Suzy & Mickey’s Blog – August 2025

Suzy: We are a bit behind this month as the helper monkey kept forgetting to download one key element of the text. Apologies.

Mickey: Turns out I was right.

S: Well, that gets us off to a doubly bad start this month.

M: Oi! I was talking about the end of a nice summer out in the field.

S: The nights have got a bit cooler. Probably better off indoors. Plus the wasps have gone.

M: What wasps?

S: The ones that made a nest just over your stable.

M: So, if I bring the wasps back, I could go out in the field again?

S: Word is that there are other options. Plus how do you intend to bring the wasps back?

{A pause whilst Mickey is thinking – you can here the mechanism whirring gently in the background}

M: What about if I ask for jam on my breakfast?

S: That might work. Someone told me that wasps can detect jam from six miles away.

{I told you that, but I was making it up to test what you would believe – Ed.}

S: That’s a nasty trick. What other false information did you give me?

{You remember when I told you that the Ashdown Forest grew all on top of one giant fungus dome… – Ed.}

M: Yes. That has to be true, there are mushroom and fungus everywhere. My favourite is Wood Ear.

S: Who on earth has a favourite fungus? And yours probably should be Wood Brain.

M: To address your points in reverse order. Yours should be Leafy Brain. And any competent mycologist should have a favourite fungus.

S: Putting insults to one side, how many mycologists do you know exactly?

M: Exactly? Three.

S: Really? Name them.

M: Erik Acharius. Michael Adanson. Gaspard Bauhin.

{A pause whilst Suzy investigates}

S: None of these lived past the early 1800s, so I am inclined to think that is just three random names from an internet list.

{All suspiciously early in alphabetical order too – Ed.}

M: Hey, you are supposed to be on my side.

{I take no sides, I merely record events as they occur – Ed.}

M: OK, I personally am acquainted with no mycologists, but my point stands.

S: What point was that?

M: I forget now, but it was valid.

S: Shall we move onto the question of the month.

M: Yes, we have one from a Mr Raymond Briggs of Sussex.

S: Someone a bit more local.

M: He encloses a photo and asks whether we can identify this fungus.

S: Oh for pity’s sake…

{We waited for a few minutes, but Suzy seemed to consider that to be enough for August – Ed.}