On Monday we awoke to find a large black circle outlined in the back garden. It has a diameter of approximately eight and a half metres (nearly 28 feet). Of course we had to exchange all the “Martians landing” jokes but strangely there was an oily deposit on the grass which did look like spilled fuel!
The grass was heavily covered with black globules.
I picked off this blade of grass to have a closer look at it but I could see no finer detail in the black globules. After a quick check with the Royal Horticulural Society’s web page, it seems to be a slime mold probably Physarum cinereum or a closely related species.
I had wondered if there would be any changes in it after a few days but slime molds are not exciting to watch. After a few days it is still adhered to the edges of the new clover leaves which are growing from the inside and it is giving their edges a grey frill. By now it has probably been induced to form spores by the sunshine and these spores will be spread by the wind and anything that gets in contact with them. As it is the first time they have appeared in the garden I am letting them take their course and hope that we will not get the appropriate weather conditions to welcome them again. The garden is never water-logged and we get a high level of sunshine even in the winter time so I hope it will not be a frequent occurrence.
On the other hand, the fairy rings are welcome. They appear at the bottom of the garden (as I believe is the custom for fairies) and coincide with the advent of the cepes in the woods round about.
They range in size from about 1.5 to 5 centimetres and have a smooth cap that is raised in the centre. When you pick them they have their own particular odour. I find it difficult to describe but it reminds my neighbour Annie of the smell of almonds. I think they are Marasmius oreades, or faux mousseron.
The stem detaches easily from the earth so I use scissors to collect them so that I can keep them as clean as possible. It is then recommended to snip off the stem. After that I wash them gently in a bowl to remove any adhering soil and drain them on kitchen towel. They are then ready to cook in any mushroom recipe.
The purists would probably just wipe the cap with a damp cloth and certainly if they are to be dried this is the method to follow. They air dry very easily if you do not wash them.
I took the easy way out and made an omelette as I was on my own. It is certainly not fast food as the collecting and cleaning takes time but I had the satisfaction that it was truly “local” dish as the eggs had been brought to me by Annie who is only 200 metres away.
I do not recommend anyone eating the mushrooms they might find in their garden as, unfortunately, there are many similar look-alikes that are not edible. I would not have touched them but they were recognised by a friend who knows his mushrooms and I know they were gathered and eaten from the garden before we came here.
While I was collecting the mushrooms I saw something I would have otherwise have missed as it was so well-camouflaged.
These things do not appeal to me and if you feel the same please just skip the rest of the blog.
It was what it was carrying that amazed me!
This creature had caught a grasshopper and he was able to transport the body in a remarkably nimble manner. I think that it is a Hogna radiata which is apparently quite common in France.
He seemed also capable of jumping and was most anxious that I might steal his precious bundle. I am not sure whether to consider myself lucky to have seen it or unlucky as it was quite gruesome.
a french garden 