41
RAMBLE FROM NORSEY WOOD TO STOCK, 12th September, 1982
Twenty-two members and visitors met on a lovely
autumn morning at Norsey Woods for a ramble to Stock.
After a slight delay, while some cars were moved to
Stock, we set off in our usual leisurely manner.
The first part of our walk was through Norsey Woods
which took us quite a while due to the number of
fungi which were found. Some were identified on
the spot, but others we carried with us to be identified
at lunch time.
We then fairly quickly covered the next part of the walk
along a road and across fields which the farmer had
ploughed right to the edge, stopping to identify Corn
Mint, Mentha arvensis, a plant with rather an acrid
mint smell, which I can't recall seeing before although
'Collins' says that it is quite common.
We then sat in a field to have our lunch and being
suitably fortified continued through shaded footpaths
to a quiet road with good views over Hanningfield
Reservoir and then through lanes to a meadow leading
up to Stock Church, some members of the party sampling
Bullace fruits growing on the way. A very pleasant
day, which, although we walked further than usual, I
don't think exhausted the participants and made us
realise that these peaceful lanes still exist.
Maureen Tollfree
N.B. One of the fungi picked up by Martin Gregory
turned out to be a new record for Essex. It was
easily identified by its yellow flesh which
immediately turned bright blue on exposure to air.
It was Boletus pulverulentus.
Tony Boniface