Pulpit Hill Fort and another fungi hunt

I decided to climb up Pulpit Hill today and take a look at the hill fort. I've never actually been up there because in the summer we're always out on the chalk grassland below chasing butterflies and admiring the wildflowers.

Apparently it's an iron age fort. You can clearly see the ditches running around the outside, with a flat raised area in the middle where the fort would have stood. It's in a S.S.S.I and is very atmospheric up there. The view is mostly obscured by the trees, but you can just see down to the grass slopes below.

The fort on the left, with the raised bank and ditch running around the fort

The view from the fort, with the ditch just below and the grass slopes in the
distance

Going up to the fort was fine as there is a well defined path to follow, but I decided to take the scenic route back down the other side of the hill. It was very steep and what with the rain, I mostly slid down the hill!

While I was up there I took the opportunity to hunt for some more fungi. I found one big clump of Honey Fungus (at least that's what I think it is). I also found a couple of other yellow fungi, but I don't think these are Honey fungus as they were growing separately instead of in a big clump.

Honey fungus growing on a log

Honey fungus

Growing individually out of a log - yellow and knobbly, but I don't think this
is Honey fungus

There were a few trees that had large white fungi growing up them. Some of them were a long way up the tree.

 

I found one Amethyst Deceiver and two Rosy Bonnets.



Amethyst Deceiver - pinky/purple cap and stem with white hairs at the base
of the stem 

Rosy Bonnets - pale pink with a paler (almost white) stem

There were a few puffballs around and I found one that had just 'puffed' out its spores.

A little huddle of fungi, including a puffball

You can see the hole in the top that the spores 'puffed' out of

 There were lots of large wood mushrooms growing in the leaf litter.  Many of them seemed to be growing in patches that were long, straight lines.

A line of wood mushrooms

Wood mushrooms

A baby wood mushroom, before it opens out

There were lots of little bonnets of varying size and shape.

 

And a few of the other oddities that I discovered ....

This one looked like blue cheese

Bracket fungus

Lots of Candlesnuff was starting to appear

A shiny brown one

I saw a few other interesting things...

The slugs and snails were out in force enjoying the
rain. No sign of any of the huge Roman Snails
though.

A beautiful Beech tree, looking very autumnal

A pile of wing feathers. There were no smaller feathers or down, so I think
these must have been plucked out by something - maybe a hawk?