Violet grow on the margin of the coppice, indicating the transition to the boulder clay.
Much of the wood bears closer resemblance to Mill Green Common than the other
coppices in the complex, being littered with old clay, sand and gravel workings and
covered in secondary woodland, principally oak and birch. Its pedigree as ancient
woodland is impeccable, though, and there arc also many old hornbeam and sweet
chestnut stools. It is normally quite a wet wood and Tim Pyner has found two species of
sphagnum moss here in the past. Unfortunately, the current run of dry winters and hot
summers has desiccated the landscape and it is not known whether these still survive.
I don't know if anyone has done a study as to whether fungi are commoner on the
margins of woods than in the middle but in my own experience a remarkably high
percentage of unusual species occur in such habitats. It is certainly true of nesting birds,
as many studies have shown, and was also commented on by old school lepidopterists,
in the days before light-traps were the norm. The star find on tins foray, Gyroporus
cyanescens - a species new to Essex - was found in a roadside ditch. It is a member of
the bolete family and the cap - which is pale lemon yellow in colour - never fully expands.
For tins reason the two that were found were nearly dismissed as immature specimens
that it would only be possible to identify with difficulty. In fact, they are one of the
easiest species to recognize as apart from the cap colour, and shape, the flesh immediately
turns black on cutting. I only wish I had taken more notice of them at the time!
Despite frequent showers and longer periods of rain during the previous few weeks the
coppice had still not fully recovered from the effects of the heat wave in July and August.
There were modest numbers of fungi fruiting but no spectacular displays. Disappointingly,
it was another poor season for boleti and at least ninety per cent of those that did appear
- which were mostly in the group formerly known as Xerocomus - were nobbled by the
mould Hypomyces chrysopermus, which has both a white and yellow stage. Throughout
the autumn the woodland floor in the forest was littered with decaying bundles of these
fungi. Two species that had escaped this fate today were Boletus pruinatus and the
beautiful Leccinum quercinum, which is associated with oak. Russula have had a good
year, though, and seventeen species were found during our foray, namely, aeruginea,
amoenolens, atropurpurea, betularum, fragilis, grisea, insignis, nigricans, ochroleuca,
parazurea, praetivirsa, puellaris, pulchella, risigallina, sororia, velenovski and violeipes.
Grisea, insignis and risigallina arc all new records for the Forest. There was also a good
selection of common Amanita, Collybia, Lactarius and Mycena. Other species worthy
of note included Tricholoma sulphureum, Megacollybia platyphylla, Clitocybe odora,
Fistulina hepatica (on chestnut) and Schizopora paradoxa (on hornbeam).
Little other wildlife of note was seen although we did hear several Nuthatches,
Treecreepers and Coal Tits. There was also a small group of Fallow Deer. Around five
hundred Fallow Deer have been shot on the Writtle Park estate during the past three
years, principally does. The number in the Forest has been variously estimated at between
one and two thousand in the past and the stated aim has been to reduce numbers to
28 Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 52, January 2007