Baudoinia compniacensis (Whiskey Fungus)

Baudoinia compniacensis (Whiskey Fungus)

The above fungus seems to have hit the headlines around the time of World Whiskey Day.

It is a sac fungus* which seems to appear around or near distilleries.  It has a preference for airborne alcohol. The mycelium is black has a velvet like structure and is crusty.  The problem with this fungus is that it grows on homes - near or around a distillery.

Unfortunately for Scotland, in North Ayrshire, Beith, and other places in the world, this fungus is blighting houses, cars and other surfaces. This makes the exterior of buildings and roofs look as though they are covered in black soot.  The reason this fungus is so persistent is that it can withstand high temperatures.  Ethanol vapour will accelerate its growth.  It can be removed from buildings using high pressure jets and bleach. It seems the structure of buildings is not damaged once it has been removed.

* an enclosed spore bearing structure

British Allotments under threat and thus Flora and Fungi

The current Threat to British Allotments and indirectly Fungi

In this current blog posting I am deviating a little from my usual topic of talking strictly about Fungi.

At the moment there is a controversial issue taking place in the UK concerning our precious allotment plots.
To set the scene - in 1940 there were 1.4 million allotment plots in the UK.  Due to closures, and plots being sold off for re-development,  ie. housing, dwellings, etc there are now only approximately 155,000 left in the UK.  Between 2010 and 2013 the Communities UK Government Department closed down over 5,000 plots.  This is a very sorry and worrying state of affairs.  The future of UK allotments has now reached a critical juncture

The reason I decided to include this topic in my Fungi Blogs is that there are multiple reasons for preserving the plots we have left - and in fact to create more.

- Allotments plots are a haven for insects, bees, birds, the list is comprehensive, and the subject I'm passionate about being Fungi.

Allotments have piles of manure, wood-chippings, hedges, trees, grass, tree roots and the list is endless - all where fungi grow.  Fungi need protecting.  Fungi are natures recyclers and are an integral part of the eco system and have a symbiotic relationship with trees.  It becomes apparent that the more allotments that are destroyed the less fungi and all the other flora, and insects we have.  There is the potential for imbalance.

This is just one aspect.  What about the pleasure factor it gives individuals and families. What about the health benefits of relaxing in the allotment and growing nearly organic vegetables.  What about the community and social aspect of these little communities which are an oasis to get away from the fast pace of modern living.

On the 25th July 2014 an allotment closure in West Watford Hertfordshire is taking on the Communities Agency and Mr Eric Pickles.  The case hopes to be heard in the Royal Courts of Justice and if you could tweet or donate some funds to help fight this case which could well be a precedent to the remaining allotments/plots in the UK, then please

Tweet @SavefarmTerrace

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

UPDATE:

The Royal Courts of Justice recently delivered their judgement and ruled in favour of  Home Farm Terrace Allotments. This means, that for now, the allotments are safe from development.



 

Rhodocollybia butyracea, Watch Wood, Nottinghamshire

Rhodocollybia butyracea (butter cap mushroom)

Watch Wood, North of Nottingham, was new territory for me.  A mixed wood, acid soil and some conifers. Very quiet, and we saw no other person.  I found Collybia. butyracea towards the end of the walk.  Its common name is Buttery Collybia and is part of the Marasmiaceae family.  This little fungus is usually found towards the end of the year in sheltered woods.  It is very variable in its characteristics and I had to ask Howard Williams (Retired Recorder) for Notts Fungi group for an opinion.  

On drying the cap can have many hues of colour, the size can be variable too.  The darker centre of the cap is seen on the photograph (see www.fungiworld.co.uk).  It has white close gills which are cartilagenous.
I have a little token from that wood.  Near to the Collybia butyracea lay an abandoned old shovel on the ground!  It was big and heavy so my walking companion offered to carry it back to the car.  Useful for shovelling snow in the next severe winter me thought!

Also during December I came across a beautiful brown Oyster mushroom.  It was at its prime and the sun shine was glowing through the gills so I decided to capture it.  Pleurotus ostreatus can vary in colour from grey, deep blue to brown.  This was my first sighting of a brown one.

Photographs can now be seen at www.fungiworld.co.uk. Browse 5.

BBC4 The Magic of Mushrooms

The Magic of Mushrooms

Fungi enthusiasts may be interested to note that starting on BBC4 on 24th April 2014 a new television programme will be starting on Fungi.  It is introduced by BMS Vice President Richard Fortey.

It is entitled The Magic of Mushrooms.  Mushroom enthusiast Richard Fortey explores the strange and surprising science of fungi.


It is very good indeed that the subject of fungi is being given a platform.

Bulgaria inquinans - Exton, Exmouth October 2013

Bulgaria inquinans - Black Bulgar 

I returned to Exmouth during October 2013.  Having visited earlier in the year (February 2013) when I was hopeful about finding some fungi,  but the weather then was arctic with temperatures plummeting to -6 with even colder windchill, so I found nothing.

During October 2013 I was blessed.  Apart from one episode of rain early one morning I experienced wall to wall sunshine with temperatures reaching a heady 18 degrees.

Stayed again at The Manor Hotel, Beacon Hill which is just lovely.  The staff are wonderful and the relaxed atmosphere is ideal for me. "The Manor Hotel is just a few houses away from the former residence of Lady Nelson and Lady Byron. It was one of the first properties to be built on The Beacon and is in fact Exmouth's oldest hostelry dating back to the 1790's and was once visited by the composer Franz Liszt in 1840.Just a short stroll to both the beach and the town with stunning sea views across the Exmouth bay." 

My aim was to cycle along the River Exe coastal path to Topsham a fourteen miles return trip.This I did and the fabulous bonus was that a very kind member of staff  lent me her mountain bike.
It is a superb trip as the path is wooden, very safe,  and hugs the Avocet single track railway line running from Exmouth to Exeter. 

I came across Bulgaria inquinans at Exton.  They were growing on a dead log tucked away some distance from the path.  Unfortunately they were behind a metal fence, and luckily my camera lense just fitted in between the railings. A huge number of them - some young and others at full maturity.

The characteristics are:  1-4 cm across, black, rubbery and shiny at maturity.  When young more brown with a tightly in-rolled margin.  At maturity it resembles a disc.  The habitat is on dead wood of deciduous trees, oak and less likely beech.  Autumn.  

This is not to be confused with Bulgaria exidia which is more rubbery and flexible in texture and not so disc shaped.

On the return cycle back, I ate my sandwiches sitting on the bike, alone, having the pleasure of watching three fox cubs squealing, playing and grooming themselves in the sun.
A great day.

These photographs can now be viewed on Browse 5 of  www.fungiworld.co.uk

Paxillus Involutus (Rollrim) fungus

Paxillus involutus (Roll rim) fungus

This is a large agaric that can grow either in trooping groups or is solitary.  It usually can be found in broad-leaf woods near to birch and on acid soil.

The cap can be up to 12 cm and it can be tall with the stem measuring up to 7 cm.  Initially the cap can be olivaceous and as maturity happens it will become more hazel-brown, firstly convex, then becoming expanded and somewhat depressed in the middle.  The margin will be in-rolled.  The gills become sienna-brown with rust spots, decurrent and crowded.

The stem is concolorous with the cap.  It is distinguished by darker bruising at the apex of the stem.  There is no ring.

I came across my first P involutus on a day trip to Stanage Edge in the Derbyshire Peak District.  Stanage derived from stone edge, is famous for rock climbing.  It has an elevation to 1,503 feet at its highest point.  It was historically a paved packhorse road which ran along the top of the edge.

We walked across the ledge on a crisp and very windy October day.  Silent except for the wind and the chink of metal from the rock climbers.  We took a path downwards to Curbar Wood. a magical wood empty except for us.  During that lovely walk I came across huge groups of Fly Agaric.  The P involutus was solitary in a little clearing next to birch trees.  It is a handsome fungus.  The one I photographed had an extremely prominent umbo.  I have subsequently been told that this sometimes happens, and then it becomes depressed.  It is easily recognised by the decurrent gills which stain darker brown at the apex of the stem.

Also on this trip I think I came across Beech milkcap (Lactarius blennius).  The cap had a white droplet of milk visible at the margin edge.  The cap is 4-10 cm across and the colour is very difficult to describe but being a mixture of olive, grey, green and even silver.  The texture of  the cap reminded me of unfired Denby pottery, which is interesting as it is a pottery based in Derbyshire!

Thank you to RE for taking me to this lovely area of Derbyshire/S. Yorkshire.

These photographs can now be seen on www.fungiworld.co.uk,  Browse 5.

Clathrus Ruber

Clathrus Ruber

The Clathrus ruber is a species of fungus related to the stinkhorn family.  Also known as latticed fungus, basket fungus and red cage.  This fungus grows alone or in small clusters near wood debris, on lawns and fallen leaves.  It is native to Southern and Central Europe.  There have been recordings in Southern England, mostly from Cornwall, Hants, Devon, Isle of Wight and Surrey.  It is also recorded in the USA.

Its colour can range from pink, to orange/red.

Characteristics

Initially starts out as an egg which is white/grey.    This then opens up to reveal a lattice that is orange/pink/red (the exact colour can vary).  The spores are green/black.  This attracts flies. Once exposed the lattice can be covered in slimy olive-green spore mass which is foul-smelling.  The height can be anything up to 20 cm but seems to average out at 11 cm or so. It appears in later Summer-Autumn and is rather rare.
It is recorded as inedible.

My story relating to Clathrus Ruber started in February 2012.  I received an email from a gentleman who contacted me for an id on a fungus he believed to be an Orange Peel fungus.  This photograph had been taken in Branscombe, E. Devon. the previous November 2010.   It most certainly was not an Orange Peel Fungus.  Having received a photo more recently of Clathrus Archeri,  I believed it to be the related, but collapsed Clathrus Ruber.  It looked well past its sell-by-date and I needed another photo to verify its id.

I wrote as such to this gentleman who told me he visited Branscombe on a yearly basis during November and he would look out for it.  I was naturally thrilled by this, as to have a photo of this more rare C. Ruber would be a marvellous addition to the website.  The following year he visited the exact area and there was no sign of this fungus.

Out of the blue during November 2013 I received another email from him informing me that he'd visited the exact spot again and this time had struck the jackpot!  Not only had he done that, but he'd managed to come across C. Ruber at the 'egg stage' and over a 48 hour period took a series of photos of the egg, the emerging lattice structure and then finally the mature C. Ruber. 

The dedication and commitment of this man to repeatedly search for this rather rare fungus and to provide such a detailed series of photographs is heartening and so very well appreciated.
Above is a small photograph of C. Ruber and more detailed photographs will appear on fungiworld in the near future.