When I came across this fungi my initial thought was that it looked like an ear. Being trained as an artist I couldn’t help but think of Vincent Van Gogh’s cut off ear being somehow surrealistically transposed in time and lying there in front of me. Indeed, Woods are mysterious places that often bring out the primeaval and irrational in me. Anyway, the reference to the ear wasn’t as subjective as I had assumed because when I arrived home and looked-up my ‘Mushrooms and Toadstools’ Field Guide, I was delighted to find a match and yes you guessed it, it’s called, ‘Jelly Ear’ (Auricularia auricula).

Hand-held captures using Tokina 35mm macro. The small apertures really bring out the detail and give an indication of the wooded background. I’m beginning to love this lens and I can see that it has great potential for macro/environmental captures.

Porthkerry Woods, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales