Help needed with some fungi ID's

[BarbaraEmma]

While we were out walking today my daughter spotted most of these fungi,she's got better eyesight than me,now I'd like to know what they are please. Barbara

[Chris Yeates]

hi Barbara

with the exception of the dark one (possibly an Entoloma) these are all waxcaps Hygrocybe species
it is always useful to see how the gills are attached to the stem with this group - also gill colour, and notes on whether the cap and/or stem are slimy or sticky or dry to the touch are important; I wouldn't feel confident to go further, though others on the site may well

best wishes (and keep encouraging your daughter)

Chris

[SheffieldLass]

The yellow one could be Hygrocybe chlorophana with the viscid cap and what looks like adnexed/narrowly adnate gills.

[BarbaraEmma]

Thank you for your replies,I can see it's not an easy thing to ID a fungus from a photo.So next time I find something interesting should I take a photo of it and then pick it and take a photo of its underside and root( I don't think they are the right terms are they,sorry) Barbara

[SheffieldLass]

Hi Barbara

I've found plenty today resembling very closely your orange ones. I'll be checking them in due course, so keep an eye on here and I'll come up with a name for mine, and that may be what yours are ..... I've an idea what they are, but not sticking my neck out until I've done the microscopy ....

Underside are either gills or pores ..... these are all gilled ones. Very few fungi are rooting, but the base of the stem can be a very important feature ... whether they are bulbous or have a sac etc. None of yours will have these features though. Also look for things like whether the stem is fibrous or smooth or has fibrils, whether it has a ring. Whether the gills exude milky or coloured drops. What they are growing from, whether from soil or wood, herbaceous debris, dung etc ...

Melanie

[SheffieldLass]

These are the ones I found yesterday. They have a viscid cap and stipe and broadly adnate gills. They do look very like the ones Barbara found, so hers may be the same species.



Microscopically they have regular long gill trama, basidia are short (25-34um), spores are smallish average 7.3 x4um, with many slightly constricted. Which means they are Hygrocybe glutinipes.

And no, they aren't yellow, or very red (H glutinipes var rubra), but seem to be intermediate between the two. Last year and this year they have been consistently this colour on this site.

Melanie

[ManwithNoname]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Microscopically they have regular long gill trama, basidia are short (25-34um), spores are smallish average 7.3 x4um, with many slightly constricted. Which means they are Hygrocybe glutinipes.

And no, they aren't yellow, or very red (H glutinipes var rubra), but seem to be intermediate between the two. Last year and this year they have been consistently this colour on this site.

Melanie

Just goes to show how hard it can be if you don't use a microscope. I would have guessed at H. insipida for these, but it looks like the gill trama rules this species out. The stems don't look particularly viscid from the photo but I guess this isn't really a character you can judge well from a photo.

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

These are the ones I found yesterday. They have a viscid cap and stipe and broadly adnate gills. They do look very like the ones Barbara found, so hers may be the same species.

Again, I'd have been thinking of H. insipida as an option. But it would only be a guess as the characters are not really clear.

[BarbaraEmma]

Thank you Sheffield Lass for the information,I can see that the ones you collected are very similar but from memory I think the ones I saw were much redder than the photo makes them look.
Would you suggest that next time I find a fungus to be identified I pick it ?
I was a bit loathe to touch something which I knew nothing about.I expect you mycologists go armed with the right equipment. Barbara

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by ManwithNoname

Just goes to show how hard it can be if you don't use a microscope. I would have guessed at H. insipida for these, but it looks like the gill trama rules this species out. The stems don't look particularly viscid from the photo but I guess this isn't really a character you can judge well from a photo.



Again, I'd have been thinking of H. insipida as an option. But it would only be a guess as the characters are not really clear.

It was a good thing I didn't try to guess first as I would have been wrong From a distance as I approached them I thought they were going to be H ceracea, because the big groups of small orange ones in that field usually are .... And I wasn't expecting the viscid stems either, and was surprised when my fingers stuck to them .... they certainly passed the lip test At least some of the Hygrocybe are quite easy to pin down with the microscope, well, those that have a long gill trama ...

Melanie

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by BarbaraEmma

Would you suggest that next time I find a fungus to be identified I pick it ?
I was a bit loathe to touch something which I knew nothing about.I expect you mycologists go armed with the right equipment. Barbara

Yes, our fingers . You and the fungus can't come to much harm with just picking unless they are growing out of something pretty nasty (or you are on one of the NNRs that have byelaws that prohibit picking). Just don't eat them unless you are sure of what they are! And a small knife is useful to get the base out, as the base might have important features for id. Then gently firm the ground back down to minimise disturbance to the mycelium in the ground. To really see the details and/or photograph the gills you do need to get up close, and unless you enjoy being on hands and knees it is often much easier to pick. And leave a few for others to find!

Melanie