Redlead roundhead Leratiomyces ceres After one of the best seasons for mushrooms and toadstools in years, fungi were fruiting on mild days almost into December. Woodchip mulch is widely used on flowerbeds, especially in public places, to suppress weeds and maintain relatively warm, moist soil underneath. The chips break down slowly with the help of fungi, and over the years a specialised fungus flora has developed there, that is rich in nonnative species from as far away as Australia....

Water rail Looking down from Spring Hill we watched a heron chasing a great white egret along the valley until they landed on different sides of the Manor Lake. These are two of our largest birds, one very common indeed and the other a relative rarity. The egret was probably Edgar, our regular winter visitor that terrorized our village ponds a couple of years ago. The egret has a wingspan of 1.5 metres, while the heron can be up to nearly 2 metres. Clearly the heron was the aggressor in this...

Once the shortest day has passed and the days start to get longer, we can start to think of Spring.  January, however, can be a tough time of year for wildlife as food starts to run out and the temperatures drop.  There are still lots of things you can do to help the creatures in your garden survive the cold.   Feeding Birds   Now is the time to fill your feeders with a higher calorie food to help birds withstand the drop in temperature.  Providing suet balls are a really good addition to...