At this time of year, and particularly in today's steady rain, one has to hunt for interest in those parts of Balblair Woods which are dominated by close-packed, regimented stands of Scots pines. They're dark, silent trees, almost watchful, and monotonous, so one of the welcome contrasts occurs when, for no apparent logical reason, one comes across....
....the occasional beech which, in the last throes of its autumn finery, burns like a bright candle amidst its shadowed companions.
In the grasses and mosses at the base of the pines there is little to be found except some fungi, noticeably fewer than a month ago. It doesn't help that they're camouflaged or covered by needles and leaves, or that they tend to dress themselves in unassuming shades of ochre and brown. However, there are occasional gems to be found, like....
....this cauliflower fungus, also known as a wood cauliflower,
Sparassis crispa. We've only found the species once before, a couple of hundred metres from this one, also growing in the moss at the bottom of a pine.
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