Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

Thursday, 2 April 2026

MARCH 2026 - Uncommon to rare species recorded this month

Well I still managed 3 new species for the county this month, as well as some interesting asco/discomycetes and one splendid basidiomycete after spending 10 days in Arizona, our 18th visit there since 1998! So I think we like it there. Not much fungi in the desert but bird life terrific, ice-cream even better. Starting at Cirencester Woods, one of my local patches, I found Athelia acrospora which would be 3rd record for West England. On Lawson's Cypress and with lots of short basidia. Also here was the tiny asco. with a few long setae on the same substrate was Berlesiella nigerrima and 2nd for Gloucs. On a waste grass rotting mound also here was the delightfully hairy Coprinopsis macrocephala and 1st for Gloucs. A trip into Wiltshire at Flisteridge Woods (where else!) and after diving deep into the Juncus growing in damp patches on the pathways was the diminutive Cistella fugiens. This on J. effusus and 1st for Wiltshire. Perhaps tiny is too large as it was only 0.1mm wide at the base of the stems. Fortunately 0.1mm is quite large in the scope! The bright and numerous disco. Hydropisphaeria peziza was growing inside a opened trunk of what appeared to be a living Rhododendron tree. Seen before but isn't common. At a new location for me I visited both sides of the Thames Path at Kemble, a place I have driven pass countless times. The above species was here along with Lachnum impudicum on Salix caprea close to the river as you would expect. Uncommon and recorded before. Along to Cambridge village and the marshes beyond close to the River Severn I came upon a row of trees I couldn't recognise at all. Photographing the leaves helped and came down to Populus x-generosa beaupre, a very tall straight white trunked tree but with heavy gouges at all sorts of angles planted by the river. Here I found once again a Peniophora species mostly no one else finds. However, I have checked many times and can't be anything except P. boidinii. 3rd UK, but after my previous two finds! Opps. Short and many lamprocystidia, pointy short gloeocystidia and clamps strongly suggest this species. While here I came upon a bundle of fallen mistletoe, which isn't that common on the ground and checking every inch found hyphomycete Sphaeropsis visci at some end sections. On a trip to Climperwell Woods and with Laura Dutton, I found Psathyrella longicauda, almost by accident as it appeared to look like any other woodland Psathyrella. Checking closely then the rooting base, white edged gills and large spores sealed this ID. 1st for Gloucs and only 23 other UK records. Also here on a myxo. Trichia scabra we found the parasitic growth of Stilbella byssiseda on one small section - 1st for Gloucs. I have found this here before but lost the record somehow. Back at Kemble a frosted looking resupinate proved to be Stypella glaira, one with longitudinal basidia and 3rd for Gloucs. Lastly, also here but on Hogweed was the tiny Urceolella crispula, a delightful white star like fungus and under the scope looks terrific. See pic. Fairly uncommon but probably due to being overlooked as so small.

Athelia acrospora

Berlesiella nigerrima

Cistella fugiens

Coprinopsis macrocephala

Hydropisphaeria peziza

Lachnum impudicum

Peniophora boidinii

Psathyrella longicauda

Sphaeropsis visci

Stilbella byssiseda on Tichia scabra

Stypelia glaira

Urceolella crispula

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.