Southborough Common

Not a huge amount to be seen, but they were tremendous numbers of sulphur tuft particularly.

Another wood-attacking species: This is the Common Rustgill, Gymnopilus penetrans, A Rustgill without scales on its cap. 

Also chewing away on wood is this Black Bulgar, Bulgaria inquinans. The Americans call these "black jelly drops". An unusual Ascomycete, not one of the Jelly-like Basidiomycetes I usually see. The rough brown outer surfaces of the cups clearly separate this species from those jellies, although these become blacker and smoother with age.

Also on Beech, a moribund standing trunk, is a collection of Ganoderma brackets.

Ever present is the Birch Polypore, Fomitopsis betulina.

and these are the Stump or Pear-shaped Puffballs, Apioperdon perlatum.

These are the most renowned wood-rotters, Honey Fungus, in this case the Ringless Honey Fungus, Armillaria ostoyae.

Common earthballs, Scleroderma citrinum

and a huge boss on the side of a tree trunk

Later in Dene Park

 

Parasol, Macrolepiota procera by a Beech 

The White-laced Toughshank, Megacollybia platyphylla again, nice to see it and with its distinctive appearance.

and this is probably the Yellowing Bonnet, Mycena epipterygia

Milkcaps, Amanitas and Bovine Boletes at Pembury Walks

 The Saffron or Delicious Milkcap, Lactarius deliciosus, was found along the sandy path, told by its "dents", orange stipe, highly zonate cap and greenish touches

It is convex, margin inrolled at first and then vase-shaped and sharp-edged.

The next two images are of one fruiting body, first before and than after picking

   

This Milkcap is identified by ObservationID as the Birch Milkcap, Lactarius tabidus. Found in numbers under Birches, abundant and widespread. 

Caps have matt and wrinkled surfaces. Stem a little darker at base. Gills crowded and weakly decurrent. Colour flesh (pale cinnamon) and slightly darker when bruised?

Milk maybe a little sparse, soon acrid after a pause.

This is a new Amanita for me, and I think that it is Amanita excelsa, var spissa, the Grey-spotted Amanita, without serrations on the margin possibly. Seems darker around the base of the stipe below the ring than above.

and this might be the white form of the False Deathcap, Amanita citrina var alba - maybe.

Brown Rollrim

These might be the Meadow Bonnet, Mycena leucoalba

and Mycena epipterygia

and some more Bovine Boletes, Suillus bovinus
 

Hever Castle - The Slate Bolete, Leccinum duriusculum

Just across the flat bridge in front of the main entrance to the castle itself there was a bank with a range of oaks and two Populus species. Under them were a couple of Leccinum fruiting bodies, so my first thought was the Slate or Poplar Bolete, Leccinum duriusculum, and I think I was able to more or less confirm that, once I got it home.

 One factor that threw me a bit was the nut-brown of the pilei, less usual for this species I think, as greys or lighter browns are often mentioned but this brown is still seen in a number of credible images. It is also worth noting that we are now in October, the end of the season for this particular Bolete, and perhaps this has some sort of impact.

The surface of the stipe was white, but fairly nearly completely covered with blackish squamules. 

The tubes and pores were buff coloured, at least by now. These contrasted with the initial white of the flesh, both of the cap and the stipe. Once cut, the flesh of the main upper part of the stipe slowly (6 minutes onwards) turned the expected violaceous-black, so that should rule out the look-alike Leccinum scabrum.

There was a hint of blue in the dark grey of the broken base of the stipe, and then about 12 hours after cutting a small clear blue patch appeared temporarily (see last photo, above), but no more than that. Rather more concerning maybe was no obvious sign of the intermediate pink that Andy Overall and others report before the dark grey takes over in the upper parts, but there was perhaps the tiniest hint of pink and of course it did look "violaceous", not just grey, so perhaps that is more of a variation in timing - hopefully. Factors that reassured me were the very obvious "solid" nature of the stipes noted as I picked the specimen and also I think the caps, the creamy colour of the pores and tubes contracting with the pure white of the flesh of both the cap and stipe. together with the grey colour of the damaged pores as opposed to the "tea" presumably browner, colour expected for Leccinum scabrum. 

On the way through Tonbridge, there looked to be a Horse Mushroom, Agaricus arvensis, on the verge

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