empty grey skies makes this season one of my favourite times of year. Perhaps it's the colours that bring so much warmth when the nights start drawing in. I have happy nostalgic memories of school starting, of cosy times in front of the TV and looking forward to Halloween and Bonfire Night.

I wonder where the most beautiful places are to see the colours of autumn and imagine what it would be like to visit the forests of New England or the boreal woods of Russia.

Autumn also reminds me of the different seasons and how they pattern our lives. We look forward to festivals, we change our fashion, we take part in different activities and plan our holidays. Where does this changing sunlight come from? Well, it's from the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth. As the Earth orbits the sun in a year, it's tilt means that parts of our planet receive different amounts of the sun's energy. Whilst it orbits the sun it also spins on it's axis creating the familiar rhythm of day and night that rules our lives.

My nicely drawn Earth is orbiting the sun and in December the sun's rays hit mainly the southern hemisphere creating summer in places like Australia, whilst the northern hemisphere gets less sun and experiences winter. Then another six months pass and the Earth has travelled around to the other side of the sun and in June the process is reversed. The sun's rays mainly hit the northern hemisphere creating long hot summer days in places like the UK, whilst the southern hemisphere gets cold. You can see how this tilt creates the seasons.

The changing amount of sunlight and the change in seasons has a powerful effect on nature. It can dictate when mating time begins, it can mean all sorts of creatures start their fantastic migration journeys or get ready for hibernating, enjoying a long winter sleep. One of the most lovely and obvious effects is simply watching trees as they change.

Take a walk through Kew Garden's in London at different times of the year and you can clearly see the changes in the trees that give a perfect cycle of growth and rebirth.

From the bright green spring leaves

Through to the trees just bursting with flowers throughout spring and summer.

To the growth of seeds and fruit as shown in this Sweet Chestnut Tree.

Through to the seeping of the golden hue in autumn.

And finally the bare silhouette of the trees in winter

The cycle shows how interdependent nature is. Trees rely on the energy from the sunlight, water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air to produce nourishing glucose food. This vitally important photosynthesis process also releases oxygen in the air for us all to breathe.

During the autumn when there is less daylight hours and the weather cools, the chlorophyll which makes the leaves green, stops being produced and the other pigments such as carotene and xanthophyll pigments shine through producing the spectacular red and yellow colours.

It's amazing that what can seem so familiar and common such as the seasons, a day, a breath, can in turn be intriguing and mysterious when you try to understand the reason they happen. Trees especially hold this power for me. I may see them everyday, but I feel like I'm only starting to take a real interest in them.
Autumn has made me want to find out more about trees. I want to learn to recognise an Alder from a Beech or an Elm from a Sycamore. But for now I'm just going to enjoy kicking the golden leaves before it's gets to winter and the trees begin their 'sleep'.

Wild Summer Meadows

 

 

If you want to explore the wonder of nature in Britain, I can recommend nothing better than simply walking through a wild meadow during the height of summer.

I did this whilst visiting a tiny village called Peasmarsh in East Sussex. Walking along a public footpath across fields, I accidentally stumbled upon the most perfect meadow I had ever seen.

It was completely isolated and untouched and for some reason during the summer months it had been left to grow completely wild with the most beautiful delicate grasses and colourful flowers. We walked knee deep through this secret field and to my surprise everywhere I looked there were insects galore. Dancing butterflies, bright blue moths, the sound of crickets and the buzz of big bumblebees... insects were everywhere in all their exotic and colourful forms.

It was fascinating to see that a wild field could be home to so many species. And it being the hot balmy summer months, insects were in the full flush of mating season. Butterflies were dancing in pairs and bright blue Damselflys were bending in an acrobatic fashion to form what seemed to my eyes a perfect heart shape.

Seeing so much life in the fields made me realise how important it is for these habitats to be allowed to grow wild. The difference between the barren ploughed farmland so common to our English countryside, compared to this spectacle was astonishing. In fact I had recently read of a Road Verge Campaign to support wild flowers being grown by the sides of roads. The petition is to encourage members of the public to ask councils to stop inappropriate cutting, so that flowers and grasses can grow by roadsides in their local area.

What is especially enjoyable about these wild meadows is that it makes you feel like a bit of an explorer. There are so many different types of insects that you can be quite in wonder at their diversity and every day you are likely to come across a new finding, a creature that you have never seen before in your life. If you search in the grasses, you can often get up close to creatures that may stay still for a while.

 

Insects may have a reputation as 'creepy crawlies', but perhaps it is because they seem so different from us. Six legs and feet that often allows them to creep up walls and hang without effort from ceilings, skeletons on the outside of their bodies, endless combinations of shapes, colours sizes, each creature seems stranger than the next and completely unique and yet perfectly created. More than anything, it is their eyes that give them their 'alien' quality. The bulging compound eyes, that are unmoving, but give insects the benefit of a large field of vision. Try typing 'insect eyes' in the search field on www.flickr.com and you can see just how strange these creatures are.

Insects are also fascinating for their different skills and behaviours.  I sat and watched a huge dragonfly hover and dive across a pond, veering backwards and forwards, skimming over the water, showing off its remarkable aerial manoeuvers. I then reminisced about a magical moment in Kerala, India, where I sat in a boat as the sunset and watched a tree twinkle with fireflies. It was amazing to see these little creatures able to light up their bodies like stars. And who can't be impressed when they hear a fruit fly can beat its wings 250 times a second, or a grasshopper that can jump twenty times its length, or even an ant that can carry 100 times its weight.

These little creatures are also vitally important. At the base of the food chain, they provide a tasty meal for birds, frogs, lizards, bats, reptiles and many others. Without them, there would be no flowering plants and we depend on them for the free service of pollination which provides us with so many of our fruit, vegetables and crops.

So I would encourage anyone to explore a summer meadow and rather than just seeing it as overgrown grass, take a moment to have a proper look. You may find some of the world's most fascinating creatures hidden amongst the colourful flowers and delicate grasses.

 

 

Spring at the Isabella Plantation

The burst of spring in all its fertile glory is upon us and there is no better place to be than the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park. A beautiful oasis of colour in the middle of London's 2500 acre parkland and it is a joy to walk around.

What brings people to the park is the sheer stunning explosion of flowers in spring  - white, pink, purple, yellow and red, the vibrant blossom is as though nature is celebrating a fairy-tale wedding.

The park is perfectly designed to feel natural and wild. The gentle winding pathways take you through the woodlands, where huge bushes and trees stand heavy with flowers. Look up and you can see towering trees with bright green leaves creating an enjoyable cooling effect. As you enter the gate the sweet fragrant smell of honey suckle perfumes the air and the floor is covered in pretty bluebells.

The best time to explore the park is early morning, that special magical time when the sun is shining and the air is still cold underneath the shaded trees and the world seems like it is sparkling. The birds are singing from trees with all their might and you can spot nests that have tiny cries from chicks demanding more food. The air is busy with buzzing insects and huge bumblebees literally covered in the plentiful pollen dust, kiss the flowers. There are few moments that you can feel so relaxed, tranquil and at peace.

It is almost as if nature is good for our souls, making us happy and giving us hope. There have in fact been many studies showing how important nature is to our well-being. Tony Juniper sited the Pennsylvania hospital study (1972-1981) which showed that even a simple window view of woodlands can speed recovery times for hospital patients. And we should also remind ourselves to spend more time with nature and make it part of our daily lives.

And in London, this busy man-made metropolis, home to 8 million, it often feels like the city has made space alongside its buildings and busy roads for wild spots. Everyone has their own favourite area whether it is the Isabella Plantation, Kew Gardens and Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon or walking through the wetlands in Morden Park, there are many natural beauty spots to enjoy. And that is what cities of the future must have - space for nature for its own value and for our own well-being too.

The modern city, a home to people, spiders, beetles, frogs, birds, hedgehogs, bees...

More than anything, the park is perfect for children where they are free to run, jump, roll, scramble and learn about the world. In fact, taking a walk in the park is the perfect place to make learning fun. When you have small children, everything is new and exciting. Even learning to blow dandelions is a new skill - the act of pursing your lips and blowing is surprisingly tricky for two year olds. Finding a fallen tree is great for practicing balancing. Children can learn about everything from colours, seasons, animals and transport. Because everything is a first - the first time you touch snow, or watch a ladybird crawl over your fingers or see a feather float in the wind, it is all fascinating for a child to discover and it helps you appreciate nature again. And who can forget the fun of jumping in puddles...every puddle!

If you think back to your favourite childhood moments, your happy memories are often about the time you spent outdoors in natural settings. I loved building my den with friends at the bottom of our garden, or spending endless summers exploring rock pools and finding crabs on the beach in Dumfries in Scotland and swimming in ridiculously cold rivers. We should continue to encourage time spent with nature, so that it in instils a love of the wild in our own children, which stays with them forever.

Walking through the Isabella garden has reminded me of what a joyful experience it is to be close to nature for young and old alike. And spring is one of the most vibrant and fertile seasons where nature seems like it is simply celebrating it is own beauty. How can a bee resist!

The Eden Project

"Plants are our lifeblood: providing our crops, controlling the climate, making the very air we breathe. The natural world is our life-support system. At Eden we sow, grow and exhibit crop plants used for food, fuel, medicine, materials, beauty, music, sports, entertainment - to show and celebrate our dependence on the green things in life". pg 42 Eden Project, The Guide

The sun shone for the first time in what seemed like months as we visited the glorious Eden Project in Cornwall. And what a project it was - a triumph of imagination, creativity and vision.

The Eden Project stands as a celebration of plants and their importance to our world. It is a place to learn and be inspired by these global gardens and our relationship and dependence on plants. Everywhere you look there is careful attention to perfecting this dream of paradise - from the design of the Biomes, to the choice of habitats to the amazing sculptures. It is an immense project that deserves to be revisited again and again.

It originated in an out-of-use China Clay pit and from this empty void came a creation rich in life with plants, trees and flowers flourishing. When you arrive, you stand at the top of the valley and look down at the Biomes that look like enormous bubble-wrapped sunken globes.

As we zigzag down the valley, there are signs showing us the history of plants and their evolution from 350 million years ago. Some of the earliest plants such as horsetails and ferns grew without flowers and used water to help with fertilisation. They rotted and created coal which we use today. Then flowering plants evolved later and attracted pollinating insects.

We enter the Rainforest Biome described as 'the largest rainforest in captivity' and your first impression is definitely a surprise at how big it is. There are waterfalls and enormous plants and trees. There are even birds and apparently frogs living amongst the huge emerald leaves.

 

The Biome allows you to appreciate the fundamental ways in which we use and depend on the rainforest for food, fuel, medicine and materials. It reconnects us with the fruits, spices and foods that we are so familiar with in supermarkets and the plants and trees that provide us with these essential products.  I spot banana and mango trees and ginger, star fruit and sugar palms. I discover that Cassava is an essential food source for more than 500 million people. As well as being surprised by seeing a 'cola tree' with seeds rich in caffeine, used for fizzy drinks. There is also a cocoa plant used for chocolate, and whose Latin name 'Theobroma cacao' appropriately means 'Food of the Gods'.

Cola acuminata, Sterculiaceae or more simply a 'cola tree' whose seeds are used for cola drinks.

As we wander through the different regions; Malaysia, West Africa, South America and tropical islands we enjoy looking up at the beautiful flowers and fruits.

There are other interesting facts about sustainable harvesting practices such as in South America, Inga trees are used to provide shade for crops and for their ability to 'turn nitrogen from the air into fertilizer' helping growth.

We decide to climb the walkway across the top of the Biome, it reaches a dizzying height and we stare down at the huge plants. It turns very warm almost 40 degrees, so we head down and try a refreshing Baobab smoothie; a fruit from an African tree famous for living several thousand years. I was interested to read that bats also pollinate its white flowers.

This enclosed rainforest is also a reminder of what vital work these trees and plants do in the process of being the lungs of our planet. As well as reminding us how important it is to protect them. A shocking sign said that every ten seconds an area of trees the size of the Biome is cut down.

Although I had thought the rainforest area would be my favourite attraction, the Mediterranean Biome was equally as lovely. Its moderate temperatures brought a range of beautiful gentle plants; Olive trees, pines, strong smelling herbs, lemons. In a short time we were walking through a typical Mediterranean terrain, a South African garden and then a Californian habitat.

There was so much to see that we decided it was time to simply relax and enjoy some delicious mango ice-cream.

 My Mum and I enjoying a refreshing treat

It was a perfect place for children to enjoy. There was face painting, storytelling and singing. An entertainer told the children that you don't need any fancy exams to be a scientist, you just need an enquiring mind to ask questions such as 'what happens if...' The children then stood up to bang barrels full of smoke which represented Puffballs (exploding fungi) as raindrops hit the plants helping seed dispersal.

For me, some of the areas that stood out was the sculpture display of Dionysus represented by the huge cow. He was surrounded by dancing figures that related to the myth of wine, intoxication and festivity.

I also enjoyed the bright beautiful flowers that reminded you of all the imported flowers we buy and the question whether we can provide a more sustainable alternative:

After leaving the Biome we enjoyed the Stage where I peered down microscopes and saw how hairy bees are and spotted the intricate patterns of leaves. The Stage was also dedicated to the Freaky Nature Show and showed the many ways plants protect themselves from predators, such as fierce spikes (like the holly and thistle), poison (used by fox gloves), stinging (as nettles do). The Core was even more fascinating as it focused on sustainability. One particular exhibit stood out. It showed a bucket of water and a note saying if this bucket represented all the water in the world, only a teaspoon would be fresh water. A poignant example of how precious our natural resources are.

Eden is an incredible project that educates and inspires. It also reminds me of the hard work that must have been involved in creating such an immense project like this - finding the location, getting the finance, designing then building the Biomes, sourcing all the plants,  labelling them, tending to them, getting the right temperature so they will grow and flourish. It must have been a huge effort that so many involved could be proud of.

It certainly has created a desire in me to learn and discover more about the natural world and the importance of protecting the plants and animals that are so vital to us.