Changing face of stubble

In my youth, the stubbles always seemed to be weedy and full of game at this time of year, but they are almost a desert these days. Do you have any ideas why this is so?

Agricultural improvements mean that, though fewer chemicals may be used, modern herbicides are very effective.

As a result, the slower-growing weeds that often used to flourish after harvest will have been knobbled in their early stages when the crop was sprayed to deal with the more important ones.

These relatively barren stubbles offer much less food, as well as less cover, compared with a few decades ago. Also, modern cereal varieties are usually much less inclined to get blown down in summer storms and, as a result, there is usually much less corn spilled, reducing the attraction further.

Frankly, there is not much that you can do about this, which is why it is important to supply top-notch habitat and feed your birds well. MS

Latin name: Suillellus luridus Common name: Lurid bolete

How to spot it and where to find it: At first glance, there is nothing particularly lurid about this fungus. The cap is generally a rather dull tawny brown, sometimes with a pinkish edge, darkening with age, though the hue can vary considerably, from peach to yellow, grey and sepia. It is velvety in texture when young, becoming smooth with age. Its pores are yellow when very young, but become orange to red, staining dark blue/black where bruised. The stem has an orangered reticulation over a yellowish background. Right at the base, it is a wine-red colour and there is often a wine-red line between the cap flesh and the pores. The lurid bolete prefers deciduous woodland, particularly beech and oak, but can be found around conifers. Interesting facts: As its common name suggests, this is a member of the bolete family; ‘bolete’ is a nonscientific term for any mushroom with pores/tubes rather than gills. It was first described in 1774 by the German mycologist Jacob Christian Schaeffer and kept the Boletus prefix until 2015. It took the name Suillellus luridus after a 1909 publication by American mycologist William Murrill. Luridus means ‘sallow’. Whether it is edible or not is still moot. Some say it is fine to eat if well cooked; others consider it ‘iffy’. What is certain is that it closely resembles some poisonous boletes. The red line that appears between the cap flesh and the top of the pores of the lurid bolete is not found in toxic varieties and blue staining is peculiar to it as well. As always, if in any doubt, do not consume. NJS

Modern agricultural methods often leave stubbles barren, offering less food for grey partridges