Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

FEBRUARY 2026 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

Quite a rainy month, which is helpful at most times for fungi. In the month I visited a Wych Elm patch I found last year with a lot more surprises this time, I visited then joined Westonbirt Arboretum as I intend to visit a lot more over the coming year. So starting with the glade of Wych Elm at Battlescombe, I found Sistotrema muscicola and 1st for Gloucs., then a hidden Diplodia melaena coelomycete which would again be 1st for Gloucs as it was just the 7th record in UK. Also here a small patch of the tinted red Hyphoderma rosecremeum would be 2nd for Gloucs. Also here was the ascomycete Hamatocanthscyph laricionis but showing the anamorph growing within in the shape of little black bottles, or more scientifically - lageniform conidiophores! Not unusual in itself but the asexual state was. A short visit to Buckholt Woods resulting in the very unusual find of a Cortinarius species in the middle of winter and still identifiable! This would be C. brunneus, 3rd record for Gloucs. and under Picea albies. There are 10 other records on BRDBI for this species in the county but all were incorrect as stating growing with deciduous trees. With Laura Dutton. At Climperwell, fields only this time, on Carex species I found Stagonospora paludosa (1st Gloucs/5th UK) and Stictis elevata on an unrecognisable dicot (1st Gloucs/13th UK). I went to Westonbirt for the first time for many months and with view to checking out species on Juniper. Never recorded species from this tree as can never find one around here! I did here, six in fact but all provided widely available species found on/with most other coniferous trees. Not a good start. However, I did find a myxo in Comatricha laxa (2nd Gloucs) and another Xylodon nespori resupinate with encrusted cystidia (3rd Gloucs). This being on Yew. Back at Climperwell and again in the fields I thought I should check the newly dumped mountains of manure/hay/debris stacks now littering the fields and placed straight across the footpath at the field edge. No one cares, just dump it. But, I was glad to find an unusual asco in Cheilymenia theleboloides littered across the stinking mass. Oh what delights fungi pull me into. I nearly fell face first once, trying to get through to the footpath! This would be 2nd record for Gloucs. Further down into the woods I found Botryobasidium obtusisporum and 1st for Gloucs. and on Western Red Cedar. Unusual substrate. A visit to Huddingknoll Hill, north of Edge village, provided a few amazing green/black discomycetes on Hawthorn. This had to be good. It was and eventually identified as Ionomidotis fulvotingeus, a lichen looking sps., with forked paraphyses towards their tops. 1st for Gloucs. A visit into Wiltshire took me back to Flisteridge Woods once again as I love this place. I had to hide from a pack of foxhunting (well pseudo trail following) dogs though first! And I had my Davy Crockett hat on as well, with tail. No I didn't. Everything is old, wonderful oak and birch everywhere plus, and with me there as well, then it just got older! A resupinate in Hypochniciellum ovoideum was 1st for the county, which is difficult to ID, but has unusual clamps and pointy basidia. Sistotrema brinkmannii was growing like a parasite on top of a Birch Polypore bracket, not uncommon but the substrate was, plus on Betula was Sistotremastrum siecicum. Finally another myxo was found on oak in Arcyria affinis. So a good month considering it was February. Look hard enough and it is busy with fungi but usually hiding away.

Xylodon nespori

Stictis elevata

Stagonospora paludosa

Cortinarius brunneus

Comatricha laxa

Ionomidotis fulvotingens

Sistotrema brinkmannii

Sistotremastrum suecicum

Cheilymenia theleboloides

Hypochniciellum ovoideum

Botryobasidium obtusisporum

Arcyria affinis

Diplodia melaena

Hamatocanthscyph laricionis

Hamatocanthscyph laricionis anamorphe

Hyphoderma rosecremeum

Hyphoderma rosecremeum cystidia

Sistotrema muscicola

Sunday, 1 February 2026

JANUARY 2026 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

Well who said January was a dull month! Ok, mostly ascomycetes but mostly also very unusual. Somehow found five species with less than 10 UK records! plus 3 more new for county records. A lot of these were extremely small discomycetes, some on leaves only and I realise now the only way I actual can see these is when I take my glasses off! While at Parson's Hill, a secret location for old growth Pinus and Ilex, now no longer a secret, the first up was Arachnopeziza obtusipila on Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) although 7 other records already in the county, this would only be the 23rd UK record. Also here but on Holly (Ilex) was some very small ball-like ascos in Chaetosphaeria ovoidea which would be 1st for Gloucs. and only the 10th UK record. Bear in mind that I may find what appears to be rare species but the fact is not many folks actually look and examine minute dots, yet alone for ascomycetes! They are all missing a great deal. Again on a very decayed Holly branch I once again found Durella macrospora, still only 8th UK record, two of which I have recorded myself, one from the same branch I think. Sorry. Another on Holly was the unusual blackened hair tips of Protounguicularia barbata, and 4th in Gloucs. Last month I mentioned a odd Mollisia species found on the Dorset beach on Tamarisk. After sequencing thanks to my good friend David Harries it came back as the nearest being 97.6% M.ligni. Well it wasn't that as too many microscopical differences are showing so this remains a mystery for now. Macro morphology wasn't identical either. Probably a new species.

With now short afternoons due to fading light I took a few trips down to my nearest tiny nature reserve by the River Frome with the intent of studying leaves and the smallest of things, inc. mosses. I have never really found a discomycete species on moss and at Capel's Mill I would find two on the same branches and moss species. First up though would be a minute disco. Calycellina indumenticola aff., thanks to Otto Baral at AscoFrance, as this could have been one of several species. Maybe even now could be another new species as this has very unlike Calycellina spores, much wider than normal. This would still be 1st for Gloucs and 20th in UK. Small discos on Corylus would be Cistella geelmuydenii, which has 'Milk Bottle' type hairs, or more scientifically lageniform shaped anamorph growth cells growing through. A myxomycete found on Hogweed by the river here worked out as Comatricha tenerrima. 4th Gloucs, although quite uncommon elsewhere in the UK. A first for me although not that uncommon would be the lovely Earthstar species Geastrum rufescens. Note the reddening flanks or feet. On Rubus I found Hysterobrevium smilacis and 11th for UK, after my couple before also. Again while sifting through a handful of rotting leaves, full of creepy things trying to escape my eyes, I found on a single Prunus leaf a few tiny dots which only under the scope showed very unusual large white hairs at different sizes looking like a starburst and would become Seticyphella niveola (a basidio!). 18th UK record/2nd Gloucs. See picture as a must-see. Lastly at this delightful spot I started to dissect lots of moss covered corylus branches. Here I found two minute discomycetes both Octosporas with ornamented spores in O. similis (6th Uk record!) and O. wrightii (18th UK/3rd Gloucs). Both on Amblystegium serpens. At Standish Woods I found on Betula Camarops polysperma (1st Gloucs.), a thick stroma type pyrenomycete type species. Also here and on Betula I found an unusual discomycete, which a lot of folks mistake for Lemon Disco, but has a different apothecia shape and spores in Phaehelotium flexuosum. 6th Gloucs but still only 34 other UK records, looking at some of these then a lot were Lemon Disco! On a small mammal's dung found on a Salix twig at Saul's Junction (near the River Frome) I found the Zygomyces species Phycomyces nitens - 3rd Gloucs. Lastly, phew .. while clearing away plant debris from the garden on a rotten old Lawson's Cypress branch I found Radulomyces rickii, a uncommon resupinate which has large globose spores. Amazing what's in your own back yard. Behind this tree I found a mattress, two Tesco's trolleys and a bag of cement. I am joking!!