Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: 2021

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

NOVEMBER 2021 - Uncommon/rare species

During a short visit to Cirencester Park, I managed to find a very small Gallerina type mushroom which after microscopy became in fact Conocybe subpubescens. A return foray around Rodborough Common was well worth it as I found more sites for the very rare and newly described Entoloma atromadidum as well as on cattle dung, a small Coprinopsis cordispora. Nice! A visit to Buckle Woods (close to Buckholt, which I also visited again this mth) found Entoloma caesiocinctum again, plus a few rare Hebelomas after careful microscopy, Hebeloma pseudofragilipes and Hebeloma eburneum. Hardly any records in UK, but must just be overlooked or simply not checked as these need time under the microscope to resolve. Back to Buckholt Woods, as this site proved so productive last mth. The lovely, but not that uncommon asco Helvella lacunose was found amongst tons of Beech leaf litter, and a whole grp of Tricholoma lascivum. From last mth I finally resolved a strange white pluteus type mushroom growing from the living truck of Fagus, which turned out to be Ossicaulus lignatilis - very uncommon. At Stannish Woods, north of Stroud I found a minute hair of a mushroom called Maramius balliardii, which has 'branches' growing from a 0.3mm stem! Lastly, just because it was so dreadfully beautiful added the fairly uncommon Rhodotus palmatus found at CheringtonW on fallen Ulmus. Great month again.

Conocybe subpubescens caulocystidia

Conocybe subpubescens cheilocystida

Conocybe subpubescens

Coprinopsis cordispora

Coprinopsis cordispora spores

Entoloma atromadidum cuticle

Entoloma atromadidum

Entoloma atromadidum spores

Entoloma caesiocinctum

Entoloma caesiocinctum spores

Gaestrum fimbriatum

Hebeloma eburneum

Hebeloma pseudofragilipes

Hebeloma pseudofragilipes spores

Helvella lacunosa

Marasmius bulliardii cheilocystidia

Marasmius bulliardii

Ossicaulis lignatilis

Ossicaulis lignatilis spores

Rhodotus palmatus

Tricholoma lascivum

Thursday, 11 November 2021

OCTOBER 2021 - Uncommon and rare species

October was due to be a short month for me only because I spent two weeks on the Isles of Scilly recording fungi along with Keith and Pauline Penna (Cornwall Fungus Recording Grp) - separate report to follow. However, in the few weeks I had when I got back I couldn't resist the opportunity of good weather and possibly damper conditions to find even more excellent fungi species in and around my locality of Stroud and Gloucestershire in general. A visit to my local Minchinhampton Common allowed me to see lots of fungi sprouting almost everywhere in this perfect untouched and protected grassland. At the Cotswold Animal Farm I was able to sneak away into a tiny woodland by the ticket office! and there was Tricholoma scalpturatum waiting for me. Another visit to Buckholt Woods with my fungi friend Richard Huggins produced one of the best fungi finding days ever! Stacks of uncommon to ridiculously rare species were found here, and so I will return later next mth. Near the end of the month I found Tricholoma terreum in my local park by Tesco's! All in all, finding five species of Tricho's in two weeks.