Bovista paludosa (Fen Puffball)
I was recently sent a newspaper article reporting that the Bovista paludosa (Fen Puffball) a rare type of fungus has recently been found in Wales, UK. So I wanted to share this story.
Overall, only five examples have ever been recorded in the UK, thus making it one of the country's rarest fungi. This fungus was discovered during a survey into 200 of the country's most important bog and fen sites.
It is such a rare fungus that it is named on the "Natural Environment and Rural Communities list as a UK priority conservation species".
Characteristics:
Pear-shaped 1-8 cm across. White or light coloured. When young it has a smooth appearance, with maturity it can appear granular. A short stalk may be present. The fruit body at maturity may break away from the stalk which allows it to be blown around in the wind allowing the spores to be spread. The spores are purple - brown roughly spherical or ellipsoid in shape, and 3.5–7 μm in diameter.
A blog to complement my website www.fungiworld.co.uk. My website fungiworld is a photographic website showing clear close-up images of British Fungi. Regular posts and news, and also updates regarding the images I add to the website.
Monday, 17 November 2014
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Rhodotus palmatus - Wrinkled Peach Fungus
Rhodotus palmatus _Wrinkled Peach Fungus
The Wrinkled Peach Fungus is a lovely little fungus. Its habitat is elm logs and due to the lack of mature elm trees since Dutch Elm disease is less common these days.
During the late Summer I visited Bunny Wood (Nottinghamshire) and came across a huge pile of stacked timber. I noticed right on the top of these logs a tiny little pink fungus. Luckily for me I was with a friend who was prepared to hoist me to the top of this pile of logs. Not an easy photo to take kneeling on top of wobbling logs, but well worth the effort as at that time I didn't know what I was photographing!
This little fungus is beautiful. The most delicate rosy pink and the cap, gills, and stem are both a gelatinous texture. The Wrinkled Peach I saw was a young one and the stem had blood red droplets oozing from it.
I would dearly love to see a mature example as the wrinkled texture becomes very apparent and is rather attractive.
The characteristics are as follows: Cap 5-10 cm across, convex then flattened. Margin in-rolled. Pink at first, turning later peach to apricot. Clearly wrinkled at maturity. Gelatinous. Gills are inter connected and more pale than the cap. On elm logs or beams, early autumn to winter. Rather rare.
Thank you very much to Howard Williams who helped with the identification.
This photograph can now be seen on Browse 5 at www.fungiworld.co.uk
The Wrinkled Peach Fungus is a lovely little fungus. Its habitat is elm logs and due to the lack of mature elm trees since Dutch Elm disease is less common these days.
During the late Summer I visited Bunny Wood (Nottinghamshire) and came across a huge pile of stacked timber. I noticed right on the top of these logs a tiny little pink fungus. Luckily for me I was with a friend who was prepared to hoist me to the top of this pile of logs. Not an easy photo to take kneeling on top of wobbling logs, but well worth the effort as at that time I didn't know what I was photographing!
This little fungus is beautiful. The most delicate rosy pink and the cap, gills, and stem are both a gelatinous texture. The Wrinkled Peach I saw was a young one and the stem had blood red droplets oozing from it.
I would dearly love to see a mature example as the wrinkled texture becomes very apparent and is rather attractive.
The characteristics are as follows: Cap 5-10 cm across, convex then flattened. Margin in-rolled. Pink at first, turning later peach to apricot. Clearly wrinkled at maturity. Gelatinous. Gills are inter connected and more pale than the cap. On elm logs or beams, early autumn to winter. Rather rare.
Thank you very much to Howard Williams who helped with the identification.
This photograph can now be seen on Browse 5 at www.fungiworld.co.uk
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