Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: March 2020 - interesting fungi finds from various locations

I'll start with a growth of fungus not seen very often, one that grows vertically downwards and then defies gravity and inverts itself. This was helped by continuous rain and an old worn out (inherited!) damp wooden shed roof. I first noticed the growth of large area of brown hairy type substance and then the growth of what appeared to be fungus. On further checks with the blackish substance that was oozing downwards from the roof I detected a Coprinellus species was active. After checking the spores, the deliquenced gills, etc., under the microscope this turned into C. domesticus. The hairy substance being the ozonium mycelium forming which is a normal occurrence with this species. Not an unusual species but certainly unusual growth pattern shown here.

I then made a return visit to the splendid grounds of Pencarrow House, which opens to the public in March and is one of the best kept secrets in Cornwall. I think I saw three other people the whole time I was there. Here I observed Lycogala terrestre or Wolf's Milk found on debris from of all things a Redwood tree. This shows the pinker contents than the similar L. Epidendrum which has grey oozing flesh. Nearby I spotted under a small branch the delectable small Resupinatus applicatus which was accompanied by two ascos. I was so busy with the ascos that I only managed to photograph the former. I made up for this and found the species again a week later in a new location, this time taking a few for study.
A pinkish resupinate was found to be 'probably' Peniophore boidinii, but only after many attempts to see the detail of the clamps and other microscopic features of this or similar species. Tough genus to dissect. I found you need to look at this fungi genera quickly before it degenerates into a waxy and difficult state to work with. Rare for Cornwall, just few records. A visit to Goss Moor followed on 16th, going in via the southern Toads Hall track pass the pylons due west. Nothing of note was found other than a new site for Hypocreopsis rhododendri, in typical surroundings. Find these habitat types in Cornwall then you have a good chance of seeing this remarkable but rare species: shade, water, corylus trees and moss. I also found Dacrymyces stillatus, a jelly fungi which is fairly common but looks like a Tremella sps. On 21st and now being restricted in travel due to the dreadful corvid-19 outbreak, I chose to walk locally around a playing field with occasion scrub and bushes. In one area I managed to find a damp patch and underneath what appeared to be twigs found a wonderful looking ruby coloured cup fungi on what was a large very old rotten Rubus fruticosus stem or Bramble! After exhausting all ideas and literature I finally found a ref. in France to what this could be. In the end it turned out to be 5th for the UK that I could see, 1st certainly for the SWest of England. This was identified as Orbilia rubrovacuolata. To make this 'short walk' even more enjoyable was coming upon an old single rotten post with a light grey frosty looking resupinate. After examination this looks most likely to be Radulomyces rickii, also rare in Cornwall, if not the country. Very unusual spores helped with a warty globose form showing well which helped separate this from the more common R. confluens. A good months results under hazardous conditions, now turning worse due to the pandemic. Being most of the time in isolation when looking at fungi this isn't something new for me, but hope this strategy will allow the country to be rid of this avoidable man-made illness.