Dunmere Woods, Nr. Wadebridge, Cornwall - 21st September 2018

After a few rain storms in the previous days I decided to revisit this local site once again, this time approaching from the northerly entrance off the main road to Bodmin. Almost all Beech until you walk further and come across a small section of spruce although not very productive. Russula ochroleuca was everywhere but I did run into a single isolated patch of a new Brittlegill for me in Russula densifolia or Crowded Brittlegill. Inspecting a stack of loosely heaped old branches, which looked as though they hadn't been touched for years I was pleasantly surprised to find a very odd fungus, discovering later this to be a new slime mold for me in Stemonitis fusca. These showed a unique structure like groups of tubular bells with very thin hairline stems, see photo. Amazing through the hand lens. Beechwood Sickeners were common and one or two Amanitas with A. citrina var citrina being seen mostly. Normally your head is down looking for ground swelling fungi but somehow my eyes were diverted to a delightful minute mycena species growing on the edge of loose bark and moss on the side of a tree. Never thought I would see a Bonnet this high. This turned out to be Mycena pseudocorticola. A nice rosette of Trametes gibbosa was found on the top of a flat beech stump followed by picking up from the litter atop a small twig an unusual looking bracket, or so it seemed. It showed a surprising slit pores structure underneath with the top very velvety and soft, same for the pores as though stroking a cat. Pulling all these IDs together and having no smell or foot it became Blueing Bracket or Postia subcaesia.
I found a very small Gallerina species near a back yard facing onto the woodland that showed a very nice white ring. Hoping this was something a little special on checking back home this turned out to be a very early but common Gallerina marginata or Funeral Bell. I felt a little peckish at the time but still held off gulping this down raw as it would probably be the last mushroom I ever saw! So once again a few hours of detective work produces some new species for me and possibly Cornwall and the South West. 

Postia subcaesia - Blueing Bracket

Postia subcaesia - showing pore structure

Mycena pseudocorticola - on tree bark with moss

Russula densifolia - Crowded Brittlegill

Stemonitis fusca - a slime mold but with
very unusual tubular structures

Stemonitis fusca - a grouping showing the
tubular nature of each group.

Tremetes gibbosa - Lumpy Bracket rosette on flat beech stump

Gallerina marginata - Funeral Bell - note the
large whitish ring on a specimen that
was only 2 cms in length.