Ash Tree

An ash tree, Fraxinus excelsior.  In winter the twigs end in black buds:

And some branches still hold ash keys:

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-02-09.

Cow Parsley

What I think is cow parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris, which was growing in a small wood.  That this is flowering in early February is an indication of the warmth of the winter we have been having. 

Unfortunately, the photos I took of the plant in situ were rather blurred so here I only show photos of a specimen that I took home with me. 

Here is a close-up of the flowers:

And of the leaves:

Specimen taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-02-09.

Mushrooms

Mycena sp mushrooms growing on an old log.

Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-10-18.

Tree Cross Section

From a year ago: a cross section of a beech tree (Fagus sp) that has been attacked by the fungus Auricularia mesenterica (see here for some close-up photos of the actual fungus).  

Originally the cross section would be all brown but the fungus has digested the hard brown lignin from all but the left and lower left margins leaving most of the cross section whitish.  The dark linear markings appear to be lines of defence where the tree attempted to seal off the advance of the fungal hyphae.

Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2013-02-25.

Crust Fungus

From four years ago: an orange crust fungus, probably Peniophora incarnata, growing on the cut end of a log.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-03-26.