Bertie the Brown Birch Bolet - Diary entry No.5

Bertie the brown birch bolet

Sunday was a glorious day with bright blue skies and very few showers. The storms have moved on and the barograph has been steady at 1013 millibars. The clear skies and high pressure herald a cooler period ahead, and winter is visible in the opalescent sky this evening.

Bertie's location is no longer secret. I have breached protocols and Corrine is now enrolled on the "Bertie Protection Program" and has acted as my secretary noting the measurements I take. Unfortunately, she loves the wild mushroom risotto and her allegiance may be closer to the pot than the in depth important research being carried out.

We arrived at Bertie's secret location around 11 a.m. this morning and took the required measurements. Time was short because we had plans to go to the Virginia Pumpkin Festival. The good news is that Bertie keeps on growing despite the odd attack of the thuggish slugs. The stalk has been chewed up on a number of occasions but the cap is till in the relatively good shape. The measurements taken today demonstrate the good progress made thus far, and are as follows: the cap measures 37mm in diameter and he is 55mm tall.

The sunlight shone warmly on the birch forest floor, the bright golden and ochre yellow leaves, and the rich verdant moss. New mushrooms continue to grow and the forest is a wealth of life; pheasants and plump pigeons beat their wings heavily suddenly taking flight as we approached the edge of the forest.

Birch set against the blue sky

The forecast for the coming days is for cool daytime temperatures and it will be interesting to observe Bertie's growth during this period, although it must be said that the damage to the stalk is somewhat worrying.