Volvariella bombycina and a poignant and sad end to July 2011.

Volvariella bombycina - July 2011

A nice summer evening, with a slightly moist atmosphere so we decided to visit Bramcote Wood west of Nottingham. Was very pleased to find a lovely little group of Marasmius rotula and admired their parachute-like caps.  I did not expect to find anything else but on the return path to the car something caught my attention.

A huge white cap protruding out of a half rotten arched tree trunk.   Cap dimension being up to 20 cm with the most exquisite texture.  Whitish silky fibrous texture, that felt like soft sheep wool.  Some of the strands having a yellowish tinge.   The fibres overhung the margin edge like a curtain pelmet.  The gills being flesh pink and the stem emerging from a volval bag. Amazing!  I just had to keep stroking those silky fibres.  Can be seen on Browse 3.

Everton Wood - July 2011

I had to work that particular day, so Chris visited Everton Wood, Notts/Lincs border to do some bird watching.  He sent me a text to say he'd found a huge attractive fungus.  I responded saying, .......well you know the sort of pictures I need - cap, gills and stem!  Previously, much as he tried, he just could not take good pictures of fungi. But on this occasion he did.  He took three magnificent photographs of a Lepiota(=Macrolepiota) procera - with special emphasis on the superior double ring.  I am so glad he succeeded as these photographs can now be seen on Browse 3.  Very tragically indeed my precious partner Chris died nine days later and this is a very sad and poignant blog for me to write.  Thankfully he did know his photographs would appear on the website - I just wish he could see them.

These can now be viewed on Browse 3.

Bunny Wood, Nottinghamshire and Sowdley Wood, Clunton, Shropshire, June/July 2011

Bunny Wood, Nottinghamshire, June 2011

A half day trip to Bunny Wood.  Everywhere very dry and so was surprised to find a Polyporus varius.

Although it was well hidden in a hollow that had a damp muddy patch.  In the middle of the muddy patch lay a log and there was the solitary Polyporus varius.  A lovely looking fungus with a frilly margin which reminded me of the leaves of a cabbage lettuce.  The light was very bad so the photograph is rather grainy.

There was also a fun moment at this point.  Chris exclaimed that he had found an exotic looking fungus.

Alas it was a false alarm.  Someone with a very good sense of humour had set out to fool fungi hunters by placing a porcelain mushroom under a bush complete with a bright purple elongated cap and a white wavy stem!

Sowdley Wood, Clunton, Shropshire, July 2011

Based ourselves at Bishops Castle for the weekend.  The weather being absolutely gorgeous.  Sunny, warm and dry although there had been some rain the previous week and so was hopeful that I would find some fungi.  Chris spotted something bright yellow half hidden under some leaves under a pine tree.

Unusual characteristics.  Ugly looking with a thick stem that was turning black.  The texture was very felty and we had a debate as to whether it was like a peach or a nectarine.  I won the day and it was agreed it felt like a peach.  I later identified it as an Onnia tomentosa.   Unusual to be growing at such low altitude.

The following day we had another successful day.  On a dead log I found Trechispora mollusca which is white and resembles a lace-table cloth in appearance and it is rather porous.

Also found some small brown like fronds growing on a pine tree trunk - only 1 cm in length which I cannot yet identify.  We found a lovely location for lunch.  A field surrounded by trees.  Alone with birdsong, wild flowers, butterflies and nice views - it felt like paradise.

These photographs can now be seen on Browse 3.

Isle of Skye, Scotland, May 2011

A difficult blog to write. See previous blog for the reason why.

Portree

We found the lovely Aros Visitors Centre on the outskirts of Portree surrounded by a spectacular wood.

The Visitors Centre served an incredibly nice Lime Merangue Pie which I guzzled very quickly. Very nice place with ample parking.

Drizzle and very high winds persisted with the tops of the tall pine trees noisily crashing together.We tramped around this wood for a good few hours.  Chris was particularly excited because he spotted a Golden Eagle whereas I had my eyes on the ground looking for good fungi.  Not much to be seen until we found some small cream, disc-like rubbery textured caps amongst moss on a bank.  I think they might be Tarzetta.

Braes Beach

Again, wind blowing us about again - even making photography difficult and the wind so strong that my anti-shake mechanism on my camera failed to work.  Found an interesting specimen in a sandy/soil/mossy bunker by the sea.  Egg-shaped cap, buff background but with grey mottling.  Am not sure yet what it is.

Claigan near Dunvegan (Coral Beach)

My birthday.  Severe gales overnight and fresh snow on the mountains but the sun shone for most of the day although the wind never abated.

Was most impressed with this coral beach. (Dessicated sun-bleached algae) resembling the colour of white tropical sand. We spent a good half day there.  On the way back to the car we walked across a large open meadow. In dung I found what I believe might be Psilocybe coprophila or subcoprophila.  Buff coloured fungi in groups in cow dung.

The day and my birthday ended in a very spectacular manner.  On the drive back to our cottage, we had to stop the car twice due to severe hail storms but were rewarded on the second stop by the most impressive and very special double rainbow.

I will never forget my time in Skye with Chris.  It was too special for words in every respect.

All photographs can now be viewed on Browse 3.

Fungi hunting and Chris 3rd August 2011

Chris

Regular readers of my blog will be aware that from time to time I make reference to "Chris" in my narrative.  I am absolutely heart-broken to write that sadly Chris (my beloved partner) has died in a tragic accident.

Without Chris,  most of the photographs taken in the past fifteen months would not have appeared (or in due course will appear) over the next few months on my website.  Chris accompanied me continuously to dangerous and remote areas of woodland, cliff edges, and other rough terrain, ensuring my safety at all times. He held me tight whilst I clung to tree trunks, slippery river banks and other situations too numerable to mention, all over the UK, including the Isle of Skye in Scotland and The Republic of Ireland.

Fundamentally he protected me.  I have now lost my precious Chris and protector. 

When I have recovered, I will carry on taking photographs of British Fungi.

I will continue to make reference to him in the blog until the end of July 2011.

Christopher John Cheshire 1963-2011
'Play, Smile, Think of me, Pray for me'

The Roaches, Staffordshire and Isle of Skye, Scotland, April/May 2011

The Roaches, Staffordshire April 2011

A very hot day indeed.  Drove to The Roaches in Staffordshire.  The Roaches taken from Les roches (Rocks) is an impressive mound of rocks rising to 505m.  The primary reason for this trip was to have a challenging walk.  And a challenging walk it was, scrambling up to the top of rocks with Chris at times pushing me up from behind as my legs were too short to climb from one  rock to the next - sun high in the sky and every where dry and dusty. I did not expect to see any fungi as the ground was dry due to lack of rain.

We walked through Lud's Church which is a hidden chasm with sheer walls 60 feet high.  These walls being damp and covered with moss, lichen and ferns even in a mini drought.  Decided to hunt through the mossy walls and found a minute solitary little fungus.  Cap pure white, 0.3-0.5 cm diameter with white very close gills. The stem being very flexible and almost transluscent.  Currently I cannot id this.

Isle of Skye, May 2011 

This was our first trip to the Isle of Skye so did not quite know what to expect either with the weather or the geography.  An Atlantic low settled over The Inner Hebrides all week, so it was extremely windy with outbursts of heavy rain.  This made the scenes very dramatic and of course brought out the fungi spores.  Spent the week in an old Crofters Cottage.

Briars,  An Entoloma I think.  Greasy cap with the right characteristics.


Trottenish Penninsular, Panaeolus campanulatu or sphinctrinus possibly.
Lovely little fungus, in deep wet grass. Grey mottled cap more buff in the centre.
Nice close dark gills and a beautiful tapering stem with floury texture.


All can now be viewed on Browse 3.

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire and fungus in plant pot, March 2011

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire March 2011

After lunch of soup and the lovely Sussex pasties, and the excitement of photographing Coprinus pseudoradiatus in the dung,  mentioned in the previous blog, we moved on.  It wasn't too long before I spotted a pinkish looking fungus on a tree trunk.  I think it might be Peniophora lycii.  Definitely a delicate pink, encrusted but had some irregular patches. 

Also found a small solitary fungus growing side-ways out of a tree trunk.  Small cap no more than 2 cm diameter, mottled brown/rust colour.  Uneven margin, with very wide gills and a short slightly obese stem.  I cannot identify this at the moment.

Later in March I decided to move some dead leaves from a plant pot in my garden and hiding underneath were some tiny fungi.  Cap no more than 2 cm, rusty brown streaked with purple, particularly at the margin.

Has a delicate rusty brown ring three quarters from the bottom of the stem.  At the moment I am unsure of its identity. 

All of these can be viewed on Browse 3.

Received an email from a student (Ruth Gaona), studying Biology at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.  She requested permission to use one of my photographs of Jew's Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) for a specific project.  Here is the link to this website
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/gaona_ruth/nutrition.htm 
This is a very informative and detailed piece of work for anyone wishing to learn more about Jew's Ear.

The subject of Slime-flux (fungus) and a visit to Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

Slime-flux (fungus)

Received an email from a gentleman from Hampshire who has corresponded with me previously.

Whilst out walking in East Meon, Hampshire, he came across what is believed to be a

Slime-flux (fungus).   There are differing opinions as to what exactly is a slime-flux (fungus).

Opinion seems to be that it is a blend of fungi.  A mixture of bacteria and fungus.

It seems that several types of fungi are present and not all of the same genus and because bacteria is present as well,  it has been referred to as a "Microbial Mat".  (Microbial Mat is a term I have extracted from an article from The Association of British Fungi Groups).

The process can be caused by felling or pruning a tree, or a branch snapping off naturally, then fungi and bacterial invasion occurs.

For further information please refer to:

Field Mycology Oct 2006 7(4) p128-131 by Alick Henrici, Joyce Andrews and John Bailey regarding the "Tyntesfield Monster" that puzzled Kew until its identity was established.

Two photographs of the Slime-flux (fungus) can be seen on Browse 3.

With very special thanks for the photographs and pdf article sent by JB.

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, March 2011

 "Calke Park is a rich and varied landscape, from rolling grassland to ancient oaks.  80 hectares of the 240 hectare park is a National Nature Reserve, of international wildlife and importance and a Site of Special Scientific Interest"

 Source National Trust.

  

Set off for Calke Abbey.  Packed lunch included flask of tomato soup and cold Sussex pasties made the night before.  We were blessed with sunshine, though it was cold.  Two hours passed and no fungi to be seen, until I decided to investigate some cow dung.  Was very excited to discover something.  For obvious hygiene reasons I managed to curb my enthusiasm until after lunch on a nearby log.

I believe the fungi in the dung is Coprinus pseudoradiatus which is very similar to C radiatus but the stem is much taller in C pseudoradiatus.  A lovely delicate little mushroom -  grey cap, with the characteristic grooves of Coprinus. 

  

All photographs can be viewed on Browse 3.