Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: May 2020

Being restricted to where we walk during this time, I took advantage and to assist the isolating spacing I went to very isolated footpaths or woodland where in all the trips I made I didn't see another person. I did still come across one or two interesting species to record here. In early May I went along a new footpath to me north of Lemail Farm and SW of St. Mabyn, which must be one of the best kept secrets in my area. Beautiful spring wild flowers everywhere, I even came across a rare species, not just for Cornwall but generally in Cardamine bulbifera or Greater Cuckooflower. Just before finding these flowers I explored one of the many woodchip [piles found at this site). I love woodchip. Always pops up surprises and no more than in the spring. Here I found a Pluteus species showing dark brown edging to the gills and a dark brown velvety cap. Later this keyed out to be Pluteus luctuosus, only 2nd record for Cornwall. Later, the following week, I returned to my local patch at Hawkes Wood (a Cornwall Wildlife Res.) and before entering the woodland a woodpile presents itself to me on every visit, someone somewhere taking away but replenishing at all times of the year. I was astonished to see this time a 20 or so growth of fruiting Agrocybe rivulosa. Something I have seen on woodchip before in Cornwall and until only recently was quite rare. It appears to have come into this country via imported woodchip from Europe and is just uncommon now rather than a rarity. Also found here was a resupinate, one that under the microscope observed long thin spores, unusual and so the aptly named Subulicystidum longisporum was quickly recognised. Fairly common. Time to go to church I thought, every prayer counts these days and I mean that. I went along to the beautiful isolated church at St Breock, walking distance from me in Wadebridge. A very peaceful location as you would expect especially when hardly anyone goes there outside services. Here among the fallen beech and oak I located a small patch of dampness and within this a branch with an asco species on it. After careful analysis of the paraphyses and spores this was fairly easy in the end as the spores are very thin and slightly curved hence Orbilia curvatispora being recorded. Only a month ago I recorded this elsewhere for the 4th Cornwall record, so amazed at again finding this so soon. Obviously a good time of the year for this species which is why it is missed probably more than just uncommon. Shell Woods is also local to me, being close to Hellandbridge and it another wonder-of-Cornwall to me. This has to be one of the best walk-by-river (The River Camel) sites under Beechwoods in Cornwall. Here I came across a resupinate poroid species, back home turning into Sidera (was Skeletocutis) vulgaris with very small allantoid spores and distinctive small star crystals embedded in the structure of the fungus. Illustrated here as a good signpost to species.