THE SEASON

‘I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery — air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy”’
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

LOOK DOWN FOR

Fungi

ild mushroom hunters should know their regular edible fungi from their psychedelic (or even fatal) species – being intrepid may not serve beginners well. If that puts mushrooms off-menu for you, there’s still plenty to appreciate. Not strictly plant or animal, fungi survive on nutrients from other organisms or dead and decaying organic matter – which means they’re often found cosying up to trees or hidden beneath like cauliflower. Add to that an array of colours, shapes and looks (from the delicate to the monstrous), and mushroom hunting can be just as tantalising as mushroom eating. Grab yourself a handbook and head out to your nearest woodland, and if you can’t devour the fungi, you can at least admire them.