A little bit earlier in the day, but on a much gloomier afternoon.

 Cor, definitely a bit gloomy today. But a great walk nevertheless, really succesful on crusts, although I didn't find anything particularly dramatic! 

This was in the oak compartment just north of the acid grassland compartment. Here is a crust going greenish and rotten I think. Algal colonisation? No idea on the crust, could be almost anything.

I know it wasn't very exciting but it is important to think how a crust changes its appearance from developing through to mature to (apparently) senescent and finally decaying.

I also found some Woodwart on what could perhaps have been hazel or oak. I really have to get better at this!

In the front Beech compartment I failed on Holly Parachute, even on finding any holly leaves! And then there was this crust, that I thought should have been Fuscoporia, but the photos might indicate a very mature Byssomerulius corium. I thought I could now see wrinkles that I had originally taken for pores. However it looked very thick to me! The colour was not impossible, but a bit darker than I had been used to. It looked very tidy, whatever it was. 

and a closer view:

This is another crust below, a little more solid with a blackened edge. It may be on a fallen Beech branch. Note the slightly darker colours of some of the patches to the left. The patch of crust lower down has been covered with a black layer. Looks a little like Hymenochaete corrugata, but that is generally found on Hazel. I didn't bring a hand lens to check for setae, or KOH to check for blackening. Will I be able to find it again?

and again a closer view:

In the front Beech Compartment, there was a whitish crust on Birch bark, very much integrated into the bark. I wonder if it could perhaps be Hyphodontia sambuci again?

When I got out onto Knight's Drive, there was a newly fallen dead oak branch, with plenty of green foliose lichens, bits of what I think was a woodwart and lots of what I thought could have been initially quite fleshy Peniophora quercina (Pers.) Cooke, with its particular colour changes as it wets and dries and blacker margins that curl up as it dries. This is the best example I have seen to date. I was very pleased to see what I think is this crust again, and I wonder whether it actually does better on horizontal branches higher up in the canopy (Andy Overall), rather than lower down or even on the ground? 

Further along the branchlet, which was about an inch in diameter. Slightly more dried out I think.

More fungal wanderings

 

Took some photos of one of the oak trees by the car park to go into the new Fungi Forever app.

Sycamore crust.

Over the path by the Pines in the mossy floor area.  

Fuscoporia

The grey crust??

Exidia plana

Hymenochaete corrugata just possibly, on hazel but it might have been Fuscoporia of course, no real evidence either way. This was a crossing dead branch that had been stuck to the live upright branch. 

I soon got to the section of woods close to Ringlet corner, uphill up towards the bridleway.

Just on the corner there was a small Elder Bush with what possibly seemed to be Elder Whitewash, Hyphodontia sambuci,  on the base of the stems.

and closer,

On the same bush, there were some nice Jelly Ears, Auricularia auricula-judae, higher up the stem,

and closer,

Piptoporus betulinus

Turkeytail

Early Nectria on Beech possibly

 

Could this be a Nectria species before it gains any obvious colour? All over the blackened bark of a fallen Beech branch. Or some form of erumpent material, possibly out of a dark brown surface.

closer:

Fox Wood

 

A steady bimble up the Fox Wood path, with lots and lots of Stereum hirsutum and several bleeding Stereum spp to puzzle over. I revisited the log with Stereum subtomentosum on it.

I found some green-grey possibly decaying patches of a thin crust, easily detached and apparently finely textured. I think these may have been old patches of Byssomerulius corium. 

Just by the car park one of the Hazels was showing interest - Warlock's Butter I think, one of the two Rusty Pore-Crust species, Fuscoporia ferrea or Fuscoporia ferruginea, and a thin black crust with parallel cracking - unknown of course. The Fuscoporia was sticking a dead branch to a live one.

A wander through the coppice stools and the "Ash patch".

Peniophora cinerea perhaps, a more-or-less featureless thin grey patchy crust on Sweet Chestnut.

An old Hazel (?) stick by the path down by the Spruce with lots of Plicatura crispa had a very waxy fairly thick off-white crust rolling back the bark. A fallen Birch stem with a Fomes fomentarius bracket on it.  

Lots of Schizopora paradoxa around generally. 

The Ash in "the patch" is looking very dead-twiggery with a few nearly dead and some dead stems. One partly fallen trunk with very little root around the base. 

Some suspected Stereum rugosum or Stereum subtomentosum. 

Some Stereum hirsutum resupinate patches showing more clearly orange on a dead stem.

A large covering of a thin crust of possible Schizopora paradoxa on the trunk of a largely fallen Spruce tree. 

Suspected Hymenochaete corrugata asexual stage on Hazel stems where the path comes out - some light brown mycelial bodies and some with a blackened surface. An almost toothed (corrugated?) surface visible on the younger body.

Up to Clearhedges and Byssomerulius corium

Walked up through the equine unit as far as the Clearhedges Wood path entrance and I was worried to see white crosses on some of the Oak trees by the eastern side of the track. I am not sure who owns these trees - or why they might be intended to be felled.

As I left the muddy track before the large puddle I found a fallen branchlet with several patches of what initially looked like a white poroid resupinate. When I got it home it turned out to be a thin wrinkled corticioid resupinate, which looked rather like the image of Byssomerulius corium, the Netted Crust, possibly at a rather white early stage.

One feature was the ease with which the fruiting body could be removed from the substrate. The edges spontaneously curled up as it dried. Also the ripples flattened considerably over time.

The crusts appeared very white upon finding, but showed a slight tan tinge and may have turned creamier as they dried.

Through the Scambles

Blackened but swollen not dried out Jelly Ear, Auricularia auricula-judae on the Hairy Curtain Crust Oak by the car park 

Walked along the eastern border and found some nice crusts. There was a spot where you enter the Yews before the beech clearing. Looked like some dried out auburn coloured crusts on the Hazel on the left with a lot of Fuscoporia on the Hornbeam. 

Some great Exidia glandulosa ( = truncata) in really good condition on Hazel, Witches' Butter, by the stream at the start of the scambles near the main path, top surface with warted surface and a velvety reverse side, as in the photos below.  

Showing the velvety reverse of the fruit body, bit also the thin greyish crust next to it.

On the same (?) Hazel, there were some really great reddening Stereum, possibly Stereum rugosum. 

On the underside of a fallen Spruce trunk in the Scambles. No idea on this one.

A closer view:

Along the boundary path at the edge of the Scambles by three oaks just before the stream there was a fallen branch, now broken into sections, with a very impressive covering of Stereum, this time probably Stereum gausapatum, partly forming narrow caps on either side (semi-pileate?). Note the pale margin in places, contrasting with the stronger central colours. There may be older, duller, crust colour to the bottom right?

It had a clearly felty upperside, behind the leading edge, perhaps surprisingly so! The edge itself is quite serrated, is in "gausapatum".

Apparently orbicular patches becoming confluent:

See the fimbriate edge below?