Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: October 2020

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Rare or Uncommon species identified in October 2020 to mid-month.

While visiting my sister in far off lands of Leicestershire and wondering around a local church grounds I came across Chroogomphus rutilus, new for me and clearly seen why it's common name is Copper Spike.

During a foray with my local Cornwall Fungus Recording Group (CFRG) at Pendarves Woods I was taking a break on a footbridge admiring Aldercaps and Entolomas in front of me. As my level of gravity was so low as I sat on the footbridge, I noticed further species under the footbridge growing on what seemed throwaway old matting not used on the bridge itself. This was amazing in itself but afterwards these turned into 1st for the SouthWest of England in Naucoria celluloderma. Microscopically proven. Taking a walk around Coldrenick woodland near Liskard as part of a survey team, I found the beautiful Marasmius hudsonii on Holly. Pictured here in close up shows the incredible cap hairs appearing like a porcupine. Bear in mind this cap is only approx. 0.8mm wide. Also, further on I came across a closely structured stroma based thick black ascomycete on fallen beech, also known as Spiral Tarcrust in Eutypa spinosa. 2nd record in Cornwall. At a further foray in one of my local patches with CFRG in Treraven Woods, Wadebridge, with permission of the Gaia Trust, several uncommon and rare species were discovered. Rhodatus palmatus is becoming rarer due to the demise of Elm, but we found some wonderful examples here on a rotting branch. Two other significant finds were Leucoagaricus sericifer (ID - PPenna) and many small Turbaria looking fungi, which under the microscope and detailed checking was identified as Flammulaster limulatus - 2nd for Cornwall, but not many more around the UK either. During a further visit to Treraven a few days later, I found a delightful small Inocybe, now pronounced 'I(know)cybe', in I. curvipes. Few records in Cornwall.

Inocybe curvipes spores 1000x

Inocybe curvipes x 3 types of cystidia

Chroogomphus rutilis spores

Chroogomphus rutilis

Clavulina reae spores/basidia

Clavulina reae

Eutypa spinosa spores

Eutypa spinosa

Flammulaster limulatus cap and spores

Flammulaster limulatus

Leucoagaricus sericifer

Marasmius hudsonii

Marasmius hudsonii spores

Naucoria celluloderma

Naucoria celluloderma spores

Rhodatus palmatus

Tuesday, 6 October 2020

Isles of Scilly - two day and Golden Wedding. Still time for fungi.

During a couple of day's escape to St Mary's and Tresco and with only seeking out fungi in passing Abbey Gardens and St Mary's Lower Moors, I came across some extraordinary species. While walking past a beach wall south of Old Town (St Mary's) I found a polypore sps oozing out of and squeezed through concrete and ex-railway sleepers. After realising this didn't have spines although appeared so on first observation turned out to be Laetiporus sulpureus. Highly unusual substrate but nevertheless interesting find. On a quick trip across to Tresco to admire the wonderful Abbey Tresco Gardens I was disappointed not to find hardly any fungi at all amongst the many wonderful tropical species of plant life. A few common Russula's and that was it. However, while my Golden wife of 50 years rested after a thorough criss-cross of the gardens I headed into the surrounding Conifers and walkways. Again, not as productive as I expected but did find growing on a grassy track near Larch a large Bolete sps. Not having microscopy tucked into my pockets, through careful studies of the sps at the time this had to be Suillus collinitus, especially noting the cap decoration. This would be only a 2nd record for Cornwall. Still we did see a Peregrine Falcon at low level and a pod of Dolphins - what more could you want. Back on St Mary's I headed for a 60 min dash around Lower Moor, just SE of the town centre and in walking distance. I only need this time to check out a small enclosure of Willow and damp surface substrate to come across some terrific species. I was able to take samples with me back home by keeping them moist in the Hotel (the room isn't cleaned during Covid) and found all in one small area Hebeloma crustuliniforme, which led me to look further and found 2nd record for Cornwall and another Hebeloma in H. theobrominum and looking further still, but within metres, Naucoria salicis - a 1st for Cornwall! All checked at home in detail. I plan to return to the Scillies next year, mindful that a local birdwatcher politely advised me - it's not the Scilly Isles, it's the Isles of Scilly. Although I insisted I did not spell the 'Silly' Isles in my head at the time.

Laetiporus sulphureus

Suillus collinitus

Hebeloma crustuliniforme

Hebeloma theobrominium

Hebeloma theobrominium spores

Naucoria salicis

Naucoria salicis hyphae

Naucoria salicis spores 1000x

Sunday, 4 October 2020

September 2020 - various locations

The rains in September certainly helped as I thought we would be in for another dry early Autumn. Starting in Pencarrow Woods, I went to one of my favourite spots under Spruce in case of Cortinarius emerging and came upon two species very quickly. C. raphanoides was the first with just a few around and then even more surprising, although well known but they are still uncommon, came across many C. rubellus or Deadly Webcap. Lovely fungi though, they have a very delicate scaly centre of the cap, which helps ID. a few days later more Cortinarius with C. bolaris, this time with a Pardosa sps of spider jumping onto the cap when taking a photograph, making it even more interesting. Nearby were a group of C. lepidopus, which took some identification and in the end enough features were gathered. I found an unusual resupinate which worked out at home as a Tormentella sps - probably T. umbrinospora due to spore shape and size. Again, a few days after this I visited Dunmere Woods as they are so local to me. Not much seen and looking at a clump of Bracken I didn't expect much else. However, on a dead stem of bracken, I found a resupinate which turned out to be a very rare species Leptosporomyces galzinii. Probably because it's invisible unless you forage under bracken dead stems and who wishes to do that all the time. Another local trip took me down the southern part of the Camel Trail near Hellandbridge. Here under damp cliffs I found Cystolepiota seminuda, not rare but delightful to find here. Nearby, and finding minute ascos on a wet ash looking branch, once again under the microscope, turned into Epishaeria fraxinicola. Very rare, probably 1st for SW Eng., but unmistakable. Then on a single Pinus sylvestris rotting cone another asco Pezizella chionea - also rarely seen and identified. At Trago Mills woodland walk a rare Cortinarius balteatocumatilis was found - another beautiful fungus not seen often. 1st for West Counties. Virtually invisible, I found minute whitish sticks coming off a popular branch which became Phaeoisaria clavulata.