When is woodchip not woodchip?

[Chris Yeates]

seeing that woodchip posts are commencing in earnest, it seems timely to post this

last September I came across a dung heap with a fairly large agaric fruiting on it in considerable numbers:


my immediate thought was that it looked very like Agrocybe rivulosa, but that this was an unlikely habitat; closer inspection showed that this was not simply a dung heap, but a mixture of dung and cubes/squares of card and paper and that it was the latter upon which the fungus was growing (I assume that the paper and card was used as litter/bedding for stock?):


this can be more clearly seen here, on specimens brought home for checking:


initially there was a theory that the rapid spread of this species on woodchips might be down to the chippers moving around and spreading spores; alantb has recounted the occasion in Yorkshire when this species was found on a heap produced by a brand-new chipper; also I gather that it has been found on straw heaps as well . . .

the occurrence on this heap of dung and paper implies arrival via air-borne spores; it also shows the adaptability of this rapidly-spreading fungus; I would be interested to hear of similar occurrences

cheers

Chris

[CapAndBracket]

We found Agrocybe rivulosa on a round straw bale that had been left
blocking a gateway last year.

Slightly of subject, a dung heap behind stables i was delivering to last year,
they were using cardbord/paper bedding, the amazing thing was the number
of wasps on the dung heap dissmembering the paper assumedly for building
their nests.


Cheers J.P.

[KeenTeen17]

I can see why this one wouldn't be at home on the Woodchips watch thread Great stuff

[Mike Jackson]

You'll see a lot more of this sort of thing. The cost of straw bedding has gone through the roof so a lot more stables are using shredded card and paper as bedding. All of our paper and card goes through the shredder to be used as bedding for my wife's pony.

Mike