Kilndown wood

There were a lot of waxcaps and associated species in the Kilndown churchyard, mostly pointed out too too quickly for me to take in. But this certainly looked like a Parrot Waxcap, Hygrocybe psittacina, and a very green one at that.

Hygrocybe miniata and coccinea were there, but no photos.

This was in quite large numbers throughout the upper churchyard

I think this is the young stage

and this is the Slimy Waxcap, Hygrocybe irrigata, now Gliophorus irrigata, last seen on Nain's lawn in North Wales,

These were announced as Apricot Club, the commonest of which is Clavulinopsis luteoalba. which should have paler tips, be round in cross-sectionand unbranched. Perhaps these are another species.

This is I think a different species, possibly Clavulinopsis helvola. Maybe that is a furrow running down it, which is fairly characteristic?

In just one patch there was a group of Caterpillar Club, Cordyceps militaris, which looked wonderful and intriguing as usual. But why so many fruiting bodies all together?

This should be the Pear-shaped Puffball, Lycoperdon perlatum, by the steps between the sections of the churchyard,

I think this might be the Meadow Bonnet, Mycena flavoalba, as it is slightly yellower in the centre

By one of the graves, there was one fruiting body of Orange Peel Fungus, Aleuria aurantia, 

This appears to be a species of Arrhenia rustica. At least this is crenellate, although not much else can be made out

On the churchyard wall we found Scots Pine needles infected with the little black patches of infection by Lophodermium pinastri, which it was explained is very common and usually easily identified. Note the black transfer zones, which may separate individuals, and the oval perithecia, including one unexplained buff one.

this looks like the fruiting body or bodies on the left

 We eventually moved into the woods!

One of the many interesting finds today were these Hydnum umbiliculatum, becaise this species has only been noted in this country over the last 15 years, having apparently migrated from North America.

A rather nice warm buff on the top of the cap and in the spines underneath it, contrast with the whiter top half of the stems. The umbilicus is very clear indeed. Growing around and very close to the trunk of a good sized Beech tree. It has only been noted in the country for the last fifteen years.

Definitely a privilege to be shown these!

Russula cessans was found close to Birch, Pine, Sweet Chestnut. 

As far as the Alders

 

Coming to a resolution of sorts on the Beech fungus, I suspect that it is quite old and therefore it is reasonable to suppose it is possible that all the scales might have been washed off.

Two or three features really stand out.

Firstly this was one of the most slimy, slippiest things I have ever tried to pick up. This fits with the Pholiota group and not Gymnopilus.

Its stems are curved horizontally and downwards to the caps, again pointing to Pholiota.

The stems are all conjoined at the base, a feature noted for Pholiota.

When tasted it was nasty in texture but it was not bitter. That really should eliminate Gymnopilus.

Cloudy Funnel on the left, Oyster on the right as I look at these two.

And again. Note the pale, clunky, decurrent and widely spaced gills on the Oyster.

 

Dene Park in the gloaming

 

I went straight to the Beech area towards the boundary bank this evening, and found this rather old bunch of fruiting bodies of a Pholiota(?) species on a Beech tree wound at about chest height. This would need microscopy to be sure of the exact species but I think that it would be likely to be in the adiposa group of species as it is currently understood. 

Around the bases of the Beech trees were plenty of Clouded Funnels, Clitocybe nebularis, quite neat in their young stages, but floppy and all over the place when older

It really does get paler at the base of the stem

There were also quite a few Butter Caps, as previously but no photos. 

Common fungi in Dene Park

 

Buttercap - note the woolly foot.

Clouded Funnel - surprisingly dramatically curled up when older!

Wood Blewit, Lepista nuda, lovely to see!

Stagshorn, Calocera viscosa 

Candlesnuff, Xylaria hypoxylon

Unknown Bonnet, Mycena

Beacon Wood with the Kent Field Club

The group found several individual fruiting bodies of the yellow Tricholoma associated with Aspen and maybe other Populus species, Tricholoma frondosae. Other trees have also been linked as ectomycorrhizal partners, but the group seemed to think the Aspen link was the most important. This also looks very like the Tricholoma equestre associated with Pines and other conifers, and they were thought to be just one joint species until 2001. Note the scales?

Phlebia tremellosa - note the spiky and often pale edge and perhaps just the start of the wiggly folds:

And here the spiky hairs are far more fully developed

Phlebia radiata, on Birch. Orange (not pale), unfringed edge helps to distinguish it

A fairly typical showing of old Datronia mollis or now Podofomes mollis. Should bruise brown and also cutting should show a dark line between the fungus and substrate. These are older fruiting bodies or patches, showing the now elongated maze-like pores in response to gravity. Note the small blackened decayed patch in the middle of the image!

This is one of the more identifiable Bonnets, Mycena pseudocorticola, the Steely Bonnet, not uncommon on moss-covered trees apparently.

This is a very large Mycena galericulata - see the cross-linking between the veins:

Ascocoryne sarcoides, s.l. inc cylichnium

Chlorociboria aeruginascens s.l. inc aeruginosa. Unusual on Birch I believe

Some areas of the park are covered in Cladonia, Reindeer Moss