Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

Sunday, 4 October 2026

SEPTEMBER 2026 - Uncommon to rare species found this month.

This month provided a mix of interesting species, at least six new species for the County, a few unusual and one possibly new species. Starting with the latter, and while on a trip in wildest West Sussex, I collected a group of Hyprocrea fungus that after detailed checking I could not find a match with existing literature and for European listed species. This genera has the strange 16 spored asci that spilt off to 32 separate spores, the size of which is critical. Arthrinium puccini was on Bamboo (one of my favourite substrates) at The Cotswold Science Park. 1st Gloucs. A myxo on a larch branch in Beechenhurst (first visit) became Cribraria intricata so 1st for Gloucs. Thks. to John Holden for confirmation. Afterwards and only at home, I discovered a very small grey translucent jelly fungus growing within and I can only put this down to Dacrymyces macnabbii - 5th UK if correct. I spent a lot of time this month leaf checking and coming up with all sorts of discomycetes which I will report on now. Calycellina fagina and C. leucella being two on Red Oak leaf, along with Orbilia leucostigma (the real one confirmed by H. Baral), Mollisia rabenhorstii on Oak leaf and Hypoderma ilicinum (asco) on Red Oak again. So patience leaf checking paid off. During a survey of a special site at The Cotswold Water Park at Swill Brook I found what I believe to be Cortinarius fragrantior but am getting this sequenced to be sure - 5th UK. Also here was Pseudosperma obsoletum as well as another Alder Bolete - Gyrodon lividus, that we found last year also. Must be a valuable site for this species as not found much anywhere else in Gloucs except Forest of Dean. Also Hebeloma nauseosum and H. vaccinium - both 1st for Gloucs. A couple of ascos in Boar dung became Sordaria fimicola and rarer still S. humana. This was from Beechenhurst where it appeared the animal is digging up the forest bit by bit. Other highlights include Cosmospora flavoriridus (Nectria type) on Corylus at Harleywoods, Tubaria romagnesiana on soil at Standish Woods and Hyaloscyph minuta on a Fagus branch also here. So an interesting month, but had to find dampness to achieve anything worth while.

Calycellina fagina

Calycellina leucella

Cortinarius fragrantior

Cosmospora flavorirides

Cribraria intricata

Dacrymyces macnabbii

Gyrodon lividus

Hyprocrea sps.

Hebeloma nauseosum

Hebeloma vaccinum

Hyaloscyph minuta

Hypoderma ilicinum

Mollisia rabenhorstii

Pseudosperma obsoletum

Sordaria humana

Tubaria romagnesiana

Tubaria romagnesiana cheilocystidia

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.