Minions - Phoenix Mine area, Cornwall - 24th November 2019

This was my first visit to this SE border area of Bodmin Moor and was to be one of the more successful surveys this year. There's plenty of free parking, as there are in many places in Cornwall, even at Bodmin Hospital it's free. Perhaps the last one in the UK? While arriving early, I explored the surrounding grasslands around the side roads and as sheep were in abundance then I wasn't surprised to find Stropharia semiglobata or Dung Roundhead. The one here was showering the smaller one with spores almost making the cap appear black. Close by I was delighted to find my first all intact Pink Waxcap or Hygrocybe calyptriiformis, just cm's away from the roadside edge. This was sitting comfortably alongside H. virginea. I left this rare waxcap exactly where it was. Hygrocybe psittacina and H. chlorophana soon followed. Once we had moved towards out main site area of Phoenix Mine we noticed a large Hygrocybe once again at the side of the road growing out from a grassy bank. At first this appeared to look like H. punicea but after thinking just a little longer I found the differential for the much rarer species H. splendidissima or Splendid Waxcap. The flesh is much yellower as are the gills and these features showed themselves on inspection. As this is a very rare species for the South West we left most where it was, but I took a small gill slice to help confirm the ID. This showed later that the spores and many other characteristics that this was indeed the latter rarer species. Found on moorland helped so this was recorded and probably second only record for Cornwall. Hygrocybe coccinea was also nearby as well as many of the more common waxcaps. Earthtongues were some of the target species today, but I only found Geoglossum cookeianum, fairly common on natural grasslands. Many Mycenae species were found, one of the more unusual was Mycena flavescens, out in the open in contrast to where it can normally be found perhaps. Finally, a few small Galerina sps were found, these being Galerina pumila or Dwarf Bell on further microscopy at home.

Hygrocybe calyptriformis or Pink Waxcap

Hygrocybe coccinea or Scarlet Waxcap

Hygrocybe coccinea
spores

H. splendidissima
basidia

H. splendidissima
pleurocystidia

Hygrocybe splendidissima (2nd record for Cornwall)

H. splendidissima spores

Mycena flavescens

Stropharia semiglobata
or Dung Roundhead

Stropharia semiglobata spores

Galerina pumila or Dwarf Bell