Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: August 2021

July had a period of very wet to very dry spells and so made it all the more interesting as to what could be found in and around this beautiful area of the Cotswolds I now live in. In a new location and NW Wilts at Ravenroost NR, near Swindon I found a single Amanita in soil close to the footpath, on the way back from where I had passed it earlier! Thanks to my policy of photographing anything interesting as you find it I was able to discern at home the tell-tale zigzag banding along the stem which pointed me towards A. simulans. Globose spores confirmed this. Thinking this was a more common species at the time I only took a section of gills home. Still good that this single rare species, according to the finds at 11th in UK and 1st for Wilts, can still spread its spores around the area. At a delightful walk through Dovey Woodland near Sapperton, I found a Flammulaster sps, always a teaser. Not looking like the expected macro features the microscopy directed me to F. muricatus due to the spherical cells in the cap. only 2nd in county. Other good finds inc: Incrucipulum ciliare found on oak leaf, Leptosporomyces mutabilis on Larix at Cherington Woods, Mucor mucedo - a pin mould found infecting Gymnopus fusipes badly, a lovely growth of the amazing amber dripping bracket Pseudoinonotus dryadens on Oak, a couple of unusual Scutelinia asco's in S. crinita and S. subhirtella, the latter by the Frome River walk just down from my home. Postia sericeomollis was unusual, found growing on fallen conifer at Ravenswood NR, proven by spore shape and depth of tubes, also at Ravenroost and found by fungi friend Richard Huggins, where researched at home thoroughly turned up Russula pseudintegra. First Russula of the year for me. Lastly, found in a most unusual location on Rodborough Common was a large wonderful bolete growing on a Rock-rose mound in full very hot sunlight that would have dwindled me to a dry up wreck after just 30 mins. This was Suillellus luridus, also found at the edge of woodland, scrub etc. So a very good July. To cap it all I had my first article published in a mycology publication 'Field Mycology', produced by the Brit. Myc. Soc. Entitled: "Mycena supina - a new species for Britain from Cornwall". Vol 22, Issue 3 July 2021 p104-106. I have found two/three other new species for the UK - all ascomycetes and a few new to science, but all not as great as finding a 'real' new mushroom!! I still love seeking out the little guys though.