Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: 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.