Steve investigates a fungus.
Steve Joul, a senior ranger with Leeds City Council Parks and Countryside Department, led an excited and happy group of 53 (yes, FIFTY THREE) people round the woods on a fascinating exploration of the local fungi! Such was the group’s enthusiasm to hunt down specimens and bring them to Steve’s attention, that your humble reporter feared that we might not reach further than 200 yards from the starting point.
Steve also astonished listeners with his amazing knowledge not only of the English names, but also of the latin scientific names of the species we encountered. (This was not bluff – your humble reporter had a sheet with the latin names on it and was able to check them out!)
In the above picture we can see Steve and fellow students of mycology (posh name for the study of fungi) examining fungi on a birch tree. There is a prize of a BTCV bag for the first person who can tell me the correct name of the species!
As Pliny the Elder might have said: “acta est fabula. plaudite!”
Friends of Adel Woods 
For anybody wondering, the fungus was in fact Inonotus radiatus or Alder Bracket. Here it is seen growing on a Birch tree but it is usually seen in Adel Woods on Alder trees growing along the stream sides. Other common larger bracket fungi here include Birch Polypore, Hoof Fungus, Blushing Bracket, Willow Bracket and Artist’s/Southern Bracket.