[Simon Horsnall]

To me, the feeding damage looks moth like. Notice the areas where only one surface of the leaf has been eaten leaving brown “windows”. These are the young caterpillars which then progress to eating the whole leaf as they mature. I would guess that if you went out with a torch between now and Christmas, you would probably find the wingless females of either Winter Moth or Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera spp.) sitting on the trunks waiting for a mate.

[Simon Horsnall]

I have just received the Summerfield Books April newsletter and seen Microscopy and Fungi by Marcel Lacomte has been published in English for the first time. May be of interest to some. Reading the contents page, some of the translations may be a bit hard-going (the “coals” or Ustilaginomycetes).

I have ordered my copy first in case putting it on here causes a rush and they sell out.

[Simon Horsnall]

Lancashire Lad wrote:

I won. 😮 😯

Just discovered that I’ve won the 2023 UK Fungus Day Photo Competition 18+ age group category with my photo of Green Earthtongue (Microglossum viride): –

Congratulations. It is a wonderful image.

Simon

[Simon Horsnall]

Lancashire Lad wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion, but these definitely aren’t any form of Macrotyphula fistulosa. – (M.fistulosa is a basidiomycete, and these are ascomycete).

The suggestion was prior to you saying it was an asco. Apologies for the distraction.

Simon

[Simon Horsnall]

Fairly pale Macrotyphula fistulosa?

[Simon Horsnall]

Isn’t this Oudemansiella mucida? The last picture appears to show the viscid cap, distant gills, stem ring and beech woodland habitat all seem to fit.

[Simon Horsnall]

The foam has been collected and fixed. A slightly precarious balancing act as the water level had dropped significantly. No photograph as I wouldn’t have thought anybody would want to see a sample tube.

Next step: microscope.

[Simon Horsnall]

adampembs wrote:

Or go to bird-watching groups to ask about the edibility of Willow Warblers or Puffins.”

If anybody is interested, Puffin is edible, but tastes awful. I would liken it to well-salted leather watch straps.

[Simon Horsnall]

adampembs wrote:

I agree with those, and first looks like Paxillus involutus or a close relative (not easily separated)

I have not seen Paxillus growing on timber as this appears to be. Am I mistaken or might this be something like Tapinella?

[Simon Horsnall]

Have you checked the file size?

Simon

[Simon Horsnall]

I have just finished reading “The Entangled Life: How fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures” by Merlin Sheldrake. He covers several aspects of wider fungal topics: mycorrhizal relationships, using fungi as structural materials and modelling the Tokyo underground. He also covers more philosophical questions like: is the exploding backside of a cicada infected by Massospora an extension of the phenotype of Massospora through the cicada?

Simon

[Simon Horsnall]

Thank you Peter.

[Simon Horsnall]

I have had an email from Summerfield Books advertising “Clavarioid Mushrooms in Italy” At £150 it is fairly pricey but for 1200 pages of technical literature seems reasonable. That is if the answer to two questions are favourable. The book is in Italian with English keys. Would I be paying for 1200 pages of which I can read only 50 (I speak no Italian) and does the Italian flora cover the British flora reasonably well?

[Simon Horsnall]

Isn’t Leucopholiota decorosa an American species?

[Simon Horsnall]

With Lime and that bluing along the top of the tubes only, I would be looking at Boletus (Xerocomus) bubalinus.

Simon

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