You just can't beat the smell of the woods after a good downpour. We've had the sweet smell of spring flowers, summer heather, fresh mown grass, this is the smell of autumn.
It is what badgers smell of, if you've ever been blessed to get close to one; so what is it exactly? A combination of leaf litter, friable soil, damp, and no doubt about it, a hint of mushroom.
It's hard not to start thinking of pasta carbonara if you've headed into the forest on an empty stomach! I therefore recommend a good breakfast before meeting at Rough Common car park for the' Fungi Foray' that kicks off at 10:30 on Sunday the 19th of this month. Martin Newcombe will be your guide, a well-known local expert with a keen eye and nose for 'shrooms' in all their varied forms.
I have uploaded a nice photograph - carefully bracketed (haha) to whet your appetite, but, it's not from this country. When I walked the Blean last month there wasn't a toadstool or mushroom to be found so I raided my holiday pics. By the time you get there it should be just right; we've had lots of rain and the Blean is full of the vegetative detritus from the growing season being prodded, probed, infused, enveloped and positively infested by the sinuous threads of fungi that will burst forth into an array of fruiting bodies for your enjoyment and perhaps delectation.
We'd love to see your pictures of what you find, and I'll choose the best one for the next Fungi Foray poster at Blean Woods.
Come along on the day, it's only £3 for adults and all kids under 16 years of age are free. DON'T FORGET YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS.
blean.woods@rspb.org.uk