Summer fungi walk (with Bambi)

In mid-July 2025 I went for a short walk around part of the Sussex Weald, an area of ancient woodland in south-east England to see if any mushrooms had popped up. We've experienced one of the driest springs on record and the warmest June for England, as well as three heatwaves already! Me and mushrooms don't need three heatwaves, thanks.

Mushrooms need rain, warmth and moisture to thrive, and after a downpour earlier in the day I thought it might be worth having a look. Here's what happened:

• At the beginning you can hear my water bottle in my bag and a great spotted woodpecker 'kicking'
• I began in the presence of Bambi, or a fallow deer
• It was one of the driest springs on record in the UK
• Fungi need water to allow the mycelium to produce the fruiting body (mushroom)
• The first fungus I found was a very dry community of turkeytail
• Summer is a time to look for boletes and russulas
• The main fungus I found was a Ganoderma bracket
• Here's the video of the spore cloud I filmed nearby

You can see more of my fungi blogs on Fungi Friday

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