Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: January 2020

My report on this occasion brings together a few highlights of visits in and around my area during the winter months of 2019/20. Remarkable finds for this time of the year occurred so starting with a small footpath hardly ever used I call Trelyll Farm track then not finding a great deal I came across a Inocybe growing at 90degs from a soil bank under Hazel. After detailed investigation and confirmation from both Cornwall's leading mycologist Pauline Penna and Inocybe specialist and author Penny Cullington this turned out to be Inocybe bongardii var. bongardii, 2nd record for Cornwall. A short trip to Treraven Woods found nearly nothing except on my exit found Lactarius fulvissimus. A return trip to Pencarrow Woods, this time focused on the abundance of spruce. A few resupinates were found to be nice finds but the key species was Cortinarius obtusus, seen here in quite good condition and still maturing. Not seen in Cornwall for 26 years for some reason being seen quite often before! Odd. Time to go into my man shed and as damp had been penetrating the woodwork signs of Schizopora paradoxa was showing, but the surprise was finding Deconica horizontalis growing inside the window frame. It sounds like I have a shed that should be demolished but it isn't like that and this fungus isn't common. I returned at Christmas to my old hunting grounds of Buckinghamshire and with a few hrs to spare headed for Penn Wood near Holmer Green. On exiting the wood I came across a pale grey cup species growing on leaf litter known as Peziza arvernensis after careful checking of similar species, such as P. repanda. Not rare but uncommon and in its immature state, unusual for time of year but perhaps not so as some fungi think it's Spring already. Going back to the car via the delightful setting of Penn Church, for some reason I followed the church path that goes directly to the main road through an avenue of Cherry Laurel. Not much perhaps expected, but I came across a single large grouping resupinate on living laurel trunk, one I evaluated back home after keeping it hydrated for two days. This was Emmia (or Oxypous) latemarginatus, a beautiful 'froth' of separated patches of white porous material with enclosing edges. My final visit during this period was to nearby Dunmere Woods. My first find was a 3rd only for Cornwall in Mycoacia aurea, a spiny or hydnoid resupinate under Beech which although uncommon was easy to ID due to some clear and obvious features, inc spores. Skeletocutis semipileata (was nivea) is quite common but wanted to illustrate here the spores as not often found or illustrated as they are minute.