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February Forays
………...…….fascinating finds!
Part 2
Further research of scant, but encouraging information gleaned via Google led me to believe we were on to something special, but in view of the rarity and confusion surrounding the possible species it would need resources beyond our reach to verify it.
Returning to the location to take more photos, verify field notes and collect specimens I discovered several more colonies of trooping groups of up to six emergent and mature fruiting bodies, All growing amongst Polytrichum moss and Cladonia lichen on the sunny side of sandy mounds surrounding uprooted broad-leaf tree stumps. While I continued to monitor their progress, as these hardy little fungi endured severe overnight frosts during the next six days, dried specimens were despatched to both Michael Jordan at ABFG and Dr Peter Roberts at Kew. In the meantime further discussion in forum with the cognoscenti of the WAB contributors, together with contact, including exchange of photos, with members of the stateside Northwest Mushroomers Association, whose winter 2007 newsletter had featured a similar find as their ‘Mushroom of the Month’, encouraged me to believe that the outcome looked more and more promising. As a photographer and novice hobbyist mycologist normally restricted to comparisons of the oft times, and frustratingly inconclusive macro characteristics for the purposes of identification, I realised even the colour variations were exaggerated by the melanized type of incrusted pigment. Though as the specimens aged and dried the ‘verdigris’ attributes became prominent especially in the more pallid sulcate margins.
Part 1 (retrospectively)
February Forays…...…….fascinating finds!
Part 1
Spurred on by many surprises, including a magnificent display of Sarcoscypha austriaca and a glimpse of Mycoacia aurea, during an impromptu outing to Baynes Nature Reserve, Berks with my good buddy and mentor John Parsons, I agreed to meet him again the following weekend at Minley Wood, Hants.
So, under blue skies and sunshine on Sunday, 10 February 2008, in the car park of The Crown and Cushion, he and I met up with fellow ‘Shrooms (ABFG) members Julie Campbell, the group leader and Nick Cantle, my student friend studying at nearby Farnham. In high spirits but with tempered anticipation we set off in the direction of the wood.
It was another enormously successful (20+ species) foray, with John, in calm, quiet expectation, carting home an oak branch carrying a fine specimen of what proved to be the rare Dichomitus campestris. Moreover and to the point of this article, just as we were about to return to the bar, Nick spotted a couple of Little ‘Black’ Jobs, which on closer inspection bore handsomely textured tones of blue-grey with a greenish patina at the edges, and had us all very excited; even if we didn’t really know why.
Back in the pub garden, browsing Julie’s copy of ‘Jordan’ over a couple of beers, many of the other species found on the day, including Neottiella rutilans, relegated our tiny LBJ’s to the status of ‘in abeyance; pending further investigation’. Later as I cooked a venison lunch Nick busied himself comparing photographs with entries in ‘Courtecuisse and Duhem’ with the result that a species of Omphalina was agreed as a likely candidate. Armed with this supposition and supported by in-situ photos, a query was posted to the online forums of the fungi section of the Wild About Britain website and hence the first steer towards Arrhenia chlorocyanea ensued.
Part 1
Spurred on by many surprises, including a magnificent display of Sarcoscypha austriaca and a glimpse of Mycoacia aurea, during an impromptu outing to Baynes Nature Reserve, Berks with my good buddy and mentor John Parsons, I agreed to meet him again the following weekend at Minley Wood, Hants.
So, under blue skies and sunshine on Sunday, 10 February 2008, in the car park of The Crown and Cushion, he and I met up with fellow ‘Shrooms (ABFG) members Julie Campbell, the group leader and Nick Cantle, my student friend studying at nearby Farnham. In high spirits but with tempered anticipation we set off in the direction of the wood.
It was another enormously successful (20+ species) foray, with John, in calm, quiet expectation, carting home an oak branch carrying a fine specimen of what proved to be the rare Dichomitus campestris. Moreover and to the point of this article, just as we were about to return to the bar, Nick spotted a couple of Little ‘Black’ Jobs, which on closer inspection bore handsomely textured tones of blue-grey with a greenish patina at the edges, and had us all very excited; even if we didn’t really know why.
Back in the pub garden, browsing Julie’s copy of ‘Jordan’ over a couple of beers, many of the other species found on the day, including Neottiella rutilans, relegated our tiny LBJ’s to the status of ‘in abeyance; pending further investigation’. Later as I cooked a venison lunch Nick busied himself comparing photographs with entries in ‘Courtecuisse and Duhem’ with the result that a species of Omphalina was agreed as a likely candidate. Armed with this supposition and supported by in-situ photos, a query was posted to the online forums of the fungi section of the Wild About Britain website and hence the first steer towards Arrhenia chlorocyanea ensued.
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Recent Blog Entries by cybershot
- Minley Marathon (23-05-2008)
- What a nonsense! (22-02-2008)
- Part 3 (22-02-2008)
- Part 1 (retrospectively) (22-02-2008)
- What happened to Part 1? (22-02-2008)
