Crusts towards Hookwood

This looks like a sample of Steccherinum ochraceum, sensu latu, mixed in with other crusts (hmm, that's less usual) on a fallen and decaying oak log just by a large kids shelter on the big Yew near the first junction.

See also: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/steccherinum_ochraceum.html

This appears to be the young, developing phase. The spines should be 0.5 - 1 mm, almost bumps rather than spines at first, with a salmon colour is fairly characteristic of this stage, but the darker more ochre or orange colours, perhaps with longer spines (or are these different micro-species such as S. bourdotii?), appear later, when the crust may get up to 3 mm thick.  However, I didn't check whether the margins were easily separable from the substrate, so I may have to go back anyway. 

Kibby states that this "species" is widespread and common, particularly in the south, which Hugill and Lucas agree with.   

It was accompanied by a crust of the same colour but apparently very different morphology: Could this perhaps be some fresh but nibbled Steccherinum nitidum? Not absolutely typical.

Beyond the bin-to-corner track, heading into the Birch dominated section, I came across a dead Oak branch which I think was covered in Stereum gausapatum, the Bleeding Oak Crust. However I think I should stick to Stereum sp to be on the safe side!

The good red-brownish colour is fairly indicative, in comparison to the more greyish Stereum rugosum. However the spores really do need measuring. 

Heteroradulum deglubens

 

Firmly located in Auriculariaceae, this genus of about 9 species worldwide is clearly rather unusual for a crust. It does have this very recognisable appearance of pinkish colour with a white slightly frilly edge, developing blunt scattered spines and outgrowths, and a characteristic physical response to rubbing of blushing, as seen here. 

Its the second time I've ever seen this crust, both being in this one week. No doubt many more to come. 

By contrast, Corticium roseum has no white border, is pleated rather than spined or thrown up, and is a more consistent pink, which bleeds somewhat carmine when cut.

Christmas Eve with a few of the standard fungi

 

Byssomerulius corium, commonly known as the netted crust, is a normally resupinate crust with such an interesting structure. Here are a few thoughts. It has an easily separable basidiome, peeling off like an elastoplast, which seems quite strange really, as it is an outgrowth of the mycelium and presumably needs connection and support.    

The central surface tends to become off-white and then gently folded or quite obviously ridged fairly quickly while the margin tends to remain a snowy white and finely fringed. This combination is generally enough to recognise this very common crust. Watch out for the similarly coloured and shaped Basidioradulum radula, the toothed crust, with the more violent disruption of the central surface into teeth up to 5 mm long, and its very close adherence to the substrate.

The Cauliflower Fungus, Sparassis crispa

 

In Bod Petryal, at the base of a Scots Pine, of course!

A brown rotter, potentially causing problems, starts off a reddish brown colour and turns pale, then falls or is perhaps ripped apart by animals

Crusts towards Hookwood

 

Walked slowly parallel to Puttenden Road towards Hookwood Farm. All within 100 m of edge of the car park.

This is a very easily detached, rubbery/elastic and quite coherent layer of pores. On the underside of an unknown fallen branch half buried in the litter layer of the forest floor.

Diplomitoporus lindbladii is just one candidate in the field!

 

Crusts in Fox Wood

 

This waxy looking surface on a dead oak branch of a tree on the north boundary of Fox Wood among the line of Hornbeams suggests the decorticating fruiting body (basidiome) of the "crust fungus" Vuilleminia comedans (s.l.). It is described as soft, jelly-like and slippery. There are several photos on the internet showing this sort of colouring and thickness of the basidiome, as opposed to the translucent and very thin layers of the (apparently?) early stages. Presumably we are not talking about a parasitisation by a Hypomyces species? 

The decortication seems very effective, allowing the basidiome to release its basidiospores and presumably colonise new "branch territory"! This species is said to be widespread and very common, so I obviously need to look for it more effectively. I imagine it is recycling the nutrients back into the leaf litter, perhaps ultimately for the tree's benefit. 

There were extensive growths of Schizopora paradoxa on some of the dead trunks of Hornbeam:

and a closer view of the above:

This next should be Eichleriella now Heteroradulum deglubens, despite being found on Birch. 

A good pinky tinged crust with a white margin on first sight, it blushes instantly to a dark red when rubbed - and also has bluish patches, as stated in Hugill and Lucas. Not commonly photographed in the FB groups at all despite its attractiveness, in my opinion.

Phlebia uda KOH test

I went back to Fox Covert and retrieved a section of the branch with suspected Phlebia uda fruiting bodies on it from last week.

I applied 4% KOH to the crust surface after a few hours drying of the branch (will return it to the woods tomorrow). Label 1 is the area of crust surface where the chemical was applied, it fairly rapidly turned dark (little bit purple) brown, and the "teeth" appeared to collapse. Label 2 was a couple of adjacent areas where the chemical soon appeared to produce a sort of cherry colour, still apparently dry and without any tooth collapse. It wasn't the completely iconic purple on h ttps://www.crustfungi.com/html/species/mycoacia-uda.html

Area 3 is one area of unaffected dry spiny crust for comparison. So that seems to fit with expectations? Oddly, rubbing the crust surface with a (sweaty) finger seemed to produce a similar cherry colour, quite quickly, which I haven't heard of before.

I shall have to do some microscopy!

Mycoacia or Phlebia uda, Jackrogersella, etc.

 

Steccherinum ochraceum possibly

 

Oval patches along a fallen log most likely presumed to be oak or beech. Well defined white margin, central area very matt from a distance ochre to orange-yellow.

Sulphur Tuft, Hypholoma fasciculare

 Sulphur Tuft:

This species is really quite toxic - the bitter taste when raw is rather deceptively lost upon cooking - but the toxins are definitely not!

One of the very common mushrooms found growing on tree bases and fallen wood, characterised by yellowish caps with a paler rim and with the yellowish stems blending with an orange brown base. The purple-brown spores gradually turn the gills from yellow to a striking green. Watch out for the related species, Hypholoma capnioides, found on conifer stumps, whose gills gradually turn greyish rather than greenish.

The genus Hypholoma is characterised by the web-like threads connecting the cap with the stem that can be seen when young.

This group of Sulphur Tufts in Dene Park developed in less than a week on this particular log by the side of the track.

One advantage Hypholoma fasciculare. has is its ability to form tubes that can allow rapid spread to new sources of nutrition. It releases super-oxides and laccases to attack the mycelium of other species of wood-inhabiting fungi as well as the lignin in the wood itself.

It is a saprobic white rotter which might have some more significance in beech but rot than previously thought. 

Might have potential for a new antibiotic as well.

Dene Park

 

Had a nice walk around the near side of Dene Park, and found a few signs of fungi. Here is a rather variable crust, whitish but perhaps with yellow-greenish tinges. These really are almost impossible to identify without microscopy. Here the crust can look quite solidly consistent in places, less so on some edges.

  

This is the log in context,

This might perhaps be Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor, but I forgot to look at the underside to check for the pores. 

This on the other hand should be the Hairy Curtain Crust, Stereum hirsutum, in one of its slightly yellow form. 

And this should be Snowy Disco, Lachnum virgineum, next to a more delicate looking crust, on the underside of a small log in the front Beech compartment.

This is some sort of tar spot, erupting through the bark of a small Birch log.

  

Quarry Wood

 

It was great to find some good veteran trees on the KWT walk at their Quarry Wood reserve today.seems to be a good fungal site as well. 

This first Beech was the star and we spent a lot of time chatting about veteran trees at this spot. Its a fine tree and would perhaps stand up as just an impressive notable tree if it were not the suggestion of a hollowing trunk from the impressive numbers of fruiting bodies of the Southern Bracket, Ganoderma australe, around the base of, the trunk. Coupled with the size, 4.88 m, I personally think this makes it a veteran. Opinions may differ and on size alone according to ATF criteria you would perhaps consider it a young ancient tree. However I will err on the side of caution, and stick to veteran. 

 

While waiting to get walking, I did get to look at the Sweet Chestnut leaves and for a change I did find some evidence of likely leaf-miners. This first is the commoner and paler species of Tischeria currently found on Sweet Chestnut in this country, Tischeria ekabladella. The adult micro-moth flies in May and June, and the larval stages occur on Oak and Sweet Chestnut (visibly) from September or October.The frass is ejected from the mine through a slit cut in the upper surface, leaving the blotch mine rather obviously whitish on the top surface of the leaves . The larva overwinters and then eventually pupates in the discoid case constructed inside the mine.

Varied walk with Toby

 

There are large numbers of Phyllonorycter esperella appearing on the upper surface of Hornbeams now. As this is the perhaps one of the commonest leafminers I find, its so-called local status is presumably dictated by the limited occurrence of Hornbeam itself?

And here are some Phyllonorycter coryli on Hazel, to compare and contrast!

Lynsted community Orchard - with Basidioradulum radula possibly

 

While at the orchard I took a little time to look for fungi and came across these crust patches on what was most likely to be a small fallen branch of commercial cherry. I didn't think that it was Byssomerulius corium as the margins were not easily turned up, so my best bet was Basidioradulum radula.

  

More Steccherinum nitidum

 This is what Steccherinum nitidum looks like from a distance when the fallen branch it is growing on is propped up against a neighbouring sapling. I think the extensive fruiting patches indicate some quite dominant decomposer activity by this species.  

Some neat patches of this rather excellent poroid crust, found perhaps unseasonably in April. 

A closer view!

This area here shows water drop magnification of the pores!

Showing the clear white margin exceptionally well: