Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: SEPTEMBER 2026 - Uncommon to rare species found this month.

This month provided a mix of interesting species, at least six new species for the County, a few unusual and one possibly new species. Starting with the latter, and while on a trip in wildest West Sussex, I collected a group of Hyprocrea fungus that after detailed checking I could not find a match with existing literature and for European listed species. This genera has the strange 16 spored asci that spilt off to 32 separate spores, the size of which is critical. Arthrinium puccini was on Bamboo (one of my favourite substrates) at The Cotswold Science Park. 1st Gloucs. A myxo on a larch branch in Beechenhurst (first visit) became Cribraria intricata so 1st for Gloucs. Thks. to John Holden for confirmation. Afterwards and only at home, I discovered a very small grey translucent jelly fungus growing within and I can only put this down to Dacrymyces macnabbii - 5th UK if correct. I spent a lot of time this month leaf checking and coming up with all sorts of discomycetes which I will report on now. Calycellina fagina and C. leucella being two on Red Oak leaf, along with Orbilia leucostigma (the real one confirmed by H. Baral), Mollisia rabenhorstii on Oak leaf and Hypoderma ilicinum (asco) on Red Oak again. So patience leaf checking paid off. During a survey of a special site at The Cotswold Water Park at Swill Brook I found what I believe to be Cortinarius fragrantior but am getting this sequenced to be sure - 5th UK. Also here was Pseudosperma obsoletum as well as another Alder Bolete - Gyrodon lividus, that we found last year also. Must be a valuable site for this species as not found much anywhere else in Gloucs except Forest of Dean. Also Hebeloma nauseosum and H. vaccinium - both 1st for Gloucs. A couple of ascos in Boar dung became Sordaria fimicola and rarer still S. humana. This was from Beechenhurst where it appeared the animal is digging up the forest bit by bit. Other highlights include Cosmospora flavoriridus (Nectria type) on Corylus at Harleywoods, Tubaria romagnesiana on soil at Standish Woods and Hyaloscyph minuta on a Fagus branch also here. So an interesting month, but had to find dampness to achieve anything worth while.