Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

After retiring in 2013 and already absorbed in birdwatching around the world, I began to seek out new records and biodiversity in many new forms. In 2015, I started to look towards the world of fungi. This is my story of my key finds, but starting in August 2017. First few years were finds in Bucks and Northants. Moving to Cornwall in May 2018 changed my focus. From October 2020 I only focused on rare or uncommon species. I moved to Stroud, Gloucs. in March 2021 and the Cotswolds awaits.

Sunday, 6 September 2026

AUGUST 2026 - Uncommon to rare species this month

Well if I thought July was bad, then the driest August ever suggested I would not be adding anything this month! However, I decided to find water wherever accessible and so started a new summer trend of stream walking and finding limestone spring outlets. They are all on the Ord. Survey maps. This worked out well as I found many water based species, mostly those completely submerged which is always intriguing, as where do the spores go. Onto the next branch under water I guess. I found Adelphella babingtonii twice during the month, the first at Somerford Keynes, where I was River chasing, waiting to find where the Thames started but miles lower down from the source at Thames Head, which these days is always dry anyway. Looking closely at the pansies growing outside my front door I spotted what appeared to be some sort of mould growing on dead leaves. Looking at this I found the hyphomycete Alternaria violae on Viola x-wittrockiana flower leaves. This would be the 2nd UK record only! But then who else puts their nose into the depths of their pansies. From a visit to Cirencester Park I examined Horse manure (also immune from the sun as it comes from where the 'sun doesn't shine') after a 7 day culture and found Ascobolus perplexans. Not common. At my local haunt at Capel's Mill by the River Frome I sat with my wellies in the water and just picked around at the sticks in and out of the water. Most of the time I spent just walking with normal boots on, the streams suffer also. Ascocoryne lilacina would be one found (5th Gloucs.) and Hydropisphaera peziza with remarkable seriate spores (in water). At Climperwell Woods and still with a stream was Lachnum tenuipilosum on Carex pendula - 8th UK/1st Gloucs record. A stream visit to Leasowes Woods brought me Miladina lecithina but also a rare myxo in Stemonitopsis amoena and would be just 4th UK record!! This was on an overhanging branch, not in water as I doubt this would survive like ascos. A quick visit to my local Bowbridge Carr and stream found the ugly Pandora dipterigena all over a very dead fly. Lastly, another stream walk this time at Chevington Woods (entrance) I found Phaeohelotium flexuosum, Stegonsporium coelomycete and best of all Thecotheus rivicola (5th UK record!) and (found at two different locations) after consulting Nicolas van Voorden in Belgium. So still an exciting month thanks to perseverance and the fungi that allowed itself to be found.

Adelphella babbingtonii

Alternaria violae

Ascobolus perplexans

Ascocoryne lilacina

Hydropisphaera peziza

Lachnum tenuipilosum

Lachnum tenuipilosum spores

Miladina lecithina

Pandora dipterigena

Phaeohelotium flexuosum

Stegonsporium coelomycete

Stemonitopsis amoena

Thecotheus rivicola

Saturday, 1 August 2026

JULY 2026 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

With the hottest month on record this wasn't going to be easy! So most of the time I spent time wading up and down streams within woodlands with some interesting results, at least one new record for the county as well. At Climperwell Woods, I chose the SE route downstream, easily walkable at this time. I didn't have to go far and a bundle of sodden rotting sticks provided Calycina parilis, with short stubby FB's on Alnus. 4th for Gloucs and another water borne species. Also here I found what could only be a Hyalorbilia species, but not H. flatula, normally the only species of this genus you can find in the UK. It suggested H. erythrostigma through various morphological features but with no readable spores as too immature this had to stay no ID. Also and on the same branch also immersed in water was Thelonectria mammoidea, tiny red dots when found with unseriate asci. Few other county records. Clearing out a dying 'Lucky Bamboo' plant from our house a month ago I purposely laid it in the garden on soil and to see what happened. Glomerella cingulata grew quite extensively over one part of the - 4th record Gloucs. Also an agricultural pest. A resupinate in Gyrophanopsis polonensis was found twice during the month but new to me. Once at Michall Woods and again at Cooper's Hill, Buckholt. This has unusual long cylindrical cystidia with many clamps. Also at Cooper's Hill and within a dribble of spring water was growing Orbilia sarraziniana and unusually on Albies alba and also within water. This has to be carefully checked against O. luteorubella as virtually identical, some think the former is a synonym, but the former has consistently smaller asci and spores. You just have to check a lot more than usual. Not that uncommon but a great deal of records for both species must be sheer guesswork. Setoseptoria arundinacea was found on Phragmites australis at Upper Frimilode by the River Severn. 5th Gloucs. My first trip to Lower Woods in South Gloucestershire I had not expected a great deal but I was using this trip as a recce for the Autumn as Oak and Salix mix was reported at this location and wanted to see how dense this was. I did find a resupinate on dried up Corylus which when found I thought was dead but persisting at home with KOH brough this back to life and became 2nd record for Gloucs. in Xylodon rimosissimus. Lastly, I still managed a new species for Gloucestershire at least when finding Xenasma pulverulentum at my local Bowbridge Carr and stream walk. Again partly submerged this has striking striate spores (seen only in Melzers or water), see picture, quite unique in the corticioid world of fungi.

Xylodon rimosissimus

Xenasma pulverulentum

Thelonectria mammoidea

Setoseptoria arundinacea

Orbilia sarrazinian

Hyalorbilia species.

Gyrophanopsis polonensis

Glomerella cingulata

Calycina parilis

Thursday, 2 July 2026

JUNE 2026 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month.

While trying to escape the heat I headed for the woods, this time at Standish Woods north east of Stroud. Here I found just a few examples of the unusual Dendrostilibella prasinula, a small smooth yellow discomycete which often has a asexual form growing alongside, not so this time. This hyphomycete found was lucky as it was imbedded within a resupinate, as most are if you are to find them, this one at Oakley Woods (part of Cirencester Park) and Dictyopolyschema pirozynskii would be 2nd UK record! As I said - lucky. At Climperwell Woods and after some welcome rain it did wake up a few species one being the waxy Exidiopsis effusa, if found in winter turns into an icicle like form. Also here was a welcomed basidiocarp, solitary and young, but showed to be Lyophyllum ellisii, 3rd for Gloucs. Another waxy type resupinate with longitudinal basidia after a long discussion online became Stypella dubia, 5th for Gloucs but new for me. Back at Oakley Woods I found an unusual 'fluffy' scattered growth which turned out to be the asexual anamorph of Botryobasidium candicans (Haplotrichum capitatum). The teleomorph not being that unusual. Here also hiding under a branch, anything above would have been too hot to survive, was Hyphoderma sibiricum, 4th UK and 1st Gloucs. Found on Picea. It has amyloid drops in the hyphae and spores. Lachnum pudibundum was a good find at Buckholt Woods (5th Gloucs.) Can't really mistake this genus as most have short or long lanceolated paraphyses. Back at Oakley and growing on moss, I recorded what I thought was the anamorph state of Muscinupta laevis, and unusual fan-like fungus. I went for the first time to Whitcliff Park, near the Severn river which is a remarkable old parkland from the 16th century where a selfish old lord kicked off all the peasants but planted stacks of trees and so full of ancient oaks and limes, plus much more. I will be going again in the Autumn! Here on Oak I found the small pyrenomycete Patellaria atrata - 9th UK but my 2nd record! A visit to the river Severn due to the heat was in order and hunting through the Common Reeds I found a minute ascomycete from the Stictis genus. I tried to get this sequenced but unfortunately it was corrupted through other fungi, however, due to the existence of the anamorph state as well as teleomorph I put this down to S. immersa. New to the UK, but unproven. Lastly, during a welcome holiday in Ireland and visiting the amazing Powerscourt Gardens in Co. Wicklow found a large bolete growing at the side of one lawn close to a multitude of tree species. By taking two photos I was able to ID Suillellus luridus, or Lurid Bolete. Nice considering I wasn't looking for any fungi during my trip.