Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

THE month of November is always a good time to search for fungi - as long as you remember that some species are poisonous.

To be honest, there are not many fungi which are dangerous but neither are there many which are edible.

The simple rule, therefore, is to be safe rather than sorry. Enjoy your fungus but always wash your hands after touching them.

My sightings included a fine example of fly agaric, which is surely the most beautiful fungus to be found in Britain.

Its bright red cap, spotted with white, was made famous by Beatrix Potter in her stories for children. Beatrix Potter's first job was as an illustrator at the Natural History Museum in London.

She illustrated a very important book on fungi in the Wayside and Woodland series published by Warnes. They eventually became the publishers of her famous children's books.

The second species I found was a good example of a bracket fungus which grows in the dead branches of birch trees. They were also known as dryad's saddle.

The word dryad meant fairy or goblin and the fungi is saddle-shaped. Beatrix Potter also used this in her stories.

The bracket fungus has a rubbery leather-like consistency and it was used to sharpen old fashioned cut-throat razors and knives. This is why it was also called razor-sharp fungus.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.