Week 43: Dapper Caps including Fly Agaric

More fruiting fungi for you this week although lack of brain power means that I shall have to leave the detailed reading up to you, if you fancy it. As a complete fungi foraging novice, it will come as no surprise that at the top of my list of hoped for species around Box Moor was the Fly Agaric. It is the archetypal mushroom with that beautiful white-spotted red cap, and….I had never seen it.

Last Sunday, enticed out by a little sunshine, I drove up to The Old Barn at Westbrook Hay. I hadn’t even reached the car park when I spotted what could only be Fly Agaric, growing by the side of the entrance track. To say I was quite chuffed is to put it mildly and I can understand Pat O'Reilly’s response whenever he finds a specimen, “my heart leaps and I experience yet again the intense feeling of amazement that came over me so many years ago when for the first time I saw this fabulous fungus in a forest.” I guess the sight of it is a bit like walking into a fairy tale. As children, we had perhaps assumed that along with the fairies, Smurfs and frog-princes this mushroom was part of the unseen world of imagination. To be faced with its very real existence, in perfect fairy tale form, is rather wonderful. 

In terms of its place within the wider ecosystem, Fly Agaric forms mycorrhizal associations with many different plant and tree species i.e. it enhances the availability of beneficial nutrients to its host. It isn’t one of the saprobic, nutrient recyclers, from last week. If you’re interested in finding out more, Pat’s article is excellent and well worth dipping into. 

Unfortunately, by Wednesday this week, someone/something had destroyed all of the specimens by The Old Barn. I did find another in Ramacre Wood but that too had been kicked/destroyed.

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
Cap diameter approx 130mm

King Alfred's Cakes (Daldinia concentric) Width approx 60mm

Clouded Agaric (Clitocybe nebularis) Cap diameter approx 160mm

Rosy Bonnet (Mycena rosea) Cap diameter approx 30mm

Monday morning, full of enthusiasm after my fairy tale find, I returned to Westbrook Hay for more foraging. This time I focused on Ramacre Wood. I won’t go into detail about each fungus but will put links in to further reading at the end if you’re interested. The majority of species were recyclers i.e. saprobic (scavengers feeding off and recycling the nutrients of dead wood and leaf matter). A few were mychorrhizal or more specifically ectomychorrhizal. All 3 photographed above are saprobic.

After hours spent in the field, it’s always nice to come across something a little different, such was my luck on Monday. It turns out that there’s a white variant of the otherwise brown Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) and it is fruiting well in Ramacre Wood (if “fruiting well” is the appropriate fungi lingo for “there’s a whole lot of it”?!). It isn’t scientifically significant and doesn’t seem to be anything to get particularly excited about (according to this thread) but it was interesting nonetheless.

Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)

Width approx 50mm

Jelly Ear & what was previously known as Albino Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae var. lactea)

Width of largest brown growth approx 60mm

Later in the week, I called in at Roughdown Common and found a few more fungi, a couple of which are included in the photographs below. Walking out onto Further Roughdown, I was greeted by a swirl of Magpies making for the trees, at least 14, a couple of Green Woodpeckers, a Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, a single Redwing and a mixed Tit flock including 7+ lovely little Long-tailed Tits. Over on Bulbourne Meadow, 4 Red Kites came through, circling high overhead, a Kingfisher called and a couple of Nuthatches probed for food in the Reflecting Willow, which, incidentally, has had a hair cut...

Rooting Shank (Xerula radicata)
Cap diameter approx 45mm, height approx 120mm

[Roughdown] Inkcap sp Cap diameter approx 30mm

Deceiver sp (Laccaria genus) Cap diameter range 30-80mm

Russula genus Cap diameter approx 50mm

Lepista genus, likely nuda or possibly sordida [Roughdown] Cap diameter approx 50mm

Armillaria genus Cap diameters approx 20mm, 40mm

Conical Brittlestem (Psathyrella conopilus) Cap only, diameter approx 12mm

The more I learn about fungi, the more I appreciate that getting to a definitive species identification is frequently impossible without microscopic examination or advanced ecological knowledge. I don’t have either of those tools so some IDs are left at the level of genus.

This week’s fungi list with links to further reading

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) [Entrance track to Old Barn car park & Ramacre Wood]
Clouded Agaric or Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis) [Ramacre Wood & Lower Roughdown Wood]
King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica) [Hay & Ramacre Woods]
Rosy Bonnet (Mycena rosea) [Ramacre Wood]
Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) [Ramacre Wood]
Rooting Shank (Xerula radicata) [Ramacre Wood]
Inkcap species [top of dell of Lower Roughdown]
Deceiver species (Laccaria genus) [tree covered path NW edge of Bovingdon Reach meadow & Ramacre Wood]
Russula genus [Ramacre Wood]
Lepista genus, likely nuda or possibly sordida [under Oaks, Lower Roughdown] 
Armillaria genus [path south side of Overbourne meadow, Westbrook Hay]
Pholiota genus [Hay Wood]
Conical Brittlestem (Parasola (Psathyrella) conopilus) [Ramacre Wood & path south side of Overbourne meadow, Westbrook Hay]
Hygrophorus genus possibly lindtneri [under Oaks, Lower Roughdown]
Tubaria genus possibly conspersa (Felted Twiglet) [Ramacre Wood]

And, to round things off, it's this week's Oak photograph. Its leaves are well and truly turning now.

Week 42: Fungi Unearthed: Bonnets, Bells, Shanks & More

Dellfield meadow leading up to Hay Wood

Fungi! The stuff of fairy tales and the home of the Smurfs! Who could resist that?! Tuesday morning, I shunned the crisp bright sunshine and sought out the dappled, dank, darkness of Hay Wood, in search of Fruiting Bodies (that should probably be followed by some kind of menacing hallowe’en cackle!). I won’t pretend that I had a clue as to what I was looking at. Everything I know about fungi could fit on the teeny weeny 3mm wide cap of a Frosty Bonnet. But, it was fun discovering all these weird and wonderful eruptions in amongst the musty autumn leaves and rotting stumps of the woodland floor. Above my head, I could hear the many Goldcrests singing away. Wrens too piped up. Mostly, I was absorbed in trying to photograph bonnets, bells, shanks and all manner of imaginatively named growths (full species list at the end).

Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes), cap diameter approx 60mm

Conifer Tuft (Hypholoma capnoides) cap diameter approx 12mm

Crust fungus sp (perhaps Yellowing Curtain Crust [Stereum subtomentosum]) width approx 20mm

Frosty Bonnet (Mycena adscendens) cap diameter approx 3mm

Other than providing a comfy seat for posing Fairies or a cosy hearth for a hard working Smurf, fungi obviously play a vital role in the context of the woodland ecosystem. It and bacteria are the primary recyclers of nutrients, breaking down dead and decaying matter into a form which is then readily available for reabsorption. I suspect that all of the fungi I’ve encountered this week fit into this category. Of course, it has other niches, such as the vital mycorrhizal associations with plant roots (see Week 3 for more on that). It’s also a food source for both animals and humans although you definitely want to avoid the appropriately named Funeral Bell. Certain fungi have medicinal use (e.g. Penicillin); whilst others cause disease in plants (like the fungal pathogen Phytophthora affecting some of the trees on the Trust’s moors); others cause disease in animals/humans (Athletes Foot anyone?!). The extent to which fungi weaves its way into our lives is quite striking and perhaps surprising. It seems to live at the extremes of enhancing life or hastening decay and death.

Apart from a forage in Hay Wood, I also took a stroll over the moors on Wednesday morning, ending up at Roughdown Common. A Red Admiral butterfly was fluttering about on Old Fishery Lane. On Fishery Moor, I found what is likely to be Stubble Rosegill whilst, in the dell at Roughdown, I unearthed some lovely Fairy Inkcap (although I rather like its other unofficial common name of Fairies' Bonnets. However, the term Bonnet is more strictly applied to Mycena species, which this isn't).

Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminates), Roughdown Common, cap diameter approx 12mm

Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) cap diameter approx 30mm

Stubble Rosegill (Volvariella gloiocephala) cap diameter approx 130mm

Candlesnuff (Xylaria hypoxylon) approx height 30mm

Whilst doing a little reading in preparation for this post, I remembered some photos I took a few weeks back of fungi rings on Preston Hill. I had intended to return when the weather improved and capture both the rings and the autumn trees. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t perk up in time and the mushrooms died back. Anyway, it fits in nicely with this week’s theme. Apparently, when Fairies aren’t dangling their toes off Fly Agaric, they are dancing with wild abandon inside Fairy Rings. Folklore aside, these curious rings of fungi have a very simple biological explanation. They begin with a single spore which beds down, sending out a network of underground roots or mycelium. “Each summer it produces fruiting bodies - mushrooms - which are temporary reproductive bits akin to flower blossoms. The mycelium draws heavily on the nitrogen in the soil as it grows and fruits, and the mushrooms appear at the outer edge of the network, where the nitrogen is richest. As the mycelium network expands, so does the fairy ring formed by the mushrooms. There are two types of fairy rings. Tethered rings are formed by species that are partially dependent on the roots of certain tree species for nutrition, and often occur with a tree growing at their center. Untethered rings don't require tree roots and so are often found in meadows and lawns.” (reference here). I’m afraid I didn’t look closely at the mushrooms forming the rings on Preston Hill so didn’t identify the species. The network of mycelium going into producing that large ring (approx 2.5 metres diameter) must be quite something!

Fairy Rings on Preston Hill 15 October 2014

Another interesting find in Hay Wood were 2 locations where a bird of prey (likely a Buzzard) had spent some time plucking fur from a rabbit (I think). In the photograph below, the bird had perhaps used the raised stump as a means of anchoring the rabbit whilst preparing it.

Ok, a list of this week’s 13 fungus finds with links to further reading if you fancy it:

Angel’s Bonnet (Mycena arcangeliana) Frosty Bonnet (Mycena adscendens) Snapping Bonnet (Mycena vitilis) (possible ID) Yellowing Curtain Crust (Stereum subtomentosum)(possible ID) Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes) Blushing Bracket (Daedaleopsis confragosa) (poss ID) King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica) Stubble Rosegill (Volvariella gloiocephala) (poss ID)(Fishery Moor) Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus) (Roughdown Common) Conical Brittlestem (Parasola conopilus) Candlesnuff (Xylaria hypoxylon) Conifer Tuft (Hypholoma capnoides)

Frosty Bonnet, showing the sugar-like "frosting"

Velvet Shank, showing the...velvety shank

Finally, this week's Oak photograph

Week 41: Frilly Fungus & Woodland Treecreepers

Just headlines and snippets this week...

Bonkers weather: Peak daytime temperatures seemed to hover around 18-20 degrees celsius most days…and….It’s November!?!

Dellfield Oak and lazy sheep

Warm Temperatures + Damp Conditions = Great for Fungus
On the log pile near the south-east gate from Dellfield I found Crimped Gill (Plicatura crispa) and Silverleaf Fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum) (growth about 15 cm long). In Hay Wood, I came across at least 3 colonies of tiny Angel’s Bonnet (Mycena arcangeliana).

Silverleaf Fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum) [above and below]

Silverleaf Fungus close up

Over on the River Bulbourne, Papa Kingfisher is still trying to encourage his youngster to stop raiding the food cupboard (aka river) and find her own territory. She’s not giving up without a bit of wing flapping, posturing and squealing. A stage most of us go through. This week, negotiations were taking place by the Station Road bridge (record shot here).

Bovingdon Brickworks 27/10/2014. North-east end of the main meadow with the mound (beyond the trees is Green Lane)

Birding in Hay Wood

Friday morning, I spent almost an hour listening and watching, standing in a small area of the wood, close to Dellfield meadow. Nothing beats being in amongst wild birds as they flit about the canopy, chattering to one another, hovering under leaves to get at spiders or insects, and tussling over territory. I counted more than 10 Goldcrests (I had kept a special eye/ear out for Firecrests but no luck); 2 Treecreepers; 7+ Coal Tits; 6+ Great Tits; 9+ Blue Tits; 1 Nuthatch; and 2 Bullfinches. The Goldcrests and Treecreepers were particularly delightful and never fail to make me smile. They also very rarely stay still so getting photographs under a dark canopy with a slow lens was something of a challenge. Below are the best I could manage for the gorgeous little Treecreeper.

The delicate call of the Treecreeper

Autumn in Hay Wood

Week 40: Harrier in Hemel, Migrant Search & Territorial Kingfishers

Young Female Kingfisher in Horse Chestnut on Bulbourne Meadow, overlooking the River Bulbourne

This week, we start off 2.5 miles from Box Moor Trust land, in a Horse Paddock. This is no ordinary Horse Paddock. It is to Interesting Birds what my garden is to the Local Cat Population, irresistible. Dan Forder is passionate about local birding and has spent innumerable hours in the field in and around Hemel Hempstead. When most of us would have given up and headed to Tring reservoirs, Maple Lodge or Tyttenhanger gravel pits, Dan has persevered. His patient dedication has continued to pay off and, over the past few months, at The Horse Paddock, he’s found Wheatears, Whinchats, Stonechats and a Tree Sparrow to name but a few. This week, Monday morning, the Horse Paddock had a new arrival for Dan. A Black Redstart! This is another passage migrant in Hertfordshire and, if not the first record for the Hemel area, it is not far off it. I got there at about 10:30am and, with Dan, excitedly watched the flighty Black Redstart and a couple of Stonechats. Photographs and details of the find are on Dan’s excellent blog here and here.

Spurred on by the presence of a Black Redstart locally, I opted for the Brickworks next. Black Redstarts favour industrial habitats so I hoped that the buildings and brick piles might have lured a second bird down for a pit stop. It wasn’t to be and, although I checked through 3 lively mixed Tit flocks, I couldn't conjure up a Yellow-browed Warbler either (another passage migrant, two of which had been reported at Amwell HMWT near Hertford). The mixed Tit flocks were mostly made up of Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Long-tailed Tits but one also had a Nuthatch, another a Chiffchaff and also a few Chaffinches. Over head, I heard passage Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and around the Brickworks there were still numerous Hornets, bashful Bullfinches and chirpy Robins.

Home for some lunch and then out again to visit the Oak and Westbrook Hay. The Oak’s leaves are just beginning to take on their Autumn colours.

I searched high and low for migrants but except for an influx of Woodpigeons (really, really not what I was after), all I could find were 3 Redwing in the bushes by Preston Hill pond. Feeling worn out and deflated, I trudged back down hill to the car park at Dellfield.....to be greeted by Dan! He’d just arrived having spotted a Marsh Harrier from his office window in town. There’s a moral/lesson/joke-at-my-expense in there somewhere, I’m sure. Anyway, the bird had flown west and circled over Bulbourne Moor before moving out of sight. We made for higher ground and searched the valley and skies but couldn’t relocate the bird. Remarkably, the following day, Dan received a report that a Marsh Harrier had been spotted roosting on the gas towers by Roughdown Common. This is a great record for Dan and the Box Moor Trust and I only wish I’d seen it.

Tuesday morning, in near gale force winds, blissfully ignorant of roosting Marsh Harriers, I searched Roughdown Common. I found more than 25 sheltering Redwing and couple of Bullfinches before deciding enough was enough and taking shelter myself back home.

By Wednesday, I was worn out. I checked Roughdown again and took a leisurely stroll east along the river Bulbourne from Station Road. I’d walked across Bulbourne Meadow and was just about to carry on down river when I heard Kingfisher calls. I turned around and there, perched in the reflecting willow, were two Kingfishers, facing one another and posturing. Unfortunately, their territorial negotiations were almost instantly disturbed by a passing dog walker but the young female bird didn’t go far. The other bird was a male and I think possibly an adult male rather than the young male observed recently. I heard a third Kingfisher behind me down river. It really is wonderful to have these birds resident: feeding, breeding and thriving here.

I stayed a while and watched the young female fishing from the trees. She was very successful and it’s no wonder she is perhaps reluctant to move on from this territory.

Catch it


Lob it


Stun it

Position it

Bash its head in

Line it up and swallow it down

She looked remarkably pleased with herself having caught, killed and necked that little fish!