Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
I agree with you on the Japanese Knotweed comment but if it's climate change allowing them to move north then not much we can do about it.
Would we have a different attitude if they were nondescript and brown rather than looking different from anything else and being orange with a funny name?
One to think about.
Gary
Would we have a different attitude if they were nondescript and brown rather than looking different from anything else and being orange with a funny name?
One to think about.
Gary
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
I agree that I doubt we can do anything about it, as fungal spores will go everywhere.
However, they originiate in Madagascar, 250m of the coast of Africa. So they are brought in by humans (likely on contaminated timber from cutting down tropical rainforest) rather than as a result of climate change.
But generally, we will likely never know if they cause competive problems for other species as the research funding is unlikely to be there.
However, they originiate in Madagascar, 250m of the coast of Africa. So they are brought in by humans (likely on contaminated timber from cutting down tropical rainforest) rather than as a result of climate change.
But generally, we will likely never know if they cause competive problems for other species as the research funding is unlikely to be there.
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
In general, and in respect of potential benefits of increasing UK biodiversity, I remain fairly positive about most fungi species new (and fairly new) to the UK.
Unlike, for example, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, (assumed to have been introduced into UK via infected Ash saplings from Europe), which is parasitic and highly dangerous to Ash trees, it is my understanding that Favolaschia calocera, (thought to have been introduced to the UK on imported timber), is a saprophyte, feeding only on dying/dead/decaying wood.
Unless anything is at some future point discovered to the contrary, I would consider Favolaschia calocera as no more of a problem than any other saprophyte species already well-established in the UK. - And, since it is already here, I would welcome the opportunity to see it for myself.
I agree that care should be exercised as far as is practically possible with respect to the UK consciously importing (for commerce etc.) anything that might be a host or vector for known invasive or dangerous fungi.
But it can only be a matter of time before wind-blown spores of hundreds, if not thousands more species hitherto unrecorded here arrive from whichever country their journey started, get a foothold and become part of the UK biome. (No doubt the case for many fungi already accepted as “UK (recorded) species” over the years).
We will never be able to stop that, and will just have to accept it – be they saprophytes, parasites, or whatever the feeding methods of the species concerned might be.
(I remain positive about most of what is likely to happen in future times, – and pragmatic about the remainder).
Regards,
Mike.
Unlike, for example, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, (assumed to have been introduced into UK via infected Ash saplings from Europe), which is parasitic and highly dangerous to Ash trees, it is my understanding that Favolaschia calocera, (thought to have been introduced to the UK on imported timber), is a saprophyte, feeding only on dying/dead/decaying wood.
Unless anything is at some future point discovered to the contrary, I would consider Favolaschia calocera as no more of a problem than any other saprophyte species already well-established in the UK. - And, since it is already here, I would welcome the opportunity to see it for myself.
I agree that care should be exercised as far as is practically possible with respect to the UK consciously importing (for commerce etc.) anything that might be a host or vector for known invasive or dangerous fungi.
But it can only be a matter of time before wind-blown spores of hundreds, if not thousands more species hitherto unrecorded here arrive from whichever country their journey started, get a foothold and become part of the UK biome. (No doubt the case for many fungi already accepted as “UK (recorded) species” over the years).
We will never be able to stop that, and will just have to accept it – be they saprophytes, parasites, or whatever the feeding methods of the species concerned might be.
(I remain positive about most of what is likely to happen in future times, – and pragmatic about the remainder).
Regards,
Mike.
Common sense is not so common.
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
We can't stop spore blowing across the English channel but we can stop importing plants and timber from places like Madagascar. We really shouldn't be buying timber from pristine ancient tropical forest. The current tree planting craze too, involves importing saplings of native species from across the world and spreading disease. My view is that we should be encouraging natural regeneration, and if we do plant saplings, they should be of local provenance.Lancashire Lad wrote: Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:17 pm
But it can only be a matter of time before wind-blown spores of hundreds, if not thousands more species hitherto unrecorded here arrive from whichever country their journey started, get a foothold and become part of the UK biome. (No doubt the case for many fungi already accepted as “UK (recorded) species” over the years).
We will never be able to stop that, and will just have to accept it – be they saprophytes, parasites, or whatever the feeding methods of the species concerned might be.
(I remain positive about most of what is likely to happen in future times, – and pragmatic about the remainder).
Regards,
Mike.
As for this species, we simply don't know the effects. Species use chemical defences to secure their foothold. They don't need to be parasitic or pathogenic to be a problem, they can displace other species from their niche. We see this with Himalyan Balsam and JKW. We also see it with Red Valerian, where Pennywort / Navelwort or small ferns would ooccupy the niche in those stone walls.
Truth is, we can guess or speculate but we simply don't know. Therefore I think we should take a precuationary approach over the import of timber or live species.
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
Favolaschia calocera - recent work at Kew has determined that the species found in UK is F.claudopus which seems to have originated from Australasia where it is a species of concern as it out competes many other fungi on wood so potentially could be a problem in UK. I'm not an expert on these just passing on recent information from Geoffrey Kibby...
'The more I know the more I realise I don't know'
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
Oudemansiella mucida - Porcelain Mushroom
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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
Clavulina coralloides - Crested Coral.
. .
Regards,
Mike.
. .
Regards,
Mike.
Common sense is not so common.
Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
A superb photo and a great fungus always nice to see these little corals 

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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
It's that time of year again!
Hard to believe that the orange variants have now been appearing at this site for 10 years.
The normal scarlet fruitbodies have appeared over an area of several hundred metres for who knows how many years.
The orange variants first appeared (at just one very localised spot amongst the scarlet ones), in January 2013, and they have reappeared at that same spot without fail every year since.
Sarcoscypha austriaca - Scarlet Elf Cup and its Orange Variant: -
. .
Regards,
Mike
Hard to believe that the orange variants have now been appearing at this site for 10 years.
The normal scarlet fruitbodies have appeared over an area of several hundred metres for who knows how many years.
The orange variants first appeared (at just one very localised spot amongst the scarlet ones), in January 2013, and they have reappeared at that same spot without fail every year since.
Sarcoscypha austriaca - Scarlet Elf Cup and its Orange Variant: -
. .
Regards,
Mike
Common sense is not so common.
Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
They are so unusual and rather lovely, wasn't microscopy done on them once and they were the same species? Superb photos as usual 

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Re: Fungus Of The Day (One identified fungus only please, with species name in attachment comment and in post)
Hi Gracie,Gracie wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:47 am . . . . wasn't microscopy done on them once and they were the same species? . . .
Yes, I did microscopy when the orange variants first appeared in 2013.
After I posted images and details online, eminent German mycologist Hans-Otto Baral confirmed that they were a colour variant of Sarcoscypha austriaca.
Samples were also sent to Kew at the time, wher Dr. Paul Cannon carried out further microscopy and also gave his agreement of S.austriaca.
I know they are located in Lancashire, but an article of mine, giving more details about the initial find in 2013, including all relevant micro and macro photographs can be found online in this "Autumn 2015" issue of the Herefordshire Fungus Survey Group newsletter: -
http://www.herefordfungi.org/index_htm_ ... t%2030.pdf
Regards,
Mike.
Common sense is not so common.