Tis the Season to go Mushroom Hunting…

and unleash your imagination whilst out in the woods

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“One who is noisy in the wood, scares away mushrooms” ~ Russian proverb 🍄

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Hello creative souls 💜

So, I promised you that my next post would be about mushrooms, therefore, last weekend my husband and I decided to take Audrey, our Norfolk terrier, out for a walk in the woods, all in the name of research. Sunday morning down in south Cornwall was murky, misty and humid, the perfect autumn day for mushroom hunting. As we walked under the canopy of trees it sounded like rain, but actually it was just the damp, heavy air settling on the leaves and dripping down onto the woodland floor. The woodland path was covered in fallen leaves that were glossy and brown, acorns, sycamore seeds and cobnut pods littered the floor and as we walked along the path they cracked under our feet. There was an eerie feel that surrounded us as we walked deeper into the woods, an atmosphere that felt otherworldly, spooky, but also magical. The trees were covered in bright green wet moss, their roots exposed, like long spindly toes crawling along the woodland floor, glossy ferns covering tiny doorways at the bases of the trees.

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The woods had lured us in with the promise of finding mushrooms and with my imagination sparked, the possibility of seeing nature spirits and faeries. With my camera in hand I was totally consumed with observing the plants, the animals, the trees and finding the elusive mushrooms, so much so, that we had managed to get lost, we had wandered off the beaten track, lost ourselves and time. Had we wandered into another realm? There was no bird song, it was silent apart from the dripping from the tree tops and the popping of the acorns as they dropped from above. Dewy cobwebs hung like crystal chandeliers in the trees, the slugs and snails had come out to greet us on our path.

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As you have probably gathered, we did manage to find our way back out of the woods safely, carefully retracing our steps. It was an enchanting walk, an atmospheric, autumnal explore with lots of gifts from nature that I collected along the way, not only did I manage to find an array of mushrooms, but I also found my imagination, I was able to reconnect with my creativity, imaginings of little fairy homes hidden in the undergrowth, toadstools used as little fairy seats, slugs and snails, adorned with acorn cups used as saddle bags being ridden bare-back around the woods. I remembered the stories my mum told me as a child about fairies that lived in our house and the flower fairy books that I just loved and still do now. I couldn’t wait to get back to use my reawakened creativity to produce art and to record my findings in my nature journal.

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Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten my promise about writing a post about mushrooms, as they are magic after all, but this week I am on holiday and I am using my time to enjoy researching and reconnecting with nature. However, if you head over to my YouTube channel you will find a video about our woodland adventures and the items I collected on the walk, which I recorded in my nature journal. Just click the link below and subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss the premiere this Friday.

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So until next time creative souls,

Stay naturally curious,

Clare 🍄🧚🏼‍♂️🧡