Abbey Meadows

Abbey Meadows

Saturday 14 February 2009

Velvet shank




The current prolonged cold spell has brought a profusion of Velvet shank to the woods around Morpeth. They are bright, attractive fungi that need cold and frosty weather to stimulate their growth. They survive under several inches of snow and they can withstand being frozen solid for weeks! They are very well named and apparently edible.
I have just finished work and I am on holiday for over a week so I should get out a bit more. The only birds of note this week were three Tawny owls calling at 6am on Thursday morning opposite the house.

3 comments:

Brian R said...

I did not realise that some funghi needed cold conditions to grow.

Northumbrian Birding said...

I just had a quick look on google for them and they seem to get as far as Guernsey, I was on a walk once and the guy I forget his name he is a well known mycologist is that the term, he said that sometimes the root system of funghi can cover a few killometers.I shall look out for them nice one !!!
brian

abbey meadows said...

I just type in what I've read about them myself but yes this particular species benefits from cold weather and I have read that the root systems of some fungi can cover several kilometres. Thanks both.