Tudeley Woods, towards Pembury walks

 A lovely walk south from the car park towards Pembury Walks

The Woolly Milkcaps, Lactarius torminosus, were a rather luscious pink and densely hairy, a relatively easy species to identify. 

Mycorrhizal with (usually) Birch, August to October, often in grass on woodland edges rather than in the depths, acid soil, perhaps damp. The rings are darker and more obvious toward the centre, with the wool more obvious toward the margin. Sometimes a sight odour of turpentine.

The cap is convex, slow to flatten out, with a central depression. The gills are crowded. The white or cream milk is very acrid. The stem hollows out as the fruiting body ages.

This one was a bit older and lighter in colour, now flat to concave

This should be the paler, cream to flesh pink - rather than rose pink - Milkcap the Downy Milkcap, Lactarius pubescens, and its great to see the two of them together on the same visit. 

This one was a bit deeper in the woods than the Woolly Milkcaps - I think. It is said to usually grow in groups, and confined to Birch. It is distinguished on first sight from the Woolly Milkcap by its slightly smaller size, paler nature overall and perhaps slightly shaggier margins.

This is the Yellowdrop Milkcap, Lactarius chrysorrheus, with its characteristic patches on the cap, often zonate, and the easily released latex quickly turning to a bright yellow.

The Amanitas that were in the area were dominated by the Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria, which were in great numbers.  

There were also good numbers of the False Deathcap, Amanita citrina, 

and some remaining Blushers, Amanita rubescens

Here was a good Amethyst Deceiver, Laccaria amethystina, nicely coloured.

and a very nice BrittleGill, Russula, species unknown.

One species I was very glad to see, was the Bovine Bolete, Suillus bovinus, in good numbers for the first time, and together with what I now think was the closely linked Rosy Spike, Gomphidius roseus. A rather old and decrepit specimen if so. 

Note the complex pores of the Bolete

The other Bolete found was a very small Penny Bun, Boletus edulis.

On wood there was some great Common Rustgills, Gymnopilus penetrans, which I don't think I have actually recorded before. Note the lack of scales.

Also from a woody source, this time a stump, we have some lovely fresh young Hen of the Woods, Grifola frondosa. What a treat!

and some Sulphur Tufts, Hypholoma fasciculare, or Hypholoma at least. 

These are much younger, with the reddish tops

In the mossy banks, there was some tiny Moss Navels, Rickenella fibula.

and finally some Trentepohlia alga on a tree trunk

Dene Park to the SW of Hunters' Lodge

 

I checked the car-park Pine Log for the developing fruiting body, and found a previously unseen white bracket which apps said were a Postia, So it ought to be Postia stiptica or Postia tephraleuca.

Just before I reached the frontage of Hunters Lodge, two fruiting bodies of what I thought might have been Caloboletus radicans, close to a semi-mature oak on the edge of the wood - it certainly tasted bitter, no red layer below the pileus as in C. and not as red-tinged as in C. calopus found with Beech and conifers (occasionally Oak), so the commonest option seems to be the most likely as so often happens. 

However, there does seem to be an issue with the red reticulum on the stem. Although there are plenty of images like this claiming to be the Rooting Bolete online, it does need checking against the other group of boletes in case there is an error here.

In the wood section to the NW of Hunters Lodge there were 3 or more Parasols, Macrolepiota procera, under the Yews if under any particular trees at all, but surrounded by Oak, Hornbeam and near Common Laurel. 

On a couple of logs there were multiple creamy partly zonate brackets with somewhat lumpy and a bumpy hairy upper surfaces and very long mazelike pores on the underside, so at first I thought possibly Trametes gibbosa, the Lumpy Bracket itself. I didn't think it was the Blushing Bracket, because it was not on Willow, was not zonate enough, and didn't blush (admittedly it was old though). Also not the Oak Mazegill, because not on Oak, not with the characteristic deep belly of the Daedalea and the pores just didn't look right. But still to be proven I believe! The underside was actually gill-like enough to suggest Birch Mazegill, Lenzites (now Trametes again?) betulinus! And that I am now nearly sure is what it is! The fallen trunk was most likely Sycamore or Horse Chestnut, but apparently that is still just possible. 

Interesting rounded particles of "debris". I certainly need to come back to this one!

The characteristic underside, under room and phone lights together, so a little bit yellow

By the side of the gravelled drive two Shaggy Inkcaps, Coprinus comatus, were rushing through their brief existences  

By the gateway a couple of Common Puffballs, Lycoperdon

Outside the wood in the grassland to the north of the car park, there were about 5 nice Blushers, Amanita rubescens.

And also two nice chunky salmon-coloured Russulas! Sadly not identified.

Arrival at Shortflatt

On several of the older Ash trees there appeared to be some examples of very old Hairy Bracket fruiting bodies, one high on one tree, one down at the bottom of another. Very difficult to ID of course at that stage of decay.

At the bottom of a beefy substantial Beech Tree alongside the main driveway into the venue there were fruiting fronds of the Giant Polypore, Meripulus giganteus, which were already blackening.

In the fields a significantly sized . Also a lovely Brown Hare, showing off it's paces.

Tomich driveway on arrival.

Old rotting fruiting bodies, a small cluster of the dark Honey Fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, then a group of The Miller, Clitopilus prunulus then many many Chanterelles, Cantharellus cibarius. Down the drive also dozens of Brown Roll Rims, Paxillus involutus, a couple of Birch Brown Boletes, Leccinum scabrum, and some massive Ugly Milk caps, Lactarius or Lactifluus controversus. Some other lbms.