Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: Late July to Mid-August - Further good finds and 1st for SW England. Part 2.

Tuesday, 18 August 2020

Late July to Mid-August - Further good finds and 1st for SW England. Part 2.

During a short trip to Hellandbridge nearby and the Camel Trail where I have found a distinct 'good' spot close to conifers but also a damp area under broadleaf. Unusual and so it proved as I came across a couple of Hymenoscyphus species almost straight away. The first was on a petiole of ash and was an uncommon high white H. albidus, with alongside H. menthae, a small yellow cupped and white based discomycete. During a recce trip to Bishop's Wood for a foray later in September, the northern section was very dry and lacked fungi, but on descending towards the river but on the Hustyn's Wood side came across a couple of Mollisia, M. clavata and M. palustris. On a quick trip to the ever faithful Pencarrow, I only collected two species one of which became an Orbilia, O. delicatula, a 1st for SW England so a great find under rotten Sycamore. In my local patch at Hawkes Wood I found an unusual pluteus species growing atop a fallen oak tree. This worked out after microscopy to be Pluteus plautus. Uncommon and new for me. More importantly, I found a group of around 100 small sessile type hairy basidomycetes and had no idea what they could be, nor could some of my colleagues. On checking with the BMS through their Facebook pages, I was notified that what I had thought this could be was indeed verified and as Phaeomarasmius erinacens. 2nd record for Cornwall and SW England.