Country diary: up to the gills in toadstool spores

Hollingside Wood, Durham City Overnight, uncountable numbers of microscopic spores had drifted down to be made visible on the paper surface

There is something stealthy about toadstools. When we followed this path recently there were none. Today a dozen shaggy parasols (Chlorophyllum rhacodes) had appeared, shouldering aside the soil with their closed caps. One of these toadstools, with a newly expanded scaly canopy perched on its long frilled stalk, was at the perfect stage for preparing a spore print.

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