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Eranthis hyemalis
Winter Aconite is an easy one to keep an eye out for, as it has beautiful bright yellow flowers that help it stand out. Keep your eyes on the ground as it’s a small plant, that grows up to 15cm.
Underneath its pretty flower, it has a whorl of leaf-like bracts that a form a ruffly collar.
This pretty plant is especially common in the east of England, and can be found in parks and woodlands.
Winter Aconite however is not a native wildflower. It was introduced in the 16th century as a garden plant. Now centuries later, it is considered naturalised.
Winter Aconite has a number of different nicknames. In some regions, the pretty yellow flowers have been nicknamed ‘choirboys’. It’s said that the name came from the ruffle of leaves that surround the flower head. In other regions, they have been known as ‘Christmas-rose’ or ‘New Year’s Gift’, owing to their mid-winter appearance.
Ilex aquifolium
Holly can grow very tall, up to 15m. It’s an evergreen tree so stays in leaf all year round, with sharp, spiny leaves that are thick, glossy and dark green in colour. You can see it flowering between May and August with small white flowers, each with four petals. In winter it fruits with shiny red berries.
Holly is a native plant that can be found all over the British Isles as well as western and central Europe. It prefers to grow in hedgerows, scrubland, woodlands and wooded pastures, and prefers acidic soils.
Holly is a common decoration in our homes around the festive season and was in fact thought to be lucky by many cultures. It was believed that Holly could bring you luck, protection and improve your fortunes. However there is also bad luck associated with Holly. It’s believed to be bad luck if you cut down a whole Holly tree.
There’s many myths and legends associated with Holly that span across many countries, cultures and religions. One Christian-based tale suggests that the Holly once had white berries, but when Jesus was on the cross, his blood dripped onto the plants and stained the berries red forever.
Perhaps the most famous folklore is that of the Holly King and the Oak King, in which many iterations, the two are brothers. The story goes that the Oak King was the ruler of the summer months, while the Holly King was the lord of the winter.
The telling of the story varies, but it is generally believed that on the equinoxes of autumn and spring an epic battle begins. The winner is declared by the signs of the season. When spring begins to bloom, the Oak King has taken the crown. He rules throughout summer, but gets weaker after the summer solstice. By the time the autumn equinox approaches, the Holly King makes his move and the fight begins again. The changing leaves signal the Holly King has indeed won the fight and becomes lord throughout the winter, until the cycle starts again.
Sarcoscypha austriaca
Scarlet Elfcup can be found in damp, shady areas, growing on dead hardwood on the woodland floor. They are often surrounded by moss and can be found throughout Britain and Ireland.
The name “elfcup” comes from folklore, where woodland elves were said to drink or bathe in water collecting in the cups of the fungus.
The Scarlet Elfcup is often confused with the Ruby Elfcup Sarcoscypha coccinea. It requires a microscope to tell the difference between these two species!
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This is a pivotal moment for fungal conservation. The decisions we make now will determine what we discover, protect and pass on to future generations.
Amanita muscaria
Fly Agaric can be found in woodlands and along woodland edges. They often reoccur in the same place over multiple years and are widespread throughout Britain and Ireland.
The name Fly Agaric refers to the fungus having been used as an insecticide.
If the white spots wash off the Fly agaric cap, it can be mistaken for red Russula species such as the Beechwood sickener Russula nobilis. There are also other Amanita species which look similar to the Fly Agaric but lack the distinctive red cap (e.g. The Blusher, Amanita rubescens)
Armillaria species
The term Honey fungus actually refers to several closely related species, all within the Armillaria group. The two most common Honey fungus species are Armillaria mellea and Armillaria gallica, however there are a total of seven Honey fungus species found in the UK. These fungi are often well known by gardeners, as they can cause severe disease in trees and shrubs.
As well as producing fruit bodies, Honey fungus forms distinctive bootlace-like structures called “rhizomorphs”. The tough leathery rhizomorphs are formed of bunches of fungal hyphae (root-like threads), and can commonly be seen underneath the bark of trees which have been infected with Honey fungus. Rhizomorphs vary from pale yellow and red, becoming brown or even black as they age.
Honey fungus grows in dense clusters on dead or dying wood, and can be found in woodlands, gardens, and parks.
The different species of Honey fungus can be easily confused with each other.
Armillaria mellea are bioluminescent, their gills glow in the dark! The glow from Honey fungus is very weak however, and is usually too faint to be seen by the naked eye in a woodland environment.
Laccaria amethystina
Often occurring in large, crowded groups and usually found growing amongst leaf litter in coniferous or deciduous woods, commonly with Beech, Silver Birch or Oak.
The name ‘amethyst’ refers to the purple colouring of the young mushrooms and Laccaria means ‘lacquered’, referring to the shiny appearance of the fresh caps.
This autumn, help Plantlife find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.
Hypholoma fasciculare
This fungus grows in dense clusters on dead or dying wood, and can be found on deciduous or conifer trees.
The Brick Tuft (Hypholoma lateritium) is very similar, but typically has a darker reddish cap, and its gills are more yellow rather than the green-ish tinge of Sulphur tuft gills.
Sulphur tufts are bioluminescent, that is they glow in the dark! They don’t glow strongly, so the effect is best seen using a long camera exposure, or by shining the fruit bodies with a UV light.
Sulphur tuft pictured at our Ryewater Farm Nature Reserve
Mentha aquatica
Water Mint can grow up to 90cm tall. It has pretty, pale purple flower heads and hairy leaves and stems. The leaves can be between 2cm and 6cm and grow in whorls around the stem.
Peppermint shares a resemblance, but has darker flowers, leaves and often has a purple stem.
This pretty, aromatic plant is common all over the UK. You can find it growing in wet meadows, fens and marshes, streams, ponds, riversides and damp woodlands.
It is said that Water Mints pleasant scent was used during the medieval era, to make their dining halls smell fresh.
Reportedly the plants were laid on the floor so that guests would step on them upon entering, and release the sweet smell of mint.
Pteridium aquilinum
Bracken is the most common fern in the UK. A long-lived extensively spreading plant, it can grow up to 2.5m.
It has long fronds with pinnate leaves, which means they have one long stem in the centre with small leaves coming off.
This species, unlike other fern species, dies back in the winter, with it’s leaves turning brown. In the spring Bracken fronds appear tightly curled and slowly unravel.
Bracken is a common site all around the UK – but it’s not just in the British Isles that it can be seen, this species is found on every continent except Antarctica.
Here in the British Isles, it can be found in moorlands, woodlands, heathlands, and even pastures and abandoned agricultural land.
Bracken has fascinating folklore and can be linked to a number of different cultures and religions.
One of the most interesting mythologies around this species is that it was said to hold the power to turn people invisible! Bracken reproduces using tiny spores rather than seeds. The story goes that holding the spores of bracken could make you as invisible as they were.
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