It is a common fungus locally, growing mostly in grassy woodland. The gills (underneath the cap) are white, gradually darkening to brown as they age. The slender white stem often has a white ring near the top.

This mushroom is usually found in small groups, rather than as scattered individuals.

Younger specimens have caps that are more conical, becoming flatter as they age. The slender parasol mushroom’s scientific name is Macrolepiota clelandii. The fungi make up, to some extent, for the lack of wildflowers at this time of the year.

Fungi of all colours, shapes and sizes can be found. While most are subdued, some are steel blue, plum purple, brilliant red, fluorescent orange, rich golden yellow, bright white, olive green and more.

A dull yellow puffball-like fungus now appearing in grassy forest is the yellow earthball. It’s often found not fully emerged from the ground.

A display of locally-grown native plants last weekend included correas, hakeas, banksias, grevilleas and more. Spring, of course, is the main flowering season for most plants. This is also evident in local forests and native grasslands, where very few wildflowers are blooming.

The common heath and the common correa are notable and colourful exceptions, along with a few others, such as silver banksia, cranberry heath, prickly broom-heath, a few orchids, and spreading wattle. Winter-flowering trees include drooping sheoak, yellow gum, swamp gum and red ironbark. That’s about it for winter solstice wildflowers.

Anyone with an environmental or land management interest knows the danger of moving soil from one spot to another.

Too often a load of soil brings an unwanted range of weeds with it.

A local naturalist with an interest in the Canadian Regional Park found a dumped trailer load of soil in the park last month.

In this dumped soil were 15 species of weeds. They included widespread species such as bent-grass, ribwort (plantain), nightshade, white clover, sow thistle (milk thistle), dandelion, barley grass, spear thistle and capeweed. Then there were fumitory, sharp buttercup, hogweed (wireweed), scarlet pimpernel, mint and potato.

Fifteen species in one trailer load – many of them potentially spreading their seeds into Ballarat’s newest park. This trailer load would certainly not qualify as “clean fill” in the bushland environment.