Sunshine Through The MistWe didn’t have to travel very far for today’s outing – only as far as the Bradford/Calderdale boundary and Judy Woods for a day’s fungi hunting.
The recent dry weather has not provided ideal conditions for fungi to thrive but thankfully the many fallen trees in Judy Woods provided us with a good selection of specimens – and two species not previously recorded at this site. A fine bright autumn day saw a party of nine leave Bradford in the minibus to be joined by an additional nine waiting at Station Road in Wyke where we started our walk, led today by Sally, one of a number of BEES members who also belong to the Friends of Judy Woods group.
Deer ShieldJoan immediately spotted a fallen tree in the beck which tempted half the party down a difficult slope to join her and they spent a good fifteen minutes identifying its offerings. This set the pace for the day – BEES slow. We made our way from fallen tree to fallen tree and by lunchtime, two hours later, we had covered the best part of half a mile. Some of the party had even reached Judy Bridge where we lunched in bright sunshine and where we were lucky to see the only butterfly species of the day – Speckled Wood.
Young BoleteWe continued after lunch in pursuit of the Old Man of the Woods which occasionally makes its appearance, but 2015 seems not to be a year for this fungus. Making our way at a slightly faster pace we arrived back at the bus having recorded thirteen bird species and thirty two different fungi, the highlights of which were the two new species for the site – Porcelain Fungus and White Domecap - as well as a good selection of Ganodermas, Russulas and Crusts amongst others.
Given the recent dry weather, we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of fungi on display and so it was a contented party that dispersed in mid-afternoon.
Thanks to Sally for her organisation and leadership and to Sue for her driving. See photos from today here.
Stuart