Tiny Translucent Fungi

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I came across a few examples of this tiny parasol growing in patches of moss on Cleeve Hill - it must be a fungus of some kind. It’s a very pretty translucent white fungus, taken on macro, so about 1 cm across, with a parasol that looks like it’s made of petals rather than pleats. So far I didn’t find any photo quite like it on the internet. The nearest comparison is Pleated Inkcap, of which there were plenty growing nearly, but these are bigger with a brown centre; and they tended to be found more in grassy areas on the hill.

Waxcaps on Cleeve Hill

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Almost a year to the day since my last Autumn visit to Cleeve Hill, and there were lots of fungi to see. A good collection of Waxcaps and other grassland fungi. Great views of a Short-eared Owl were a bonus (but sadly no photos of that).

Brown Roll-Rim (Paxillus involutus, #1013)

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As in this case, this fungus is usually associated with Birch trees. The size is a bit variable, from 5-15 cm, and colour is brown. Though sometimes eaten, it can be fatally toxic in some cases. This is the first time they have appeared in my garden.

Buddleia Downy Mildew (Peronospora hariotii, #998)

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The marks on the leaves of this Buddleia seedling, self-seeded by the side of our path, are a downy mildew caused by a fungus-like microorganism, Peronospora hariotii. This is one a large number of Pseudofungi that are highly specific to certain host plants. This one seems quite benign though it can be a problem in plant nurseries as it infects younger plants more than mature bushes. Other Peronospora, such as those effecting tobacco and brassicae, are a serious agricultural pest.

Cleeve Hill Fungi

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It’s not a big season for fungi, but one exception is St George’s Mushroom, which is a Spring fungus, usually found from St George’s Day (23 April) through to June. It is an edible mushroom, tending to be found in short grass, but also other habitats. Yellow Brain is a more specialised species, found on hazel or (as in this case) on dead Gorse branches.

Netted Crust (Byssomerulius corium, #979)

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This blob of what looks like old chewing gum on a dead Buddleia branch, is I believe Netted Crust (Byssomerulius corium), a new species for the garden. This fungus is found all year round on dead wood - usually deciduous/ The white spots on another piece of dead wood, this time from my Corkscrew Willow, are some kind of slime mould.

Autumn Fungi @ Kemerton #2

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Eight fungi and a slime mould from a guided walk at Kemerton Lake this weekend. Several fungi I never saw, or managed to identify, before. Now I just need some to pop up in the garden, where I’ve barely seen any fungi this year - it’s certainly damp enough…

Cleeve Hill Fungi

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Some spectacular fungi up on Cleeve Hill on the Cotswold scarp last weekend; they were everywhere. Still a few I didn’t identify yet.

Autumn Fungi @ Kemerton

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Some fine fungi, but sadly not in the garden. A local nature reserve at Kemerton is always good for Autumn fungi, and also for otters which I now see on most visits if there are not too many people & dogs around.

Pin Mold (Phycomyces sp., #971)

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Spotted these impressive hair-like structures growing out of some organic matter (bird poo probably) on our outdoor table. They are sporophores from a pin mold fungus that’s quietly going about its business of naturally breaking down organic waste in the garden. With the current damp autumn weather it should be good for fungi.

Parc naturel régional de la Forêt d'Orient

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We made a stop-over near Lac d’Orient in the North of France for a couple of days. There is a lot of nature to see there in the forest and around the lakes. Birds included Osprey, Black Storks, Purple Heron, Black Woodpecker and most surprising for me, a Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus). The kites are spreading north from their stronghold in Spain, and have even turned up in UK, but this was my first in France and a good find so far North. With thousands of young Marsh Frogs all around the lakes, there was plenty of food for herons, storks and the dozens of great white egrets.

In the forest fungi were everywhere and lots of were people foraging. We picked Black Chanterelles (known in France, as Trompette de la Mort), which were very edible - great on pizza! The red Devil’s Fingers (or Octopus Stinkhorn) has an unpleasant smell of rotting-meat. It is an accidental introduction from Australia that was first found in France during the first world war, believed imported with military supplies.

Raspberry Yellow Rust (Phragmidium rubi-idaei)

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The yellow/orange spots on many of the lower leaves of my raspberry plants are from a fungus called Raspberry Yellow Rust (species #924). This is not something I’ve seen before in the garden, but it thrives in wet conditions, as we have had for most of this Spring. The pustules appear on the leaves in the spring and slowly darken over the summer. Apparently it’s harmless and won’t reduce the raspberry crop, so that’s good news.

#924 Raspberry Yellow Rust (Phragmidium rubi-idaei)

Dryad's Saddle

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This large fungus was growing off a hidden tree root right in the middle of the path at my local nature reserve. It is a Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus). The fruiting body of these fungi is always on the dead wood of a deciduous tree, either up a tree stump or growing out of a tree root just underground, like this one. They appears quite early in the season, in late spring to summer, but quickly decay and are eaten by fly larvae.

Fungus at Kemerton

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A nice variety of fungi around the woodland at Kemerton Lake nature reserve a couple of weeks ago

Turkey Tail Fungus (Trametes versicolor)

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This Turkey Tail fungus is growing nicely on an old wooden garden table. The fungus contains a chemical called Polysaccharide-K (PSK), which is used in some countries as a medicinal / alternative-medicinal compound in treating immune deficiencies and some cancers. It’s a pretty common dead-wood fungus growing right around the northern hemisphere.

Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola) on Plums

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Brown Rot fungus has infected all the plums on my plum tree this year. While there was a lot of blossom on the tree, perhaps a lack of pollinators early in the year meant that there were few fruits. And now these are all lost. The fungus spreads in the fruit, starting from blemishes caused by insect pests, such as Codling Moth.

#803 Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola)

#803 Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola)

Turkeytail & Woodwart

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Two new fungi found at the weekend. A large twig with Beech Woodwart (Hypoxylon fragiforme) fell from next door’s Beech tree. I tried the moth trap, but caught absolutely nothing; however I did find a couple of tiny Turkeytails (Trametes versicolor) growing out of the (very rotting) wood table it was standing on.

Snowshill Fungi

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Found these dead-wood fungi during a very scenic Christmas walk around Snowshill Manor. King Alfred’s Cakes are found on dead Beech, Ash or Birch branches, and were used a prehistoric firelighters - as they smoulder slowly it’s believed they were used by stone age man to transport fires from one camp to another. The stripey Turkey Tail is another fungus commonly found on rotting hardwood stumps. This fungus also has its uses, in Chinese medicine where it is believed to boost the immune system and even have anti-carcinogenic properties.

Candlesnuff Fungus

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Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) is a saprophytic fungus that breaks down rotting wood, and is typically found in the Autumn and Winter. This growth of it was on some dead sticks that have been lying around in the garden for a few years and are now well decomposed.

The lichen, looking swollen after all the wet weather, is Collema auriforme, looking like a glob of green-black chewing gum someone left on the wall.