Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: September 2019

Friday, 20 September 2019

Okeltor Mines, Cornwall - 8th Sept., Hawkes Wood 10 Sept., Treraven, Wadebridge 16th Sept 2019

I have combined a few visits together here and selected some of the more important finds to show. Firstly, I met with the CFRG and DevonRG annual get together this time on 8th Sept at Okeltor old mines area on the borders of both counties. Being very dry the outcome was lacking in fungi, especially agarics. However, the harder you try the more you find and among some of the fungi recorded I managed to locate a Russula hiding away in the undergrowth, and after the stem turned salmon pink under Iron sulphate and basic macro signs was enough to see this as R. sardonia, or Primrose Brittlegill. At a area that was protected from the sun and near a wood pond most of the good fungi started to be found. Not far from the Russula I almost walked past a group of mushrooms hidden by fern by the path-side. 10 other highly experienced mycologists had just passed this by and when pushing aside the fern I found a group of agarics, most of which suggested Paxillus, probably therefore being P. involutus. Not so. After scrutiny back home and with the help of Pauline Penna and David Farley (DFG) id using ammonia this transpired to be Paxillus ammoniavirescens. This would be 1st for SW of England and 11th in UK, according to available data! Wonderful.
Later on 10th Sept I had a short sojourn up to my local patch at Hawkes Wood once again. Something new always turns up every time I go there. I had just entered the site and tried an area not visited before but awkward to get to, and spotted Calocera cornea after turning a Hazel branch. It looked different so at home checked in the microscope and found something quite remarkable hidden away due to its size. This was very minute 'sticks' with a spore sac atop each 'stick'. Never seen before. Checking Petersen/Laesson's new publication (FTE) this turns out to be a rare small pyrenomycete called Sporothrix polyporicola. I managed to obtain a few microphotos and sent these to BMS. Only one other record I could see in UK!! Also found Botryobasidium aureum with yellow anamorphs showing well.
Later on 16th Sept I visited my local other patch at Treraven Woods, but this time heading for the nearby meadows. Last year hardly any waxcaps were recorded in Cornwall, so nice that I came across a few here in Hygrocybe conica (Blackening), Gliophorus psittacina (Parrot), G. irrigata (Slimy) and Cuphophyllus pratensis (Meadow Waxcap). Will all those lovely gorgeous professional mycologists please get these sc. names right and stick to them as it's driving all the amateur sleuths barmy!! Lastly, I found a nice group of Lactarius pyrogalus or Fiery Milkcap (named after my beloved wife) at Exmoor Zoo, oddly under a Fucshia bush soon after seeing our dearest friend Zoysha, promoted as the 'The Beast of Bodmin Moor'. This is utter rubbish as he is just a friendly beautiful black gene Leopard (not even a Panther) brought up at the zoo years ago. Still if it gets the punters in and helps the zoo ....

Russula sardonia or
Primrose Brittlegill

Russula sardonia
cap cuticle

Paxillus ammoniavirescens - 1st for SW England (11th UK - ref BMS)

Paxillus ammoniavirescens spores

Paxillus
ammoniavirescens
pleurocystidia

Sporothrix polyporicola - note spore sac at end of stem. 2nd for UK!!

Botryobasidium aureum
with yellow anamorphs

Hygrocybe conica or Blackening Waxcap

Gliophorus irrigata
or Slimy Waxcap (sticky)

Gliophorus irrigata stem/gills

Gliophorus psittacina or Parrot Waxcap

Gliophorus psittacina
gills

Lactarius pyrogalus or Fiery Milkcap

Lactarius pyrogalus spores

Monday, 9 September 2019

Wilsey Downs Woods 2 - 2nd September 2019

Following on from a previous visit two weeks ago (see blog 22nd Aug.), and being encouraged following the Cortinarius and other fungi found I went back for another look as the opportunities were good for new fungi as many areas remained unexplored. Once again, I wasn't to be disappointed with potentially four new species for Cornwall turning up, two Inocybe's, one more Cortinarius (had two other's two weeks ago) and a resupinate. First up but only after a long walk through various forestry tracks was a dark capped Imleria badia or Bay Bolete. Not that uncommon. I then headed east at the rear of the forest along the main track and came upon an older growth and much taller stand of Silver Fir or Albies alba. This presented good ground cover and access to enter. First finds were a cluster of Inocybe napipes or Bulbous fibrecap. Many were around the area generally and I had different examples at growth stages to examine and decide in the end they were all the same Inocybe. In one area a small group of what I thought initially were the same again, looked remarkably different as they had extremely hairy scaly caps and stems, pale gills and at different stages of growth. After painstaking work back home, microscopy and finding an all important balloon type cystidia this was looking to be the first gem of the day in Inocybe lanuginosa. First for Cornwall, probably South West England as rarely reported but probably as it is a confused species with two others and depending which name you prefer ends up being reported. I am sticking with this one as only recently eminent mycologists Laesson and Petersen have listed this as a definite species. Reported into the BMS. If that wasn't enough I reluctantly moved on, I descended into another part of the woodland where I came across a first for me, although seen fairly frequently if you look hard enough in conifer forests. This was a very young Tricholomopsis rutilans or Plums & Custard! Nearby was a much larger specimen looking absolutely amazing in the darkened area of the forest. Turning over a few very old cut logs covered with moss I found a whitish/ochre cottony looking resupinate. This turned out at home to be a first for me and Cornwall in Cristina helvetica, although it doesn't seem that rare in other counties. Perhaps under recorded through lack of visits to the right conifer forestry. Spores coloured blue with Cotton Blue stain. Next to this was another group of Inocybe's this time different again to the previous two species found already. This one had various changes inc. a cap that although hairy wasn't anywhere near as much as the previous I. lanuginosa. Again, after microscopy at home, I deduced that this was probably Inocybe subcarpta, another first for Cornwall. Starting back for my car I cut across a little used track and out of the corner of my eye caught sight of a large boletus type growing happily out in the open although growing close to a moss covered stump. Checking the pores and as these were large and angular this put me onto what would end up as Suillus bovinus or Bovine Bolete. Moving further up this track, which even dog walkers would avoid (saw many today again - this time a little more friendly just because I DIDN'T have a dog) two pale capped agarics stood out under the edge of the conifers. Again after careful examination and helped greatly by a loud violet stem, good spores etc came in as Cortinarius stillatitius - the very species I had not taken with me last week as it had gone over, as this family too often does. Phew, what a day! And people think I'm nuts, but with days like this then it makes seeking out and identifying difficult species all the more gratifying and proving the amazing diverse range of nature that exists if only you take the time to look for it.