Farningham Wood

Gully with fallen trees.  Farningham Wood, 28 November 2013.

I walked through Farningham Wood recently and came across a depression, a sort of dry gully, full of fallen trees.  They had been there for a long while, perhaps since the storm of 1987, or perhaps they had fallen individually at various times, but none looked recent.  A strange place.

I was watching out for late fungi, but saw very few.  There were probably many more, but the fallen leaves will have covered some up, and also a single person always misses a lot compared to a group.  The only fungus photo I came back with was this:

Ascocoryne sarcoides, Purple Jellydisc.   Farningham Wood, 28 November 2013.

 I find it hard to resist taking a photo of this species, which looks like miniature intestines.  This growth was about three inches across. 

Broad Buckler Fern, Dryopteris dilatata.  Farningham Wood, 28 November 2013.

Not everything is brown.  You can see some leafage in the top photo.  And when there is less greenery, ferns stand out better, and there were a few of these Broad Buckler Ferns.  They are tripinnate; the individual fronds branch three times. 

At the top of a rise at the north end of the wood I saw a crudely made memorial seat.

Crude memorial seat.  Farningham Wood, 28 November 2013.

There were dedications on the oaks at either side, one of them quite old:

Dedication by crude memorial seat.  Farningham Wood, 28 November 2013.

The tree's bark has started to grow over the nail heads at the left of this one.  So, roughly made, but apparently well constructed, and I expect that many people will have rested here.  The slope up from the north is quite steep and there is plenty of undergrowth in other directions.