Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: November 2023

Thursday, 30 November 2023

NOVEMBER - Uncommon to rare species found this month. Nine new for County, four more 2nd record.

Well November turned into a very interesting month, with climate change pushing the fruiting season a little further down the calendar. I was able to survey three new sites of unimproved grasslands for the National Trust this month with some interesting results. One site at Clump Farm was actually just inside Worcestershire, but one small NE facing slope on unimproved grasslands proved significant. In no particular order starting here and along with NT Ranger Martin Jones Clavulinopsis umbrinella was found. A beige looking Coral species called Beige Coral! 2nd record for the county though. The tips go brown when drying. Also here and on a unusual flat area and short grass we came across an Earthtongue, this one Geoglossum cookeanum. Not that uncommon along the coast or moors but here was unusual and was 1st for County. A Roundhead species found in quite long grass turned into the lesser known Stropharia aeruginosa or Verigated Roundhead after microscopy showed the subcapitate cystidia on the gills. Also while here we came across over 40 fruiting (just) bodies (although loosing their colour due to recent frosts) of the Pink Ballerina or Porpolomopsis calytriformis. This has to be one of the most important sites in Worcestershire for this species as up to 200 have been found, recorded back in 2008. This is a closed site and SSSI, so no unofficial access. A visit to the other NT site at Dover's Hill also produced just one but gorgeous specimen of this species. One was greeted with delight, so the many at Clump Farm were bewildering. Also while here and seeing eight waxcaps species I noticed a solitary small Entoloma which I checked at home. This turned into the rare E. clandestinium and new for County and much of the rest of West and Middle England. The just visible striation to the cap helped as well as the unusual cystidia. While here a very large Lactarius vellereus or Fleecy Milkcap was found under Oak and oddly was just the 2nd record for the County. At the third site of Sherbourne Park a rare Cortinarius was located by another magnificent Oak tree here. This was C. lacustris, not many UK records yet along with Gloucs. Here was also found growing as a scattered group among nettles but under Oak was Pholiotina arrhenii, only a few records for the county. A short trip to Crickley Hill (also NT) with Laura Dutton helped me ID a new to County Tricholoma argyraceum in grasslands, and not close to deciduous trees. This is a recent split. Another short trip to Buckholt Woods didn't produce a great deal, unusual in itself at this excellent location. However, almost invisible and under shade of a Yew, although association was with Beech/Hazel litter, was a rare Entoloma, E. querquedula. This has blue-edged gills as do a few other species where the cap hyphae and the grey/blue stem helped greatly with ID. Again new to County, and very few UK records. A visit to Barrow's Wake near Birdlip provided many species not recorded often. Starting with a waxcap in a grassy bank Cuphophyllus colemannianus or Toasted Waxcap. Nearby was Entoloma serrulatum oddly 1st record for Gloucs. Also here was Inocybe phaeoleuca at the side of a footpath (2nd Gloucs.) as well as Tricholoma terreum. Into the nearby woodland of mostly Corylus, Fagus and Oak a few more surprises with little seen Lepista ovispora (4th UK record) in a large group growing in long grass but inside the woodland, a group of Melanoleuca grammopodia by Hawthorn, 1st for Gloucs., and lastly Inocybe hirtella var. hirtella. Again 1st for Gloucs.

Clavulinopsis umbrinella

Cortinarius lacustris with Oak

Cortinarius lacustris

Cuphophyllus colemannianus

Entoloma clandestinium

Entoloma querquedula

Entoloma serrulatum

Entoloma serrulatum cap hyphae

Geoglossum cookeanum

Inocybe hirtella var. hirtella

Inocybe hirtella

Inocybe phaeoleuca

Inocybe phaeoleuca pleuro.

Lactarius vellereus

Lepista ovispora

Lepista ovispora cap hyphae

Melanoleuca grammopodia

Pholiotina arrhenii

Porplomopsis calytriformis

Stropharia aeruginosa

Tricholoma argyraceum

Tricholoma terreum

Tuesday, 7 November 2023

OCTOBER 2023 - Uncommon ro rare species recorded this month - without a week away at a BMS event in Yorkshire!

Well October is always the month to look forward to, where you could be out every day and find all manner of fungi growing. I'll start this month with something I recorded last month, but took me a month to decipher what it was! This was an unusual looking crust fungus growing in a fan arrangement from a single stem, with poroid pores at the top and hydnoid spines lower down. In the end discovered this as Oligoporus (was Postia) floriformis, quite rare species and in this case an unusual growth pattern as well. New for Gloucs and most of Mid-England. I like to play with dung culturing and all the delights this brings! This time using Fallow Deer pellets from Cirencester Park again, found after a 6-day culture Coprinellus pusillulus growing. This is one of the smallest and filmiest fungi that can possibly have a long stem and still stand up! Had once before but quite rare, probably because most people think its the same as the more common species that grow together. This is distinctly smaller and with a hair-like stem. Also on the same culture and also new for the County was Trichobolus zukalii - a minute but spiny looking asco, or technically showing off its large setae. Thanks to a sharp eyed participant on a foray at Ebworth NT Estate, a pair of Coprinopsis jonesii were recorded, when at first I had thought these to have been the more common Haresfoot Inkcap. The former is easy to rub off the veil spots on the cap (see pic). I was asked to survey a section of the Cotswold Water Park at Lower Mills and found this to hold exceptional near water species where Alnus and Salix are common. This time I found two unusual Cortinarius species C. alnetorum and C. urbicus, the latter being new for Gloucs. While here a group of gorgeous looking Boletes were found hiding in the undergrowth behind a copse of Alnus trees. This worked out to be Gyrodon lividus - new for East Gloucs, but not west as it seems fairly common in the Forest of Dean (west). Find of the month probably goes to Diana, the delightful dogwalker who pointed out to me a strange looking fungus growing off an ancient Beech tree near Didmorten. The real location was just 300 metres inside Nth Wilts and here was a magnificent Hericium erinaceus (or Lions Mane among others) showing in good health and size. New for me, and for Nth Wilts. Back to Lower Mills and a couple of Fibrecaps kept me awake at nights and these were Inocybe pseudodestricta (1st for Gloucs.) and Mallocybe dulcamara also 1st for Gloucs. At Cirencester Park I picked up Cucumber Cup or Macrocystidia cucumis, this has giant spear shaped cystidia, but leading a foray around Stratford Park for the Stroud Valley Projects Grp, then Hohenbuehelia petaloides were found in abundance on needle litter under a magnificent Cedar of Lebanon tree (my favourite tree). Also nearby was Homophron spadiceum and Hypochnicium cremicolor. Phew what a month, and I didn't add all the eight plus species found new for Yorkshire or beyond where I spent five days with the Brit. Myc. Soc around Scarborough and the various wonderful Dales forests. I need a rest.