5. Wookey Hole Wildlife - Late September
The Indian Summer is fading away , as I write the Mendips are shrouded in mist .
Every season has its pluses and minuses and Autumn is the time for mushrooms! Since I moved back to Somerset 25 years ago I must have eaten 30 species of fungi. Some are edible and excellent, some very indifferent – but I would never advise anyone on which to eat and which to leave alone. There are literally thousands of similar species and some can do serious harm, even the experts can come unstuck and I am no expert.
Below are two to leave alone!
1. The Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria is usually found under birch trees. The Lapp people for centuries have used this to induce visions – but it can lead to a deathlike state and eventually to the heart stopping altogether.