Purple Fungi

As we are in the depths of mid-Winter, it is timely to reflect upon a small outing Andrew and I made in the environs of the castle in the Autumn of this year. The drainage for the walled formal garden of the castle has been broken for as long as I have known the grounds, resulting in the majority of this area being a bog. The only beneficiaries of this situation are the rare orchids that flourish in the damp conditions.

Anyhow, Andrew and I decided to make a reconnaissance of all the drainage ditches in the area to see if we could gain any insight into how to ameliorate the situation without, at great expense, digging underground drainage channels in the garden itself.

As we followed a ditch through a forested area, we came across bright purple fungi, that I had never  ever seen before. This is all the more surprising as I am a student of fungi. The intensity of the purple colour was astonishing! Andrew took the photos as I did not have my phone with me at the time. 

It was one of those sunny autumn days that made one feel it could be Summer. Sadly no such mistake can be made in mid-Winter, so it is pleasant to recall this day!

Does anyone know the species? Is it the, apparently delicious, Amethyst Deceiver?

bright purple fungi near Balintore Castle

cluster of purple fungi

other fungi in the same forest