Collared Earthstars

It rained all day today, so I dashed out with the dog when the sun finally came out and headed up the hill. The fungi seem to be taking a bit of a break around here at the moment so I wasn't too hopeful that I would find very much. I couldn't have been more wrong though because I found 2 collared earthstars sitting in the leaf litter, right next to the path. They're a bit of a favourite so were a very exciting discovery.

They're such cool fungi and so bizarre! The outer skin splits to form the rays of the star, with a ball-shaped spore sac sitting in the middle.

They were in almost exactly the same spot as the one I found last year, which I found at almost exactly the same time of year. They're not very big and are quite hard to see. They have to be our best fungal find! 

There were very few other fungi around, but the hunt through the trees was lovely.

The horn of plenty and trumpet chanterelles that I had previously found growing nearby were still just about hanging on. They're both past their best now though and are starting to go over. You can see them in their prime here.

Horn of plenty - still a few left

Trumpet chanterelles - past their best and looking more frilly than trumpety!

Four deer ran across the path in front of me which was a nice surprise, but finding earthstars again definitely made my day!