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.

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.

Dendrostilbella prasinula paras.

Dendrostilbella prasinula

Dictyopolyschema pirozynskii

Haplotrichum capitatum

Hyphoderma sibiricum

Lachnum pudibundum

Lachnum pudibundum hairs

Lyophyllum ellisii cap

Lyophyllum ellisii cheilocystidia

Lyophyllum ellisii

Muscinupta laevis (poss.)

Patellaria atrata

Stictis immersa (likely)

Stypella dubia

Stypella dubia showing cystidia

Suillellus luridus

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

MAY 2026 - Uncommon to NEW species!! for the UK.

Well, May will go down as one of those months Field Mycologists like me will remember for a long time. Thanks to a misidentified asco in April, now sequenced became new for the UK as well as a Mollisia lookalike just a few kilometres from home, became another new genus and species for the UK also. Starting with something in the back garden this time found on a dead branch of Honeysuckle. Camarops tublina. 1st record for Gloucs. Back at Flisteridge woods with Richard Huggins on a decort. conifer branch I found ex-Nectria Cosmospora viridescens. 1st for Wilts/21 other records in UK. Also here and for my second time on a very burnt Betula branch Sistotremastrum suecicum, but still 7th rec. in UK! Growing on a resupinate Botryobasium aureum was Pyrenopeziza benesuada, noting yellowing under KOH at the tips of the paraphyses. Apparently a VU under the red list. Surprising, seen a few times, probably incorrect, here 1st Wiltshire. At my local patch Capel's Mill, a footpath goes north along the River Frome. This would herald an extraordinary find but first I collected Diaporthe decedens on a Corylus twig. The spores are almost uniquely 2-guttulate but centralised in each cell. A further walk and about to turn back (how often does this happen to me!) when I thought I would take one last look under a very old rotting log by a riverside pond. Here under a large moss covered Acer species I found what appeared to be a large discomycete, probably a Mollisia. After microscopy and consulting Hans-Otto Baral (German eminent mycologist in this class of fungi) it was almost easily detected as Peltigeromyces mollisioides. Only recently being identified in Europe. This would be a new genus and so species for the UK. I sent this for sequencing and intend to write this up in due course. The spores are incredible as being one of the smallest spores in the microfungi world of ascomycetes. 2.7 - 3.5 µm length!! Back home I was about to throw out a dying indoor plant but as it was Bamboo I always check for fungi, most do not. Here I found Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in its conidia state on Dracaena sanderiana, or Twisted Lucky Bamboo from Waitrose! By invitation, I was asked to take part in Hartpury Univ's BioBlitz. Not a great time for basidiocarps but still managed a few, but at the start of my searching I found tucked under a pile of twigs a pulvinate type grey uninspiring myxomycete, which had me immediately baffled. After consulting out County Recorder John Holden he helped decipher this as being Diderma chondrioderma and would be 4th in England/13th UK record. So May was already good - more to come!! Also at Hartpury was Hymenoscypus repanda with few Gloucs. records, most I suspect are incorrect, this being submerged at the edge of a lake. One of the few genera that survive this way. On an Ash leaf was Hysterobrevium mori - 1st for Gloucs. A trip up towards the Severn, near Upper Frimilode village, the footpath offered up Phragmites to check. Here on dead stems I found Morenoina phragmites (7th UK rec.) my spores being a little larger than the literature but everything points to this species, or its new. Also on Common Reed was the anamorph state Myrothecium atroviride (5th UK). Remember, I am no miracle worker, it's just field mycologists just don't bother with the little things in life, but miss out on some of the biggest surprises in the fungi world. Again with Richard this time ending up at Ravensroost Woods (Wilts) on a discarded manure/grass rotting mound found Peziza fimeti. This would be 1st for Wilts. A short visit to Cirencester Woods under Fagus I found Sirobasidium brefeldianum and would be 5th UK record. The surface very unusually like multiple tiny cushions. Lastly, I go back to the reidentification from last month of incorrectly proposing Didymosphaeria oblitescens and with DNA now new for the UK in Valsaria spartii. Rarely seen even in Europe except around the Med. area. This has red/brown 2-celled verruculose spores and is quite different from other Diaporthe species as long as you know where to look. Thanks to David Harries for the sequencing work (Pembroke). This was on Rubus branch at a hotel ground in Barnstaple, Devon! Whew. June must be quieter than this.