Sussex Scrapbook
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Nature walks throughout the year
Saturday 18th
November 2006
Old Lodge
The days are so short now, and we are having
trouble getting moving in the mornings, which meant that today we had to get
somewhere quickly. We made the choice to go to Old Lodge Nature Reserve in
Ashdown Forest. It was a beautiful day, with a great autumnal display. Out of
the things spotted that day, one of the highlights was a Wood Cauliflower (a
large fungus). Unfortunately it had gone over a bit and looked a bit messy.
Orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia). This is an
edible fungus, but is usually found on a plate purely for decoration.
Here is just a section of the wood cauliflower (Sparassis
crispa). They are rare, edible, can grow very large, and can weigh up to 14
kg.