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 Junghuhnia (Steccherinum) nitidum

 This is what Junghuhnia (Steccherinum) nitidum - probably - 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 particular 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 - slightly fimbriate?: 

Possibly Basidioradulum radula, but....

 

Could be this, with a white margin according to Leif Goodson, on a newly fallen branch on the west path in Dene Park. However I find Radulomyces molaris far more readily, and my gut feeling is that this is Radulomyces again!!.

 

Hothfield searching unsuccessfully for the Great Grey Shrike

 One possible glimpse of the Shrike, but mainly fungi today. 

This is lumpy enough to be Phlebia, but a rather capped version, on a very decayed log.  Unlikely to be Phlebia radiata though I would have said. 

I think this could be Smoky Bracket, Bjerkandera adusta, and possibly a few Sulphur Tufts, Hypholoma fasciculare. (Note from February 2024, this could also be Bjerkandera fumosa)

This just MIGHT be very young Smoky Bracket, judging on its very white margins.

I think that this might be Stereum gausapatum, the Oak Curtain Crust. Abrasion caused some reddening on the left, mid-centre.