If you would like to see more photos and maybe take the opportunity to shout at me, please pop over to the Substack version!
You see, I am learning from the best in social media … the best way to generate attention, which is the ‘currency’ in this world, is through outrage! And that opening line … well, unlike most outrageous things, is actually far more benign than it at first seems.
There is a Hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum) that you can find in the UK and is described as a brilliant started mushroom for those out foraging. Not only is it easily recognisable but is also has a sweet and nutty taste, making it a great substitute for meat.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the most distinctive feature is that this fruiting body comes with spines!! Where many species of fungi have gills, on the underside of the cap, this has soft, hanging spines. The fungus will be found on the forest floor, often forming ‘fairy-rings’ which, of course, are used more often by hedgehogs as a ceremonial space.
And I have yet to meet one of these beauties … not for want of trying.
On Monday morning I had a list - such a list - of things I needed to do … and then my neighbour, Jane, asked whether I wanted to go on a fungal foray with her to some woods she had spotted near Reading.
The challenge of life as a freelancer is that I often have the chance to do this … because I have no boss insisting on presentism! The work still needs to be done, but when the crisp autumnal sun is shining it is hard to resist …
So a car load of us, my wife, Zoe, and another neighbour, Chrissie, gathered snacks and flasks of hot drink and off we went.
The woods - Greenmoor, near Woodcote, have the feel in places of the beech dense Chilterns, but with patches of more diversity. But it was early, so I was not expecting too much, despite Jane’s insistence that she had seen some lovely fungi here …
Do you get that feeling of weight lifting from your shoulders, accompanied by a deep in breath and slow release of tension on the out, when you walk into woodland? My body is really telling me something … I need to spend more time surrounded by this sort of thing!
Now, you know that I LOVE hedgehogs - they are central to my life for much of the last 39 years! But - they are something you need to either actively hunt for, or be very lucky to see … however, woodland - rich, diverse, and at this time of year, teetering into outrageous colour - oh, and accompanied by the subtle scent of decay - it is here for the taking. Just a bike, bus or drive away from many of us is some wild space.
There is a Japanese tradition of ‘shinrin-yoku’ or wood-air-breathing - that I have been researching for my new book (just starting out ….) There is evidence to show that it works … that there are physiological and psychological benefits to spending time just out in the woods, breathing!
How do we motivate people to care for the natural world? To fight for it? I believe it is through finding ways to allow people to fall in love with the natural world. I was lucky enough to be tipped over the line from liking to loving through hedgehogs … but I reckon a really good way is to walk through an autumnal woodland, slowly, and start spotting all the life that has remained hidden beneath the ground until now - bursting into life.
Because it would take a hard-hearted person not to feel a sense of awe and wonder as the colours and shapes push through the leaves, or out of the bark.
My walk with Jane was utterly full of awe and wonder. She has a great knowledge, which we supplemented with google lens - and we walked at the sort of pace I remember doing when out with toddlers. Maybe that is the trick - to try and reimagine life at that pace and with that level of curiosity!
What did we find? Well, LOADS of fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) - the most photogenic of mushrooms, closely followed by the magpie ink caps (Coprinopsis picacea). Then the blushers, subtler, but no less fascinating. The collared earthstar (Geastrum triplex) was definitely not of this world … pictures over on substack.
The false death cap (Citron amanita) gave a sense of menace, the lilac bonnet (Mycena pura) is pretty and I learned that it bioaccumulates boron! The porcelain fungus (Oudemansiella mucida) is so delicate, the milkcap would have been misidentified if we had not accidentally knocked one, causing the stem to break and exude a milky liquid. The red cracking bolete was just such a brilliant name (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) - cracking bolete Gromit!
So - no hedgehog. But, we did come across a few porcini - ceps - (Boletus edulis) - which even I know can be eaten. I took four, traded one with a neighbour for some butter (I had run out) and wow … sliced and cooked, made for a delicious end to a magical day!
What brings you awe? Would be lovely to know what moves you … let me know over on Substack - and if you can … go find a fungal wood and slow down and drop deep into wonder!