Isles of Scilly - two day and Golden Wedding. Still time for fungi.

During a couple of day's escape to St Mary's and Tresco and with only seeking out fungi in passing Abbey Gardens and St Mary's Lower Moors, I came across some extraordinary species. While walking past a beach wall south of Old Town (St Mary's) I found a polypore sps oozing out of and squeezed through concrete and ex-railway sleepers. After realising this didn't have spines although appeared so on first observation turned out to be Laetiporus sulpureus. Highly unusual substrate but nevertheless interesting find. On a quick trip across to Tresco to admire the wonderful Abbey Tresco Gardens I was disappointed not to find hardly any fungi at all amongst the many wonderful tropical species of plant life. A few common Russula's and that was it. However, while my Golden wife of 50 years rested after a thorough criss-cross of the gardens I headed into the surrounding Conifers and walkways. Again, not as productive as I expected but did find growing on a grassy track near Larch a large Bolete sps. Not having microscopy tucked into my pockets, through careful studies of the sps at the time this had to be Suillus collinitus, especially noting the cap decoration. This would be only a 2nd record for Cornwall. Still we did see a Peregrine Falcon at low level and a pod of Dolphins - what more could you want. Back on St Mary's I headed for a 60 min dash around Lower Moor, just SE of the town centre and in walking distance. I only need this time to check out a small enclosure of Willow and damp surface substrate to come across some terrific species. I was able to take samples with me back home by keeping them moist in the Hotel (the room isn't cleaned during Covid) and found all in one small area Hebeloma crustuliniforme, which led me to look further and found 2nd record for Cornwall and another Hebeloma in H. theobrominum and looking further still, but within metres, Naucoria salicis - a 1st for Cornwall! All checked at home in detail. I plan to return to the Scillies next year, mindful that a local birdwatcher politely advised me - it's not the Scilly Isles, it's the Isles of Scilly. Although I insisted I did not spell the 'Silly' Isles in my head at the time. 

Laetiporus sulphureus

Suillus collinitus

Hebeloma crustuliniforme

Hebeloma theobrominium

Hebeloma theobrominium spores

Naucoria salicis

Naucoria salicis hyphae

Naucoria salicis spores 1000x

September 2020 - various locations

The rains in September certainly helped as I thought we would be in for another dry early Autumn. Starting in Pencarrow Woods, I went to one of my favourite spots under Spruce in case of Cortinarius emerging and came upon two species very quickly. C. raphanoides was the first with just a few around and then even more surprising, although well known but they are still uncommon, came across many C. rubellus or Deadly Webcap. Lovely fungi though, they have a very delicate scaly centre of the cap, which helps ID. a few days later more Cortinarius with C. bolaris, this time with a Pardosa sps of spider jumping onto the cap when taking a photograph, making it even more interesting. Nearby were a group of C. lepidopus, which took some identification and in the end enough features were gathered. I found an unusual resupinate which worked out at home as a Tormentella sps - probably T. umbrinospora due to spore shape and size. Again, a few days after this I visited Dunmere Woods as they are so local to me. Not much seen and looking at a clump of Bracken I didn't expect much else. However, on a dead stem of bracken, I found a resupinate which turned out to be a very rare species Leptosporomyces galzinii. Probably because it's invisible unless you forage under bracken dead stems and who wishes to do that all the time. Another local trip took me down the southern part of the Camel Trail near Hellandbridge. Here under damp cliffs I found Cystolepiota seminuda, not rare but delightful to find here. Nearby, and finding minute ascos on a wet ash looking branch, once again under the microscope, turned into Epishaeria fraxinicola. Very rare, probably 1st for SW Eng., but unmistakable. Then on a single Pinus sylvestris rotting cone another asco Pezizella chionea - also rarely seen and identified. At Trago Mills woodland walk a rare Cortinarius balteatocumatilis was found - another beautiful fungus not seen often. 1st for West Counties. Virtually invisible, I found minute whitish sticks coming off a popular branch which became Phaeoisaria clavulata. 

Leptosporomyces galzinii

Leptosporomyces galzinii

Phaeoisaria clavulata

Phaeoisaria clavulata spores

Cortinarius balteatocumatilis

Epishaeria fraxinicola

Epishaeria fraxinicola

Pezizella chionea

Pezizella chionea

Cystilpiota seminuda

Cystilpiota seminuda

Tormentella umbrinospora

Tormentella umbrinospora

Cortinarius rubellus

Cortinarius rubellus

Cortinarius raphanoides

Cortinarius raphanoides

Cortinarius lepidopus

Cortinarius lepidopus

Cortinarius bolaris

Cortinarius bolaris

End of August important fungi finds - inc 1st for UK

 While idling life away in an Art Cafe in the City of Truro, as you do, I was sitting next to a bamboo bush, which became Phyllostachys aurea, or Golden Bamboo and taking a sample of an old stem showing an ascomycete which then studied at home recognising an Arthrinium species. These aren't easy to ID, especially when so little is known about them, especially new to science. Checking with what to me is the best authority in Europe on this species - Angel Pintos and referring to his paper based on six new species of Arthrinium in Europe, I matched this as A. hysterinum in its conidia or asexual state. This was confirmed and is now recorded as such with the Brit. Myc. Soc. That's four species of Arthrinium I have now recorded, most not recognised in the UK, but surely this is due to lack of people looking at this 'grass' species. During a quick trip up to Wales, NW in fact to stay at the lovely area around Porthmadog. I checked constantly for crazy hounds but never saw one, well not in the canine sense. While dropping into the only local nature reserve at Gwaith Pewdwr, close to Cardigan Bay, I found a couple of species of fungi only, both gems and one Cortinarius flexipes var. flabellus as 1st record for Wales, hiding under Betula. The second was a tiny asco containing 100's of tiny hairy ball shaped fungi, which became Merismodes fasciculata. 2nd Welsh record!! Not bad for 30 mins while my wife read the paper in the car park, as she is so not interested in fungi. When home, I decided to check out an old cut down Silver Fir nearby in Sladesbridge, as this seemed to show good signs of producing interesting ascos. Not to be, other than finding Bisporella sulfurina, where if not in Cornwall would have been rare. But, I did find a very uninteresting cottony resupinate but chose to take a sample and test it as it looking new to me and on a single conifer in the middle of a broad-leaved wood suggested oddity. It produced amazingly small spores at 4.0 - 4.95µm x 2.50µm and with all other aspects of the fungi taking into consideration this could only be Leptosporomyces mutabilis, 1st for SW England! So the finds went on, ending in a graveyard at Endodoc Church, as most things do, with a late Spring Brittlestem or Psathyrella spadiceogrisea, in Hawkes Wood finding an unusual Crepidotus calolepis (or C. mollis var. calolepis) juries out to which. This has a brown speckled netlike maze on the cap, only few seen in Cornwall, along with a nice red bruising Stereum rugosum on a trunk of Corylus. So a great end to the summer, and now the season is just starting!! It is always exciting to find, exam and finally achieve species status with fungi and I have only been doing this for three years, 18mths with a microscope, having enormous fun. You need the right ref books and a few good mycolgist friends to guide you on the way. People with this interest are generally very helpful. So I encourage anyone reading this (you might be the second!) to get started and stick with the difficult first six months when you think it's all too much. It comes quick enough and there are many helpful mycologist and professional scientists around willing to help. 

Arthrinium hysterinum in asexual state

Arthrinium hysterinum

Arthrinium
hysterinum on Bamboo

Cortinarius flexipes var. flabellus

Cortinarius flexipes var. flabellus

Cortinarius flexipes var. flabellus
spores

Crepidotus calolepis

Crepidotus calolepis spores

Leptospromyces mutabilis

Leptospromyces mutabilis
spores

Merismodes fasciculata spores

Merismodes fasciculata

Merismodes fasciculata hairs paras

Psathyrella spadiceogrisea spores

Psathyrella spadiceogrisea

Stereum rugosum staining red

19th August 2020 - Edgcumbe Park with Cornwall FRGroup

After several attempts at recognising a small white agaric growing by itself amongst a small oak plantation within the parkland I eventually worked out that the spore size, unusual at 4.5 x 2.78± belonged to Agaricus comtulus. This hasn't been seen in Cornwall since 1973, and before that into the 19th century with a few records. So best find of the day for me. In a trail through broad-leaved woodland I found (now renamed) Jackrogersella minutellum, a hypoxylon type fungus attached in bundles to a rotting oak tree. Fairly common, but for this type of specimen quite attractive in its own way. In the grasslands where sheep's dung was very apparent, I came across a Galerina looking fungus growing on dung and made for quite a picture even if on this substrate. This turned out to be an uncommon Deconica coprophila. Also early in the grasses and spotting minute little parachute type fungi in the grass and after spreading myself face-first to the fungi became another uncommon species in Marasmius curreyi. This turning more brick-red on drying. One of the Atlantic coast specialities and polypore fungi found here on hawthorn was Perennipora ochroleuca, to be fair was shown this by members of the group, but very rare outside Cornwall. In a clump of Compact Rush, I dived down the centre and pulling out just a few old dead stems found a minute asco showing itself just under the hand lens. This was to be Phomatospora dinemasporium in its asexual state. A typical example of the beauty that fungi can display, no matter how small. Again, in the grasslands which was producing more fungi that the wonderful but fungi less woodlands, I came across a single Psathyrella species, which after careful examination at home became P. artemisiae, (or P. squamosa to some) - Petticoat Brittlestem. Lastly, for me but this time in the oak woodland I found the only Boletus type species in Xerocomellus pruinatus or Matt Bolete. A very misty, damp day when starting out but gradually brightened up and most of us had a good day and exciting finds in this beautiful coastal woodland and park.

Agaricus comtulus

Agaricus comtulus spores

Deconica coprophila
basidia

Deconica coprophila

Deconica coprophila spores

Jackrogersella minutellum

Marasmius curreyi

Marasmius curreyi spores

Perennipora ochroleuca

Phomatospora dinemasporium

Phomatospora
dinemasporium spores

Psathyrella artemisiae

Psathyrella artemisiae spores

Xerocomellus pruinatus spores