Reflections on autumn trees and a bit of fungi on today's walk. 🍂🍂🍄🍄

The reservoir levels are still pretty low around Ladybower, Derwent Dam, and Howden. But water was draining off the hills, and the waterfalls were flowing. It was a grey day, so the autumn colours were somewhat muted. Lovely all the same.

My mood was dark, and the skies were grey, but the woodland was full of autumn colour 🍂🍂 🍂

The amethyst deceivers are still going strong in our local country park.

#HappyHalloween 🎃

If you see this, quote with a vampire that is not Dracula 🧛‍♂️ 🦇

Autumn colours on today's walk 🍂🍂🍂

I'm not saying we hired a secure dog field just so we could go on our own private Halloween Trail, but we kinda did! 👻🎃😄 Benji did have a good time in the field, though. He even did the Agility course! The trail was for a Halloween experience in the woods after dark.

The colours of autumn at Sherwood Pines today 🍂🍂🍂

We've been fungi-spotting in Sherwood Pines. #fungifriends 🍄

Benji and the autumn leaves 🍂 #dogsofbluesky

The hare's ear fungi was looking very ear-like today. There was a nice bit of Elfin Saddle and the fly agaric is still going strong #fungifriends 🍄

We went for a walk around Carsington Water this afternoon. The Halloween Trail was much the same as last year, but still fun. On the way home, we went on a detour to see the StarDisc at Wirksworth. We probably should have aimed to get there at sunset because we couldn't really see much in the dark.

Carsington Water on 31/10/24 versus today 27/10/25

What the hell are decent people still doing on X? It hasn't been Twitter or even the ghost of Twitter for a long time. At this point, it's a less benevolent version of the Matrix.

Today's fungi finds 🍄 #fungifriends I recognise the jelly ears, and I think the last one might be some kind of waxcap.

There was lots of fungi around the local country park today. I'm reluctant to put any IDs on these because I keep getting them wrong 😖 I'm pretty sure about the Amethyst Deceiver and Penny Bun (this time!), and the Fly Agaric is unmistakable. I'm not sure about the little white ones, though!🍄

Another woodland fungi fest! 🍄🍄🍄 #fungifriends

I've had to go down my Spooky Season playlist and take out all the jazz ones because Benji hates jazz! Goodbye to Witchcraft, That Old Black Magic, and I Put A Spell On You. I somehow still have 100 Halloween-ish themed songs on that list!

We only walked the tiniest bit of the Monsal Trail today, but we still saw some candlesnuff fungi and some White Elfin Saddle.

Bakewell was a bit lacking on the Halloween decorations front. But the church made it for it with its creepy stone heads and coffins!

Laccaria amethystina, more commonly known as the Amethyst deceiver, is putting on a good show around our local country park. The rain has revived the existing patches, and fresh ones are springing up through the leaf litter. #fungifriends

I did wonder why a bunch of kids were shouting out "6,7," the other day. I remember the slang words of my pre-teen years. I also recall my nan getting really cross because my slang didn't mean the same thing to her as it did to me. I'm the granny now!

I feel like I'm having a constant panic attack these days. It's hard to know if it's the menopause or the state of the world. It's probably a combination of both. I'm not sure if I would recognise if I was having a heart attack or stroke because I feel like I might be pretty much all the time.

Oof! Not orange peel, but Hare's Ear, apparently. Oh well, the hunt for Orange Peel continues. I see it's been spotted on the Longshaw Estate, and we visit there fairly often.

Our local woodlands are full of fungi at the moment. We are finding varieties that we've never seen there before, like orange peel fungus.

Fly agaric season continues in abundance. I don't think I've ever seen so many around our local country park. They are popping up all over! 🍄🍄🍄

We went to Rufford Country Park ostensibly to see their Halloween Trail, but we ended up much more taken with the Abbey ruins, which are now open to the public.

It was a proper misty and moisty autumnal day in Castleton. We saw a fabulous Halloween display outside one of the shops.

FB memories reminding me of a fabulous Halloween display we saw in the Peak District 3 years ago. 🎃

Introduce yourself using only one food you refuse to eat, one movie you’ll never watch again, and one song you can’t stand… Pickled onions American Beauty Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy

There was lots of fungi out around our local country park today. #fungifriends

It continues to be a great year for fly agaric in these parts. 🍄🍄🍄 #fungifriends

Fungi spotting again on today's woodland walk 🍄 #fungifriends

We went out to the Peak District to see and hear the red deer stags bellowing. We did eventually find some on White Edge. But we also found quite a lot of fungi along the way 🦌🍄🦌🍄

Our local woodland is bursting with fungi at the moment 🍄🍄🍄 #fungifriends

I think this is honey fungus growing on a tree near our house.

Harvest Moon 🌝 youtu.be/n2MtEsrcTTs?...

It's been a good year for fly agaric in these parts 🍄🍄🍄 #fungifriends

It was a fungi fest around the local country park today 🍄🍄🍄

King Alfred's Cakes on a log #fungifriends 🍄

We went to Curbar Edge in the Peak District in hopes of hearing stags bellowing. But it was all quiet on the rut-front today. There was a lot of fungi, some great views, and this excellent song on my Spotify list in the car on the way home - Martha Tilston - Stags Bellow 🦌 youtu.be/J2BVN91wW28?...

Benji checking out the parasol mushrooms #dogsofbluesky

Parasol mushrooms and other fungi popping up all over the place at the moment 🍄 #fungifriends

Autumn flowers #bloomscrolling

It's good to see the autumnal fungi coming through around the local country park. I was particularly pleased to find (and smell!) a few aniseed funnels (the green/grey ones). #fungifriends 🍄

I'm still not at my best healthwise, but I managed a short woodland walk. There was some fabulous fungi I was glad not to have missed out on. #fungifriends 🍄

We had to cut our visit to Clumber Park short today due to me feeling ill. But it was lovely to see the autumnal displays in the walled garden and some fungi in the woods.

This mothers taking paracetamol during pregnancy = autism has really pissed me off. For starters, there was autism long before paracetamol came along, so that's a load of nonsense. Just about everything eaten, drunk, taken, breathed, etc, during pregnancy has been used to blame mothers at some point

The woodland floor has really come alive with fungi after the rain 🍄🍄🍄 #fungifriends