The 5th Kingdom - Intro

Read anything about Fungi and some surprising facts are revealed. Not until 1969 were they classified as being a separate kingdom distinct from plants and animals. Another thought provoking statistic, is that in a broad leaved wood, 10% of the biomass is fungi, which is a considerable mass and not one that is readily apparent. Fungi only become readily apparent when they produce their fruiting bodies to disperse spores and Autumn is the prime time for that event in my local woodlands.

Blusher (Amanita rubescens)

The various Agarics, Amanitas, Bolettes, Brittle Gills, Ink Caps and a host of other fungi emerge from the leaf litter and dead wood.

Upright Coral (Ramaria stricta)

The Forest of Dean provides a range of habitats, from veteran trees to old grasslands, for an impressively diverse number of fungi species. Mycologists of the Dean Fungus Group run Fungal Forays all year round and the number of species recorded so far by the group, runs into the thousands and are listed on a 104 page pdf.

Newly emergent Grey Spotted Amanita (Amanita excelsa)

This year I resolved to make a concentrated effort to learn more about Fungi and make a photographic record of my endeavours. I'll post more in due course.