This was an awesome autumnal walk on the heaths and woodlands of the special New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England. The New Forest has retained ancient common pasture rights, meaning, residents of the New Forest are permitted to allow their pigs, horses, ponies, donkeys, cattle and occasionally sheep, to graze on the land at certain times of the year. They are also free to gather wood/clay and peat from the land. So the woodland, heaths and villages have lots of free roaming animals it is absolutely brilliant! Pigs just pottering about, kindly donkeys and gentle New Forest ponies greet you constantly, it is such a great experience.
Another great thing about their free roaming lives.....poop. This has provided an excellent environment for some rare and unusual fungi.
We found an abundance of the very strange, alien looking, Devil's Fingers fungus in one area of the dry heath on Setley Plain, spread by flies landing on the stinkhorn's smelly spores and then landing on the pony/donkey dung. On the same dung we found the very rare Nail Fungus, a mycologists dream, this one is a big hitter in that world (we recorded both on iRecord).
We decided to head off to Denny Wood, and a good sized free carpark (SO43 7FZ) we had been told it was not only stunning in Autumn but the best woodland for a multitude of Fungi, sounded perfect. Armed with the Collins guide we headed off close to the main path but remaining mostly among the trees and dead wood, we hardly got a few feet before we were trying to identify fungi. I cannot remember them all but as a quick and not comprehensive run down, we think we found...Amethyst deceiver, Bay Bolete, Brown Birch Bolete, Puffballs, False Deathcap, Milkcaps, Giant Polypore, Golden Spindle, Honey fungus, Inkcap, Orange Oak Bolete, Porcelain Mushroom, Waxcaps, Stinkhorn, Turkeytail, Yellow Stagshorn, Fly Agaric and many, many more, basically what we are saying is, the woods are alive with the sound of two idiots saying 'ooooh, look at his one'.
We did a 7.5 mile circular in the woodland, we took ages due to the wildlife bothering. It was amazing. And, We got to see the piggies of the New Forest which honestly was the cherry on the cake!
Thank you for being here, all the best, Ceri & Kat!
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