This small series celebrates the stunning display of fungi that is visible here in Ladyclough Woods in the autumn. This damp woodland offers the perfect growing conditions for quite rare types of mushroom which flourish late in the year. All photographs on the listings have been taken by me in Ladyclough, although not necessarily next to the hide. It is of course still a very pleasant area for a walk here at any time of year. The final for the 'Masked Mast - Snake in the Pass' multi is also hidden is this wood, remember to have a look for the hidden mast before you come - it really is an extremely easy multi and the first stage can be completed literally as a driveby.
Click here for the Forestry Commission website giving information about this trail. This is one of a small number of caches hidden on the white trail of the Forestry Commission's Ladyclough Wood, and these have all been hidden with their kind permission. Please respect the area and remember the Forest Commission have given their permission for these caches on the understanding you will respect any trail closures if they are felling or working in the area. Please note, part of the wood has been felled and the path can be a little tricky to follow for a brief period.
There used to be a cache here called 'Ashop Clough' which I was the third to find and it was actually only my 14th find. That was a long time ago! Unfortunately it was archived at the request of a cacher who was annoyed over the disappearance of a TB, so I have placed a new hide in the area of the old one, but a totally different hide. This is a great picnic area and view, a highlight location of the circular walk.
This listing looks at Fairy Rings, and shows off some of the other mushrooms I photographed here but haven't been able to identify, as I'm not really a fungi expert. Feel free to give helpful hints in your logs if you know any!
For thousands of years, the sudden appearance of a ring of mushrooms was a sure sign of otherworldly presences. These rings would seemingly appear overnight, or travel from one location to another, with no clear rhyme or reason. Warnings of the dark forces that must create these abnormalities were passed down between generations, and the folklore of fairy rings was established.
These fairy rings (fairy circles, elf circles or pixie rings) are a naturally occurring phenomenon. A fungi creates a ring or arc shape within the soil, affecting the grass in the area, and grows up through the greenery forming a circle of mushrooms. These rings—a lovely surprise and good luck to some, or a dark omen and nasty lawn problem to others—can spread from a very few inches or feet to 164 feet (50 meters) or more.
Understanding fairy rings requires an understanding of how mushrooms grow. Like apples on an apple tree, the "mushrooms" we see are only the reproductive fruit bodies of the "true" organism, which is called a mycelium. The mycelium grows underground; it is a mass of elongated, hungry cells that feed on nutrients, pushing and growing through the substrate as long as there is food available.
When the substrate is evenly composed--that is, when the food supply is constant and uninterrupted--the mycelium grows ever-outward, leaving behind the nutrient-poor substrate it has consumed and pushing into new territory. If the mycelium decides to produce mushrooms, the result is a fairy ring. Many species produce mushrooms more or less annually. Each year, a typical fairy ring expands its radius. Of course, some people may prefer to believe some of the more magical explanations.
Various places have their own superstitions surrounding the fairy rings, but for the most part the myths involve fairies or supernatural creatures either dancing around the ring, or have the ring serving as a portal between the fairy realm and our world. It was also believed that the circles were formed by shooting stars, lightning strikes, or were the work of witches. These beliefs persisted into the 19 th century, as did the warnings to not stray into a fairy circle, lest you be transported to the fairy realm, and certain doom.
It is generally felt that fairy circles are to be avoided as dangerous places as they’re associated with malevolent beings. If you dare to enter a ring, many myths warn you will die young. You also become invisible to the mortal world, unable to escape the ring, or you are transported instantly to the fairy realm. You might also lose an eye for your foolishness. Either way, you will be forced to dance around the ring until you die of exhaustion or madness.