Autumn has arrived at Whiteleaf Cross

I popped up to Whiteleaf Cross this morning, to take a look after it was recently cleaned. It looks great! All the moss and weeds have been removed from the cross, leaving the chalk clean and white. The weeds and tall grass that were growing all around the edge have also been cut back, which helps it to stand out clearly on the hillside.

Newly cleaned Whiteleaf Cross - from the top!

It felt very Autumnal up there. The leaves are starting to turn, the flowers are mostly turned to seed and there's lots of fungus starting to appear. There are also lots of spiders webs, that start to show up at this time of year. It's always lovely to see the architectural feats performed by a spider!

The pink flowers of the Rosebay Willowherb have turned to fluffy seeds

The Thistles are dying back

#100DaysOfNature Day 61
Intricate spider's webs become clearly visible at this time of year

It never ceases to amaze me how many different types of fungus you can see during a short walk through the woods. They come in so many shapes, sizes and colours. You really have to be in the right place at the right time to see them though, as they seem to pop up overnight when the conditions are just right for them, then can be gone within a couple of days.

This huge bracket fungus was growing all the way around the base of a
massive Beech Tree

Each 'fan' of the bracket fungus was the size of a dinner plate



Dark brown fungus, getting lighter to the edge of the cap, with a thick white stem

The same fungus as above - maybe slightly older and lighter

Green and white bracket fungus

#100DaysofNature Day 62
Two tiny white toadstalls peeping out from the ivy and moss

Black and white bracket fungus