January 2026

January has certainly been a gloomy month, but there is always something happening on the Green that makes me smile. So I was delighted to come across this jelly ear fungus growing on a dead elder tree. If you haven't already guessed, this fungus is so called as it looks remarkably (and rather weirdly) similar to a human ear! If you look closely at the photo you can see the brown lobed cups growing directly from the dead wood. You can also see that the outer surface of the cup is sightly hairy, whilst the inner surface is smooth and shiny. Fascinating stuff and I just wonder what stories those ears have heard!

Just to make you think that Spring might be around the corner, there is a small clump of snowdrops just starting to flower near the Leomansley House fence. These are an ornamental variety, which I suspect escaped from Leomansley House and have been growing on the Green for well over twenty years. They are slowly spreading and are definitely a welcome sight on a dreary January day.

The birds are also starting to be more active and vocal and song thrush, blue tit and great tit (to name a few), can all be heard on the Green at the moment. The jackdaws are also becoming more active and can be seen amongst the trees on the edge of the Green and then coming down to feed. They are most probably making the most of the soft ground and having a hearty meal of grubs and invertebrates. Jackdaws have a distinctive black head, grey hood and light grey eye, which distinguishes them from their close relative, the crow. They are highly social and in a few weeks time they will certainly be making a lot more noise!