Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds

After retiring in 2013 and already absorbed in birdwatching around the world, I began to seek out new records and biodiversity in many new forms. In 2015, I started to look towards the world of fungi. This is my story of my key finds, but starting in August 2017. First few years were finds in Bucks and Northants. Moving to Cornwall in May 2018 changed my focus. From October 2020 I only focused on rare or uncommon species. I moved to Stroud, Gloucs. in March 2021 and the Cotswolds awaits.

Thursday, 9 May 2024

APRIL 2024 - Uncommon to rare species identified this month. Almost a record for species found in a month.

Each month I wonder will I find anything this month worth reporting. Well it turned into one of the best month's I have ever had since I started recording and reporting on my 'Fungifinds' blog. I have two species possible new to the UK, one has gone for sequencing at Kew in case new to science. I found and more importantly identified six species that have up to only 10 other records in the UK, along with 7 new species for the County and 6 others, all with just a few records in Gloucs also. This sounds like all about me, but it's exciting to find so many unusual species and as this is my blog! I make no apologies and am more than happy to talk about it!

Firstly, the unknown species, well to me and also to Kew as nothing identified so far. This was a plain looking off-white smooth resupinate growing under Fagus at Barrows Wake. A type of fungi I look at on every trip and this looked like all the others. But I like checking everything! This turned out to be a Gloeocystidiellum sps. due to the obvious Gloeocystida but had fundamental unusual features. One was the gloeocystidia was reversed, with the heads at the hymenium and extremely long tails, simple septa, (most have clamps), spores with very small faint warts, etc and so I will await and hope this can be sequenced by Kew, with thanks to them for taking this up and adding to their long queue for ID. The other gem was just about visible on a Nettle stem when I was nose to ground at the side of an arable field, when even the local fox looked confused by my antics. "Surely humans don't eat Nettles, well neat that is" he said? The minute discomycete allowed me to see within the asci that it was 8-spored. Nothing unusual there you say, they mostly are, EXCEPT this genus and other species are mostly 4-spored, the only one that isn't is Psilachnum micaceum. Also it passed the key Ammonia vapour test where the apothecia turns instantly red from white. Incredible to see with a hand lens! I didn't get this sequenced as I didn't have any material left, noting that each apothecia was just visible at 0.05mm (yes, no typo!). Strangely, another Psilachnum species was found growing on Asplenium scolopendium at Toadsmoor. This turned into P. versicolor as it is the only one that grows on this plant. Easier than most when almost new to the UK! Second record in fact. I find that hard to believe, and think that many just haven't recognised the substrate and is much more common than this. A resupinate I have found twice before turned up again at Ebworth on Populus this time. Except my other records were 4th/5th in the UK! No idea why but again perhaps just ignored too much. This would be Ceriporia aurantiocarnescens. Whilst at Barrows Wake I collected some Cow manure as well as some rabbit pellets. I have not cultured Bos dung before but this looked like a suitable substrate, bearing in mind it has to be in a 'good' state to start with, which I won't elaborate! In the end I found six species on the Cow dung, and one on the Rabbit. Most of which were excellent records. With just a few fruiting bodies Cheilymenia coprinaria was discovered (2nd Gloucs.) the delightfully pretty Coprinellus pusilulus (1st Gloucs.) was on Rabbit, noting most of these finds were at least a 6-day culture. Coprotus granduliformis was also found but was almost the smallest of them all, only just visible to the eye, (yes, 2mm away from my nose in the dung), Podospora conica was found under the microscope (1st Gloucs.) this used to be called Schizothecium hispidulum, and lastly also under the scope Saccobolus versicolor with amazing spore structures that adhere all eight spores into one lovely bundle and do not separate, unless under duress. Going back to the field searches, I found a few unusual discomycetes growing on different common dicots/monocots on a set-a-side area the farmer had reserved. Shows this works as it would normally be ploughed to death. In short Cistella aconiti (only 10 other records UK) which has quite large and guttulate spores for such a small fungus, and Trichopeziza leucephaea as well. This is the same place as last month where a Discomycete is undergoing sequencing in Spain to see where this fits, if at all as a known Calycellina species. NB: I paid for this! Kew is up to it neck with species and without doubling their staff, nothing can happen quickly in my view. Hydropisphaeria peziza and Peziza petersii were found near Tetbury, the former on Acer with only with six other records in the UK. The latter on a soil pile that wasn't burnt so growing on an unusual substrate and in an open without protection sunny area. On a quick visit to my local patch alongside the River Frome in Stroud, where a delightful rarely used footpath exists I found Unguicularia costata (3rd record Gloucs.) and under the microscope first growing in a conidia state with another common pyrenomycete was Cylindrotrichum ellisii. Named as such you will see in the picture below! 6th in UK record, so 1st for Gloucs. Lastly, (phew we both say) I have included an unusual species of Algae, out of interest, which took the help of Juliet Bailey (Chair of Gloucs. Nat. Soc) to identify the genus and eventually I had this down to Trentepohlia abietina (just two other records in England as most are found in Scotland!). A rust looking growth found on a Corylus branch at Bulls Bank near a stream.

Gloeocystidiellum sps.-amyloid

Gloeocystidiellum sps.

Gloeocystidiellum sps. gloeocystidia

Coprinellus pusilus on Rabbit dung

Cistella aconiti

Cheilymenia coprinaria

Ceripora aurantiocarnescens

Hydropisphaeria peziza

Cylindrotrichum ellisii

Coprotus granduliformis

Peziza petersii

Podospora conica onn Cow

Podospora conica on Cow dung

Psilachnum micaceum - 1st UK record? 8-spored!

Psilachnum micaceum

Psilachnum versicolor

Saccobolus versicolour

Trentepohlia abietina (algae)

Trichopeziza leucophaea

Unguicularia costata

Unguicularia costata hairs

Monday, 1 April 2024

MARCH 2024 - Rare to uncommon species identified this month.

The most interesting find this month was something I and many others couldn't identify. This was a deep yellow hairless discomycete growing on a dead Carex species on the ground at the edge of a arable field. At first I thought this should be easy, but with five different types of paraphyses, many hooked and no hairs this proved difficult. In the end I sent it for sequencing at a Company in Spain where they have an excellent service at a reasonable price and you don't have to go to the back of the queue, a very long, long one if trying at one of the few places in the UK where citizen scientists can sometimes get a response. Mostly impossible - well someone had to say it! I wait for news on this species as I write and will report the outcome next month. I'm sure all my two other readers of my blog can't wait to hear.

I believe this is in and around Calycellina but we will see. Next interesting find was by accident. I went to Crickley Hill NR for coffee, views etc for a change with my wife and didn't expect to find anything except a very nice flapjack they sell there. While waiting for my wife where she needs to go, I stood on the road and casually picked up an Ash twig off the nearest bank. The arrangement of the ascomata looked interesting and on checking this became Cryptovalsa protracta, only the 4th record in the UK! Unbelievable! Easily identified as well owing to 32-spored asci. A slime mould was found on Pinus at Painswick Cemetery, a little worse for wear which occurs a lot for this type of class of pseudo-fungi, as they aren't fungi. After working with very little information John Holden (Forest of Dean) helped me identify this as Diderma spumariodes. Not uncommon but all the same difficult to identify. A hyphomycete that looked like a sooty mould became Digitodesmium elegans at Merchants' Down Woods. This would be 1st for Gloucs. Found an dead grass of what appeared to be Agropyron caninum was a rare Phaeosphaeria pontiformis, identified due to the quantity of septa with the spore structure, which is fairly unique. This would be 3rd record for the UK!. At the lovely ancient woodland of Climperwell Woods, a delightful location not visited by many, which makes it all the more attractive when I want to eat my sandwiches in peace. Under a damp and so near-stream old fallen Aldus branch I found a single but large jelly fungus type but pinkish. This turned into Ombrophila violacea under the scope. 1st for Gloucs. An innocuous corticoid fungus on what appeared to be old Popular branches at Highnum Church (NW Gloucester) from an amazing line of very tall trees became Phanerochaete tuberculata thanks to broad ellipsoid spores and encrusted hyphae and hymenium context. This would be 1st for Gloucs as well as most of western England. Again an unusual ascomata arrangement this time on a dead Nettle stem at nearby Bowbridge fields produced amazing straited spores, which I knew must be something interesting, even if they were just black dots!!. In time I worked this out to be Phomatospora berkeleyi, 3rd for Gloucs but after my previous find last year! Which I had forgotten about! On a visit to Burford Garden Centre I picked up a dead stem from an unknown Iris species and later found Pleospora phaeocomoides growing. This would be the 2nd record for Oxon.

Calycellina sps? TBA. <0.6mm

Cryptovalsa protracta

Cryptovalsa protracta 32-spored

Diderma spumariodes

Ombrophila violacea spores

Ombrophila violacea

Digitodesmium elegans

Phanerochaete tuberculata

Phaeosphaeria pontiformis

Phomatospora berkeleyi

Pleospora phaeocomoides

Thursday, 7 March 2024

FEBRUARY 2024 - Uncommon to rare species identified this month. There's plenty out there ....!

This month I spent some time culturing dung species, as what isn't better when it's pouring with rain outside and you are still seeing and identifying extraordinary fungi! Add to this that I wanted to study some unusual species of animal and the target this month would be Wild Boar. I can't imagine this animal's dung is studied often, for some obvious reasons, but I had a good reason to do so as last year I still feel I found Coprotus arduennensis, which is only found on Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) but this time on Fallow deer. I also examined dung of Sheep, these being from the most wonderful and good-looking sheep I have ever come across. So maybe good species are attracted! These were Zwartbles sheep, a Dutch variety, a picture of which is included here. I also had Horse (last month) and Rabbit results also. Lots of interesting species, so if your spouse is willing to put up with culturing experiments going on in the house then this is a natural winter occupation for any field mycologist. In no particular order as usual I'll start with the species found on Boar. Although I found this recently on Horse dung, Ascobolus crenulatus this time showed after an 8 day culture with its incredible lined violet pink spores which always help confirm these species. This being 2nd for the County (after my first!). The tiny Coprinellus pellucidus isn't that uncommon, but added here as it was on Boar and is just very beautiful. The best result came in another Coprotus, not the one I was seeking, but was still only six other UK records, with being 1st for County, in Coprotus aurora. This was very small, only 0.3mm across when mature and after a 11 day wait I was able to identify this amazing species. Pilobolus umbonatus was found also, although macro wise looks just the same as the 1000's of Pilobolus fungi you will see on dung every time after a few days. This was seen at first in the immature state which helped. 1st Gloucs. So along with others these finds were exciting and well worth the effort of visiting The Forest of Dean, with thanks also to Tony Fielding of Gloucs. Nat. Soc who showed me some viable Boar habitat. Fortunately, with no live Boar in attendance. Onto Sheep dung. Less species but again interesting things pop up! Ascobolus denudatus shovelled it way through and became the 3rd record for the County. An unusual anamorph of Peziza vesiculosa, (normally found on wood chip, etc) was found in Oedocephalum pallidum. Obviously one of the sheep likes a bit of cup fungi occasionally or was just caught up in the grass at the time. 1st record for Gloucs. The very small ascomycete Schizothecium hispidulum was found growing also, an unusual ascomycete with what the appendages do with the spores tend to help ID these species which need a magnifying glass very close to the dung to lD. As do most of these species. I always wear a mask in case my nose is bigger than my brain, and the spore output and so intake is at a minimum, not that should be an issue. This was after a 14 day culture, so took some time. Some folks wait months, however that is prone to attract insect life and best avoided. Lastly on Sheep, I found Thelebolus caninus growing, This would be only the 4th UK record for this species, 1st for Gloucs, and is unusual it that is has 32 spored asci. First I have seen of this type of ascus/spore ratio. The last dung species arrived as Coprotus ochraceus this time on Rabbit pellets after 8 days. Other fungi this month included Jackrogesella multiformis, 1st for Gloucs., and Stomiopeltis betulae at Rudgers Hill, both on Betula, the latter 2nd for County record. Out early as well as uncommon I came across a basidiomycete in Pholiotina aporos which had been fooled by the warm February and appeared by the side of a footpath. 4th record in Gloucs, oddly behind two others of mine found last year in the Spring, when it is expected to fruit. During an awayday visit to Lincolnshire Wildlife Park I collected a Mollisia species which I still cannot ID. It was growing on a decorative Agave plant in the Puma section! Near enough for me to find on a dead stem. I'll keep trying but if it's a substrate specific species then I had better get a book on Mexican fungi. Also found at Climperwell near a stream was a rare parasitic fungus growing on a myxomycete Trichia affinis and called Polycephalomyces tomentosus, with few other Gloucs records. Protounguicularia barbata was a surprise when examined as being only the 4th county record. An unusual species with glass like hair margins. Both of the last two species were found at Huddingknoll Hill, just outside Stroud. So enough for this month. A happy month, and it was February!