A mushroom /toadstool hunt.

 Today as the autumnal colours become more prevalent we decided to incorporate on our walk a mushroom hunt. The walk itself was nothing of any effort. 11k through local countryside and parkland.
Weather glorious with clear blue skies and just a slight breeze. In the sun it was like summer. In the shade you knew autumn was with us.

 The leaves were falling all around but being dry it was crisp underfoot. The colours not yet as vibrant as they will be in just a couple of weeks but still beautiful with the lowering sun highlighting the shapes.

{Autumn colours}

 {Our route took us along a small section of the Rochdale canal with the sun highlighting a lock}

Plenty of bikers out today and hardly a polite word from any of them as we got out of the way to let them fly past. One family group did stop and wait for us to pass and were quite jovial, the little boy who didn't stop said "sorry, dad said i have to keep to one side".  We let him off.

Searching out mushrooms and toadstools is quite time consuming and rummaging around in the undergrowth brings some funny looks from other walkers but if you are prepared to look it's amazing at what beauty fungi really is.

I will let the photo's tell the story.

It's amazing the number of different fungi you can find with a bit of effort. Some tough, solid and last all year. Others delicate, transparent and last only a week or two. I found a fantastic group during the week but to my disappointment they had finished when we got to them today. I have made a note for next year. I wish i knew enough to name them all. I will endeavour to find out.