Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

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 hairs. 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!!

Arachnopeziza obtusipila

Calycellina indumenticola aff.

Camarops polysperma

Chaetosphaeria ovoidea

Cistella geelmuydenii

Comatricha tenerrima

Durella macrospora

Geastrum rufescens

Hysterobrevium smilacis

Octospora similis

Octospora wrightii

Phaehelotium flexuosum

Phycomyces nitens

Protounguicularia barbata

Radulomyces rickii

Seticyphella niveola

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

DECEMBER - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

A visit during the early part of December to Dorset and then to Chiesel Beach allowed me to check under Tamarisk very close to the sea. Under a branch I found what appears to be a Mollisia species which I couldn't identify and has gone for sequencing, which I expect to report on next month. Unusual substrate, perhaps an unusual species. At Cirencester Park I found Amphinema byssoides, showing encrusted cystidia well, this being the 4th Gloucs. record. While there I heard gunshots very close to where I was walking and decided best to leave rather than be misidentified as a vertically walking deer. It's the way I walk. During a short trip to an old hunting ground at Ebworth I was rewarded with Aphanobasidium pseudotsugae (4th Gloucs) along with an unusual coelomycete embedded in Resupinatus applicatus (basidio) being Cucurbidothis pithyophila. This would be only the 4th UK record for this species. Only spores seen, but clearly. In Pope's Wood I found the unusual resupinate with transverse basidia in Helicogloea lagerheimii, a 1st for Gloucs. all other interesting records were from two visits to Flisteridge Woods in North Wiltshire, a new favourite site of mine. It appears the soil is richer here with many oak and birch trees, limestone free and providing species not seen in and around Stroud. In good condition was Badhamia utricularis, not that uncommon but very attractive appearing like hanging bunches of grapes. Botryobasidium candicans had to be checked carefully and the nearest I could match the spores and basidia size. 2nd Wilts. Hyphoderma cremeoalbum on oak was found in a large area across a trunk of one tree, a 1st for Wilts. Another myxo also not that rare but found here was Physarum leucophaeum where I found it in three different stages of growth and so inc. here. On a holly branch I identified another coelomycete in Pyrenochaeta ilicis, which is normally found on leaves only of this tree. 2nd record for Wilts. Again not that uncommon but the substrate it was using was as Sistotrema brinkmannii was growing across the surface of moss on an Oak trunk. Lastly, a new species for Wiltshire was found, a single example was growing on an oak branch and proved to be Resupinatus europaeus. So the year ended and looking at my life records I noted that 254 new species for Gloucs have been recorded, 1,800 species have been entered on the BMS FRDBI database (double that inc. substrates) since 2014 and with an identified 1,720 species being recorded to date. Well a blog is all about me, so forgive the number bore, but it makes my life tick a great deal more than it ever did when I was birdwatching for 16 years, although that had incredible experiences also :-) This month also saw a paper I co-authored with Jacques Fournier and David Harries reproduced in Field Mycology and our new for Western Europe genus Spirodecospora being described as well as being illustrated on the front cover. A very satisfying December!! Pity about the state of the world, politics and religions but at least fungi are reliable and will be there next year and long after I have made my exit. God save the King ... and fungi.

Amphinema byssoides

Aphanobasidium pseudotsugae

Badhamia utricularis x40

Badhamia utricularis

Botryobasidium candicans

Cucurbidothis pithyophila

Helicogloea lagerheimii

Hyphoderma cremeoalbum

Physarum leucophaeum (mature)

Physarum leucophaeum (imm.)

Physarum leucophaeum (mid)

Pyrenochaeta ilicis

Resupinatus europaeus

Resupinatus europaeus spores

Sistotrema brinkmannii on moss

Tuesday, 2 December 2025

NOVEMBER 2025 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

The fall off of fungi this month was quicker than expected with waxcaps being very low on making appearances during several attempts. A visit to Painswick Cemetery found Incoybe tenebrosa as well as a 3rd record for Gloucs. in Entoloma fernande growing in a shaded area of Pinus needles. This was noted for its frosting edge of the cap towards the margin which is quite unusual for this genus. A short visit back to Ebworth NT found next to nothing which I had undertaken as a recce for a Foray the following weekend. It was devoid of fungi and so had to cancel the event, but on the way out I did come across a single Woodwax species in Hygrophourus cossus, recognised by not reacting to KOH. At Hailey's Woods near Cirencester, again not much at all except coming across what would be a 1st for Gloucs and West of England in Gymnopus fagiphilus. Only 17 other UK records, this can be recognised by its macro due to distinct yellow browning hairs on the stem. Most unusual. Hyphodermella corrugata was found on Fagus at Cirencester Woods and would be the 3rd record for Gloucs. This has stick like crystals forming cordons on the hyphae looking like cystidia. A fungi survey for the National Trust at Snowshill (North Gloucs.) didn't produce a great deal except a few Rickenella swartzii, not that uncommon but new to me! Also found here was a Blue Roundhead, but the lesser common species in Stropharia aeruginosa helped by the size and shape of the cystidia. Lastly, Galerina sideroides was found in Wilts. at the wonderful Somerford Common Woods. This species becoming more common each year, being quite rare 10 years ago.