A LACK OF HARVEST!

After yesterdays lack of hedgerow harvesting, I thought that maybe, possibly, the forest might prove better hunting. After all, the last few days have been dry ... ish and we have had sunshine. Now normally at this time of year there is the hope of finding fungi. An area I know where Boletus Edulis grow is a ridge between what is locally referred to as The Canyon (where the mad mutt swims in it's clear water lake) and The Quarry. As the sign states there is a steep bank that has views over the stone quarry. Despite the blue sky and snow white clouds ... it was raining! Only lightly admittedly but enough to spoil my foray. The views however from here are quite interesting.

There are plans to restart quarrying here but a local action group are against the idea. I personally think it's a chance to tidy up the place, it is overseeded with Scots pine and is currently used by offroaders, fly tippers and there is a dearth of a decent variety of wildlife. Yes, it is badly scarred now, but part of the remit is to replant with a variety of deciduous trees, which would, eventually encourage a better habitat for other species. But that was not what was on my mind today, I was in search of the edible I normally find. This ridge is normally an area for boletus species , but today apart from a few slug eaten remnants, not a sign. Boletus edulis (better known as Cep) and delicious can be bought dried at extortionate prices in my local supermarket. Why pay when I could get them for free? But today not a sign of even a slug munched specimen, I was sadly disappointed .

However there was one edible species,  ^^^ Laccaria laccata, though hardly enough to add to an omelette. But that was all I found. Normally this forest is abundant with inedible fungi, one can hardly walk a yard without seeing all sorts of these strange little growths that appear in amongst the pine needles and mosses, mostly inedible to us but still rather lovely. Today the forest floor was just bare of so many varieties of fungi. A sad sight. 

There were more signs of fly tipping than Fly agarics, that red and white spotted toadstool so often seen in illustrations for fairy stories, yet it is quite poisonous for humans to eat. 

But ... putting my personal pleasures aside, I am truly worried this year about the effect all this lack of forage-able food has on our wildlife. From early on in the year when torrential rain smashed the newly formed flowers and few were able to pollen gather or pollinate so many species, to those that need to feed off the seeds and fruit in hedgerow and field there is a dearth of sustenance to see our local wildlife through what may be a harsh winter. 

As I stated yesterday, us humans can survive thanks to modern supermarkets, but for our native, wild species of bird and beast, they do not have that pre-packed, imported, frozen option! It seems that our harvest can provide for the domestic flock and herd but we have been little able to ensure that our wonderfully varied, wildlife will be so lucky next year.