Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: Redlake Cottage Meadow NR, Lostwithiel, Cornwall

Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Redlake Cottage Meadow NR, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - 16th August 2018

Following weeks of drought across the country the skies opened and wet stuff appeared for quite a few days before and thought it was a good time to look at a wet heath land site, one where I could also see wild flowers. Redlake Meadows isn't visited often and I soon found out why, however the overall trip was very satisfactory and also seeing one of the counties rarest flowers in Heath Lobelia - eventually. Firstly, the Cornwall Wildlife site promotes access from the south, which is almost impossible to find and to navigate to the access point. I went north as I was't too much interested in flora as I was in woodland and wet soil which I found by entering the site from the north at GR SX1293 5915. Here you walk due south through an oak and hazel canopy before entering a wet heath land, only one of ten in the country with this type of habitat. Once you are pass the quite friendly but skittish wild ponies, I pushed on further south into more woodland due SW. Here more species were erupting and freshly showed. Through exploring the different terrain I went across and uphill to where a gigantic very old dead oak tree lay. Not knowing what could be here I came upon what I thought at the time a fungi with very unusual markings. I dug dip on my return and followed this through with the help of my membership of the Cornwall Fungi Recording Group (CFRG) to see what this could be. I had already recorded four species of Russula and four Boletes along with some interesting resupinates. The site is difficult to navigate, the woodlands are full of low lying branches and very wet. Nothing wrong with that as exactly the conditions I wanted but unless fit I doubt others would enjoy the experience. I doubt they will find the entrance anyway! The mystery fungus turned out to be a possible first for Cornwall in Simocybe sumptuosa, thanks to the help of Pauline Penna (CFRG) for ID confirmation. An unusual Myxomycete was also found on a poroid resupinate which is also being investigated.