This bizarre mushroom-like fungus, scientifically known as Xylaria polymorpha, looks exactly like its name suggests: rotting, blackened, shriveled fingers poking up from the ground.
although there were some rare sightings including this purple emperor at anglesey abbey near cambridge. but some seal populations flourished, with record numbers of seals recorded on some suffolk beaches. the warm and settled autumn produced spectacular shows of colour across the country, and helped some grassland fungi to thrive. waxed cup varieties did particularly well, while this unusual devil s fingers fungus was spotted in herefordshire. the trust warns extreme weather is increasingly becoming the new normal, but says it is possible to strengthen ecosystems against climate change. by making bigger and better patches of wildlife habitat, they can support stronger populations, which are then more resilient to things like climate change. and so that allows them to be sustained within the landscape and actually to start moving across landscapes as the climate does continue to change.