Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: August 2026

With the hottest month on record this wasn't going to be easy! So most of the time I spent time wading up and down streams within woodlands with some interesting results, at least one new record for the county as well. At Climperwell Woods, I chose the SE route downstream, easily walkable at this time. I didn't have to go far and a bundle of sodden rotting sticks provided Calycina parilis, with short stubby FB's on Alnus. 4th for Gloucs and another water borne species. Also here I found what could only be a Hyalorbilia species, but not H. flatula, normally the only species of this genus you can find in the UK. It suggested H. erythrostigma through various morphological features but with no readable spores as too immature this had to stay no ID. Also and on the same branch also immersed in water was Thelonectria mammoidea, tiny red dots when found with unseriate asci. Few other county records. Clearing out a dying 'Lucky Bamboo' plant from our house a month ago I purposely laid it in the garden on soil and to see what happened. Glomerella cingulata grew quite extensively over one part of the - 4th record Gloucs. Also an agricultural pest. A resupinate in Gyrophanopsis polonensis was found twice during the month but new to me. Once at Michall Woods and again at Cooper's Hill, Buckholt. This has unusual long cylindrical cystidia with many clamps. Also at Cooper's Hill and within a dribble of spring water was growing Orbilia sarraziniana and unusually on Albies alba and also within water. This has to be carefully checked against O. luteorubella as virtually identical, some think the former is a synonym, but the former has consistently smaller asci and spores. You just have to check a lot more than usual. Not that uncommon but a great deal of records for both species must be sheer guesswork. Setoseptoria arundinacea was found on Phragmites australis at Upper Frimilode by the River Severn. 5th Gloucs. My first trip to Lower Woods in South Gloucestershire I had not expected a great deal but I was using this trip as a recce for the Autumn as Oak and Salix mix was reported at this location and wanted to see how dense this was. I did find a resupinate on dried up Corylus which when found I thought was dead but persisting at home with KOH brough this back to life and became 2nd record for Gloucs. in Xylodon rimosissimus. Lastly, I still managed a new species for Gloucestershire at least when finding Xenasma pulverulentum at my local Bowbridge Carr and stream walk. Again partly submerged this has striking striate spores (seen only in Melzers or water), see picture, quite unique in the corticioid world of fungi.