Mr reasons for a walk around Nettleon Woods were threefold. Jet needed walking, we were keen to check the woods out for fungi and I am exploring the potential of combining my woodland photography with folklore, and myths and legends of the forest. Jet, as always, enjoyed his walk with lots to explore and smell. The damp Autumn woodland was redolent with scent, both for him and ourselves; especially the stench of stinkhorn fungi. Although we found a few fungi there weren't anything like as many as this time last year. We did find good numbers of puff balls, a solitary fly agaric and a few amethyst deceivers in the same spot that we found them last year.
We did enjoy though looking for faces of tree spirits hiding in plain sight; one remarkably like I envisage Treebeard might look in Fanghorn Forest in the excellent Tolkein Story, Lord of the Rings. Another find was a small rowan growing in a hazel coppice. In Celtic mythology rowan is the 'Tree of Life' and represents courage, wisdom and protection; a reason for our close association with this splendid tree.
Although the bracken in the wood is beginning to take on Autumn tints the colouring of the woods is still a week or two away.
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