Not Prescribed

I've said before, among the more valued qualities of wilder land is its capacity to surprise and intrigue. Today is not the same as yesterday.

Yesterday a small bright yellow fungus showed itself in weather and light conditions not meant for taking photos. Along we went this morning only to find it had changed shape and colour. They are the most variable of organisms as if bent on teasing the observer.

The Brown Roll Rim fungus is one of the commonest around and at this time of year you can't progress 2 metres without seeing one. But you would not expect to see two the same shape even though colour and texture are similar and each has its distinct cap with rolled in edge.

They are everywhere this year, out in the open, under birch, under bracken and all the low shrubbery. The largest yet, this morning, was bigger than a normal dinner plate.

Elderberries are now ripe on the trees, awaiting the harvester who has prepared himself with a long walking stick or shepherd's crook.

Nearby a flower is scrambling across the bracken.

I feel I should know the identity of this but will need to look it up. The surprise here is where it is. Bracken does not often get colonised by other plants especially small delicate ones like this. It seems to be of the pea family with trifoliate leaves, tendrils and small white flowers. Whatever it is I approve.

No deer on the morning walk for several days so today's last surprise was a large stag, a fourteen pointer, from a vantage also in the bracken.

"Prescriptive" was one of the first words I used when hearing of management plans for this countryside. None of the sights of the morning owed anything to managers.