I heard woodpeckers drumming and saw some cup fungi this morning up the Welcombe

This morning we decided the Rowley Fields were just too muddy and headed straight for Clopton Park. It was mild and the sun even broke through. The grass was lush. The Blue Legs (Lepista Saeva - Field Blewit) have gone to mush but surprisingly there are still some Wax Caps about and even some fresh Meadow Wax Caps protruding through the grass. In the distance the sound of woodpeckers drumming in the tree tops made me think it was spring. If I'd seen a swallow I wouldn't have been surprised.

We made our way up the slope towards the Cedar that sits half way up. We go that way often to look for signs that the Tawny Owl has been there - the spattering of white down the tree trunk and the tell-tale pellets on the ground. We were here a few days ago with a friend and I wanted to show her a particular fungus that grows under cedars - Sepultaria sumneriana. I hadn't looked for this cup fungus for a few years and assumed it would still be there but when we looked there was no sign of it. Today I wasn't really looking for it but the cream of the interior of the fungus stood out amongst the green grass and there were several fine specimens.

Sometimes people send me pictures of fungi wanting to know its name. Knowing where the fungus was found and what  it was growing on or near are crucial things to know. In the case of this fungus, knowing that it grew under cedar narrows it down to a single species. My field guide says 'season winter to late spring'. So the picture, the habitat and the time of year just about nails it.