Unknown Cordyceps

[KeenTeen17]

I know. I have never found or photographed either so theres no evidence in my defence

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

Mal , i think you should change your name to Hawkeye,how the H*&$ do you manage to find these things?, you're not that chap who's been spotted going through the woods on his hands and knees by any chance?

however you find them, well spotted,they must be one of the most strange fungi out there,

Brian.

you raise a very interesting point Brian

it's like there are different ways of 'foraying' - a stroll through the woods (or wherever) will come up with certain things, but if you settle in an interesting looking spot with a handlens (and I trust we all have those? if not I can point you at places where you can get a perfectly usable x10 handlens for a few pounds - best purchase you'll ever make) it's amazing what's out there

the trouble is that working out what you've then found can then be difficult - I was going to sound off about the shortage of professional mycologists we've been bemoaning on WAB at this point (plus the need to make the huge online ID literature potentially available free to those of us who are prepared to study them for free) but will shut up on that one (for the time being)

I'll try and assemble some images of other insect-attacking fungi I've come across in the last couple of years and post them occasionally; (and I bet that virtually everyone has come across the odd one without realising it! - if you find a fly stuck to the garage window with a halo around it - pause before wiping it away)

more anon

cheers all

Chris

[kiltoncomp]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

you raise a very interesting point Brian

it's like there are different ways of 'foraying' - a stroll through the woods (or wherever) will come up with certain things, but if you settle in an interesting looking spot with a handlens (and I trust we all have those? if not I can point you at places where you can get a perfectly usable x10 handlens for a few pounds - best purchase you'll ever make) it's amazing what's out there

the trouble is that working out what you've then found can then be difficult - I was going to sound off about the shortage of professional mycologists we've been bemoaning on WAB at this point (plus the need to make the huge online ID literature potentially available free to those of us who are prepared to study them for free) but will shut up on that one (for the time being)

I'll try and assemble some images of other insect-attacking fungi I've come across in the last couple of years and post them occasionally; (and I bet that virtually everyone has come across the odd one without realising it! - if you find a fly stuck to the garage window with a halo around it - pause before wiping it away)

more anon

cheers all

Chris

it would appear that we are in contact with some form or other of fungi every day of our lives, without even realising it!!
what with these Cordyceps, and Cap And Brackets amazing "bunny current" saga, there will always be something of interest out there,

Brian.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

it would appear that we are in contact with some form or other of fungi every day of our lives, without even realising it!!

Brian.

absolutely - especially if one enjoys a Ploughman's Lunch with crusty bread, a nice bit of Stilton and a pint - lots of fungi at work there!

the one that always worries me though is Amorphotheca resinae; it grows on creosoted wood and petrochemical fuels, and does especially well at fuel/water interfaces, forming hyphal mats that can break loose and cause blockages in aircraft wing and other fuel storage tanks, often associated also with accelerated corrosion; it was a particular problem during development of the airliner Concorde where fuel tanks were used as a heat-sink during supersonic flight, resulting in a warmer than usual environment which promoted growth of the fungus. (Info taken from the Dictionary of the Fungi 10th Edition)

Chris

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

it would appear that we are in contact with some form or other of fungi every day of our lives, without even realising it!!

Brian.

Uh huh, a quick look at my toes confirms that one .... must get the Dactarin out again ...

Melanie