Tuesday 28 October 2014

Fairy Rings:cylch y Tylwyth Teg

"Legends  warn you that those who join the Fairy  dance within the circle under the moon  are sometimes lost to time and place" (Peggy Jentoft)

This afternoon I found the remains of  two impressive fairy rings, or, rather arcs, of partial fairy rings, in Sydenham Hill woods. Finding and entering such rings means I am now in thrall to elves and fairies, and, according to Welsh folklore, may be required to dance myself to death with the fairies at some point in the future, this seems like a small price to pay for encountering such a natural marvelOne of the rings was formed by large Shaggy Parasols, (see the image below), I'd guess it was at least 7 foot wide. The Shaggy Parasols were the biggest I've seen, some as wide as my hands. Apparently such rings can be very ancient, some on the South Downs are reputedly 700 years old. Certain theories propose that the rings get larger every year.



Above, the arc of a very large Shaggy Parasol partial Fairy Ring, in Welsh: cylch y Tylwyth Teg, the Tylwyth Teg are the Welsh fair family or fairy people.

I think the other ring was formed by Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus (see the photos below) this ring was smaller, curling around a small maple tree. I think the gills are too fine for a  Fairy Ring Champignon  AKA Scotch Bonnet, Marasmius oreades, the colour is also wrong, and the caps are too big.  If they are Oyster Mushrooms they are eminently edible. But I'm not at all confident exactly what they are.





Below, some of the fantastic Shaggy Parasols I saw in Sydenham Hill Woods today:



I found this scene below, slightly disturbing, the little shrooms were growing inside the cobwebby trunk of a felled tree, imprisoned by a spider?




Below, this is a Shaggy Ink CapCoprinus comatuslawyer's wig, or shaggy mane,  I saw in Norwood Grove yesterday, one of the few fungi I've seen that fits its text book description perfectly! It even left my hands stained with a deep black liquid, the spore filled deliquescent (liquid solution) that gives this fungi its inky name. Apparently they are edible and tasty when young.


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