Book Launch - Field Guide to the Mushrooms of Britain and Europe. New Holland

Book Launch  - Field Guide to the Mushrooms of Britain and Europe.  Alison Linton. New Holland

Attenborough Nature Centre, Nottinghamshire, UK October 22nd/23rd October 2016

A different sort of weekend for me.  I'm used to being outdoors in woods or pastures in the countryside looking for fungi.

This past weekend was very different indeed and very enjoyable.  Attenborough Nature Centre, Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, UK, most kindly hosted a two-day book launch of the new field guide written by myself entitled Field Guide to the Mushrooms of Britain and Europe published by New Holland.  This book is aimed at beginners to the subject of mushrooms.  

Attenborough Nature Centre is a very popular Eco Visitor Centre within Attenborough Nature Reserve.  I was looked after very well as you can see from the photograph above.
I met lots of lovely and interesting people and it was simply great to talk to people who also find mushrooms fascinating, beautiful, and wish to start the journey of learning about them.

Below is a small video of the Book Launch should you wish to take a look.
https://youtu.be/L9CAHDikCgU

Mushrooms Attenborough Nature Centre, Nottinghamshire, UK, Notts. TV

Mushrooms Attenborough Nature Centre, Nottinghamshire, UK

Last week I had the fabulous opportunity of taking part in a mushroom walk at Attenborough Nature Centre, Nottinghamshire whilst being filmed by Notts TV.  This was a very steep learning curve for me but a very memorable experience.  The TV journalist Owen Shipton and his assistant Stephanie were wonderful.

If you wish to see the little film the link is below:


http://nottstv.com/see-the-mushrooms-growing-in-unseen-part-of-the-attenborough-nature-reserve/


This was superb timing as last week on the 9th October 2016 it was National Fungus Day.

Geastrum striatum

Geastrum striatum- Striate Earthstar

This  Earthstar is not easy to spot as it is tiny and blends into the soil; is well hidden in hedgerows near tree stumps.  I first came across it last year and took the photograph below.

It is very tiny being only approximately 6 cm in diameter at maturity from tip to tip of the rays.
The bulb is dull grey with a beak-like apex.  The rays are coarse, scaly and brownish-grey.  There may be between six and nine.  It is mostly solitary but can also be seen in small groups.  It can be found in soil amongst leaf litter near broadleaf or conifer trees and in hedgerows. Rather rare.

I returned to the same site again this week and found it again.  This time I had a nice surprise.
I lifted up the mature specimen as it was getting past its best and underneath this tiny structure was an even smaller structure, being symbolically shielded - a tiny immature example.
Photograph below.  This young one is so immature that the beak-like structure has not fully developed and the rays have not yet started to fully split.

Also is a photograph of the beak-like structure in a mature example.

And finally a photograph of the underside showing the collar like structure.