Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: 2026

Well who said January was a dull month! Ok, mostly ascomycetes but mostly also very unusual. Somehow found five species with less than 10 UK records! plus 3 more new for county records. A lot of these were extremely small discomycetes, some on leaves only and I realise now the only way I actual can see these is when I take my glasses off! While at Parson's Hill, a secret location for old growth Pinus and Ilex, now no longer a secret, the first up was Arachnopeziza obtusipila on Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) although 7 other records already in the county, this would only be the 23rd UK record. Also here but on Holly (Ilex) was some very small ball-like ascos in Chaetosphaeria ovoidea which would be 1st for Gloucs. and only the 10th UK record. Bear in mind that I may find what appears to be rare species but the fact is not many folks actually look and examine minute dots, yet alone for ascomycetes! They are all missing a great deal. Again on a very decayed Holly branch I once again found Durella macrospora, still only 8th UK record, two of which I have recorded myself, one from the same branch I think. Sorry. Another on Holly was the unusual blackened hair tips of Protounguicularia barbata, and 4th in Gloucs. Last month I mentioned a odd Mollisia species found on the Dorset beach on Tamarisk. After sequencing thanks to my good friend David Harries it came back as the nearest being 97.6% M.ligni. Well it wasn't that as too many microscopical differences are showing so this remains a mystery for now. Macro morphology wasn't identical either. Probably a new species.

With now short afternoons due to fading light I took a few trips down to my nearest tiny nature reserve by the River Frome with the intent of studying leaves and the smallest of things, inc. mosses. I have never really found a discomycete species on moss and at Capel's Mill I would find two on the same branches and moss species. First up though would be a minute disco. Calycellina indumenticola aff., thanks to Otto Baral at AscoFrance, as this could have been one of several species. Maybe even now could be another new species as this has very unlike Calycellina spores, much wider than normal. This would still be 1st for Gloucs and 20th in UK. Small discos on Corylus would be Cistella geelmuydenii, which has 'Milk Bottle' type hairs, or more scientifically lageniform shaped hairs. A myxomycete found on Hogweed by the river here worked out as Comatricha tenerrima. 4th Gloucs, although quite uncommon elsewhere in the UK. A first for me although not that uncommon would be the lovely Earthstar species Geastrum rufescens. Note the reddening flanks or feet. On Rubus I found Hysterobrevium smilacis and 11th for UK, after my couple before also. Again while sifting through a handful of rotting leaves, full of creepy things trying to escape my eyes, I found on a single Prunus leaf a few tiny dots which only under the scope showed very unusual large white hairs at different sizes looking like a starburst and would become Seticyphella niveola (a basidio!). 18th UK record/2nd Gloucs. See picture as a must-see. Lastly at this delightful spot I started to dissect lots of moss covered corylus branches. Here I found two minute discomycetes both Octosporas with ornamented spores in O. similis (6th Uk record!) and O. wrightii (18th UK/3rd Gloucs). Both on Amblystegium serpens. At Standish Woods I found on Betula Camarops polysperma (1st Gloucs.), a thick stroma type pyrenomycete type species. Also here and on Betula I found an unusual discomycete, which a lot of folks mistake for Lemon Disco, but has a different apothecia shape and spores in Phaehelotium flexuosum. 6th Gloucs but still only 34 other UK records, looking at some of these then a lot were Lemon Disco! On a small mammal's dung found on a Salix twig at Saul's Junction (near the River Frome) I found the Zygomyces species Phycomyces nitens - 3rd Gloucs. Lastly, phew .. while clearing away plant debris from the garden on a rotten old Lawson's Cypress branch I found Radulomyces rickii, a uncommon resupinate which has large globose spores. Amazing what's in your own back yard. Behind this tree I found a mattress, two Tesco's trolleys and a bag of cement. I am joking!!