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Would you believe it!

We hadn’t been to the National Botanic Garden of Wales for a couple of weeks and when we went for our volunteering stint this week, there was a brisk cold wind blowing but it was sunny.   It really feels like autumn now so it was not really surprising to be asked to go and collect some acorns and conkers for the half term family activities.  I’m always happy to be out in the Garden and I didn’t have to go far to find loads of both and also some beech mast.  It didn’t take long to collect what was needed and then I went to see what else was around in the Garden.

Some of the grasses are looking lovely and there are still a good number of flowers around.  I thought that I hadn’t seen any chrysanthemums in the garden but when I was wandering I found some in the double walled garden.  They always say ‘autumn’ to me and their colours are lovely.   I know some people like the large specimen blooms like the ones at the recent Chrysanthemum Show but for me the smaller sprays are the nicest.  

In the Mediterranean Garden I was amazed to see a little clump of snowdrops in bloom.  I have never seen these lovely little flowers at any time other than January/ February and in The Apothecaries’ Garden there were some primroses. These two plants in flower together say ‘spring’ don’t they? 

Whatever we find in the Garden, it is still autumn and one of the good things about autumn is the fungi.  When I was collecting conkers I found some delightful puffballs.  I don’t know much about fungi so can’t say what sort they are but they looked great thrusting through the leaves beneath a horse chestnut tree.  Last year we went on one of the Fungi Forays to see the wax caps.  They are amazing.  Their colours are so varied and vibrant and yet delicate all at the same time.  I know I’m always going on about using our eyes to really look at things but it isn’t until you start to look for fungi that you see them everywhere.  A walk through the Back to Nature Woods is easy and can be rewarding.  Once you start looking you’ll be surprised at what you can see.

Another thing we did this week was to go back to the Garden on Wednesday for the recording of a Radio 4 programme, Saving Species,  about fungi.  We’d never been to a recording before so it was interesting on that score as well as the content of the programme; in spite of the presenter announcing it as a lot of rot, or words to that effect.  You’ll have to listen in to understand what he was talking about.  We found it fascinating, very informative and, in the setting of the Great Glass House, it was a pleasant hour or so.  It will be broadcast on 1^st November at 11am.