Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: July 2025

What is becoming the norm for June just keeps getting worse, with hottest days recorded since, etc., etc... Still fungi have ways of hiding out in odd places and so this is where I spent my time with a few pleasing finds. At Hailey's Wood found on a Carex species stem was Acrospermum graminium, few other Gloucs. records. Also at this location under a stack of Acer leaves, which means the very lowest ones are still damp, was Lachnum rhytismatis, again few others in Gloucs. Dung offers opportunities year round and this time on Sheep at Sudgrove I found the large spored Ascobolus immersus once again, still few records after a 7-day culture. Another dung species this time on Deer (probably Muntjac) were lots of Trichobolus zukalii, with its long setae hairs and multi-spored ascus. Almost attractive! An uncommon rust was detected on Butterbur at Mill End Row canal, Stonehouse in Coleosporium petasitis. Also here was Gaeumannomyces tritici, new for County. A short trip up to the NT location at Woodchester (south) as this has a café but with ridiculous priced cakes, hence I just have coffee! £4.75 for a miserable looking small flapjack. Insane. Trekking down the slope under an old Fagus fallen branch I found Mycoacia nothofagi, 1st for Gloucs, my second record having found this years ago in Sth. Bucks where I spent most of my past years. A nice discomycete in Niptera ramincola found at Washpool Woods and again looking for water at the pond in Sth Minchinhampton, I found on a Water Mint root the rare Obilia rectispora as my feet started to sink. Just four ascomata, but it was still damp .. so still lived. I nearly died, but very much worth it! An uncommon resupinate was found under Pinus at Duntisbourne Woods in Tubulicrinis glebulosus. Few other county records. Lastly, during a necessary trip down into North Hampshire, I dropped into The Chase NR near the A34, and soon after parking the car I nearly stepped on of all things a Russula .. at this time of the year uncommon, but the species not so in R. parazurea. Although I show the Guaiac reaction as negative, after 10 mins it finally turned pale blue, so positive you could say, but the strong yellow reaction to start with should be noted also, never seen in the literature. However, they are always fun to try to make these into something really rare, then of course they always aren't! Good to see.