Well, I found this, @pippapritchard .
Going by the description on this site, it looks possibly rather more like a false morel, but I am not at all sure. I think you are wise not to eat it. What a lovely thing to find though.
Sue
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You get photo of the year award for that.
It does look like Morchella esculenta, but i still wouldn’t eat it.
Last Saturday i was looking in an area where Mitrophora semilibera sometimes appear but didn’t find any. (this is one of several species that get called false morels).
Cheers J.P.
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Looks like you are right, @pippapritchard. I did think the ones in your photos looked … odd … for morels, but had never heard of the false ones. Based on that article cited by Sue, you could probably try slicing through one to see what it looks like inside. What looked odd to me was the cap - much less regular than I usually see, more gnarled or something.
Thanks all! It is nice to learn new things.
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Isn’t it just! Thank you for the helpful link @Betterlatethan & @ramblingjohn for help & kind words.
I’ve had a closer look today - they hollow & the caps & the stems appear to be as one. But those contortions??
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I found this fascinating fungus growing on a tree in the garden. They are DALDINIA CONCENTRICA or more commonly known as King Alfred’s cake, cramp balls or coal fungus. Pelen Duon yr Ynn in Welsh. They are usually found on ash and beech trees and have similar flammable properties to charcoal - great to start an outdoor fire but also apparently of some use as food for certain caterpillars.
I am led to believe that it is unfortunately a sign of decay in the host tree.
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It’s been filthy weather here since late Sunday. But we are led to believe that it will be glorious again by the weekend. These are pictures from last Saturday - we had a day of gardening, pruning, weeding, planting, clearing and lopping, it was wonderful! Here is a picture of one corner of our garden under the Laburnum with some Primula, and another corner, under a Pine tree, freshly cleared of dead leaves, where Beuno (our youngest) is having a picnic.
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I wonder if the bizarre weather had anything to do with the contortions?
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Heddiw - Today.
Pryf gwellt - Caddis fly.
Pont dros camlas - Bridge over canal.
Using raptors to keep pigeons off your property.
Cheers J.P.
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I love the pigeon pic… and the canal!
I always think birds can be a lot brighter than we imply with ‘bird brain’! One of ‘our’ hooded crows could do the most complex aerobatics to get in under the roof of the bird table! He/she taught at least one of the offspring!
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Heddiw - today.
Nyth o titw cynffon hir - Nest of long tailed tit.
Laeth y gaseg - cuckoo flower.
Lindys o teigr ol-adain goch - scarlet tiger moth caterpillar.
Cheers J.P.
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Blimey, that was well spotted! I’d love to find one.
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Willow warbler. Telor yr helyg.
Hard to tell apart from the chiffchaff - siff saff - but I got a close look at this one.
Found it in my kitchen. Subdued but standing up, he didn’t put up much of a struggle when I caught him but flew off seemingly happily enough as soon as I took him outside.
Telor yr helyg.
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Gwych!
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Just lucky enough to see the birds collecting material and flying towards the bush,
as leaves grow on the bush the nest will disappear from view entirely.
There really is some great material being posted here, (thanks to all contributors).
Heddiw - Today.
Pidyn y gog - cuckoo’s point (and many other local names).
Cheers J.P.
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That’s lovely, JP. It looks a lot like what we call a “Jack in the Pulpit” where I live. Probably one of those “other local names.”
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Pidyn also has another meaning ofc 
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