Please fire-up my interest in mycology...

[Jason Green]

Hi all

I'm personally interested in most areas of natural history, invertebrates and ornithology being about the main area of study. Mycology is very unexplored...

I've made a couple of false-starts on the topic, but then it seems to just tail-off through seeming complicated. A lot of fungi in my ignorance looks confusingly similar, which doesn't help making a start in the subject any easier! It's not a case of not finding any, I do - I just don't know where to start! How do you get some IDs fully resolved and others to genus, what's the best time of year? etc.

Mycology has been the hardest to get into, and so I am really after your enthusiasm on the subject to inspire mine...

[diggleken]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Hi all

I'm personally interested in most areas of natural history, invertebrates and ornithology being about the main area of study. Mycology is very unexplored...

I've made a couple of false-starts on the topic, but then it seems to just tail-off through seeming complicated. A lot of fungi in my ignorance looks confusingly similar, which doesn't help making a start in the subject any easier! It's not a case of not finding any, I do - I just don't know where to start! How do you get some IDs fully resolved and others to genus, what's the best time of year? etc.

Mycology has been the hardest to get into, and so I am really after your enthusiasm on the subject to inspire mine...

Hi Jason,
its a verrrry interesting field to get into - it gets to you - I cant go a walk without long stops at damp logs and explore ditch sides , meadows, grasses for ergot, trees for brackets etc etc etc................the list goes on - my wife is long suffering, as are work colleagues.
So be warned!
Remember when you started in birding or insects? Same process, take your time and just keep asking questions, including for some very good people here on WAB.
use the internet ( there are many good sites for reference) and get a good reference book - Marcel bon is good and is due a reprint soon apparently, but meanwhile, Roger Philips book or my favourite, michael Jordans are great starts.
Always take your camera, often for macro shots - take details or specimens and note crucial stuff like substrate its growing on, cap, stem, colour, size, smell and so on - they all add up to the same as in birding - jizz to get a good ID. Post pics too on WAB to be sure.
Often it will neeed spore prints and further advice/help on the actual spores for a definitive ID, but not that often.........
just keep at it and experience will do the rest.
hope this helps you to get excited and hopefully started.
Just ask on WAB!
Cheers
Ken

[SheffieldLass]

I think you have to enjoy a challenge .... A lot do look very similar, and quite often without access to a microscope you can only get them to genus. Quite often with a microscope I can still only get them to genus .

I'm not very good on woodland fungi, I've concentrated on grassland. A visit to Clumber on Friday left me out of my depth .... well, on quite a few, though I'm getting much better on recognising genera .

I'm definitely a 'patch' person .... I like to know a lot about a small area, and not just restricted to fungi. That way it is less overwhelming and you build up knowledge gradually, and start to recognise them, and indeed see how they can vary in appearance as they age, or with different weather conditions.

My suggestion would be if you have an area that you visit regularly for bird or insect watching to look out for fungi whilst you are there, pick a few you like the look of, or you like the habitat they are in and take it very steadily. I did the fungi evening course at Sheffield University. To get the credits we had to do a field notebook. I found by actually sitting down and carefully drawing the fungus and making notes I really began to make rapid progress on id. It forced me to really look. And it seemed to help some braincells retain some information ...

I know Chris says he's not into Russula ... neither am I (at least not at the moment), neither is a friend ... they are pretty but they are difficult, so for the time being I'm generally ignoring them. Same goes for quite a few other groups. So be picky, initially only go for the ones that appeal. The rest you can just look at casually but you will find that bit by bit your eyes will start to pick up details that are significant and they will become recognisable as a type and then you will find you are recognising which genus they are part of.

I would think that now is a good time to start. There are quite a few around but it is not yet overwhelming. And get a good general key. I use Archie McAdam's which can be downloaded from the BMS website. That way you can start to learn the features that belong to the various genera.

Melanie

[Jason Green]

Thanks both for taking the time to reply! Getting them to genus would be great. I'll see if I have any on my hard-drive to start looking at.

Thanks again

[Lancashire Lad]

My interest always starts purely from the photography point of view.
I like trying to take good photos of wildflowers & fungi especially, and will take opportunistic photos of anything else (insects etc.), that happen to cross my path.

Once I've got the photo, curiosity kicks in, in wanting to identify whatever the subject is, and with wild flowers & fungi, that curiosity has led to an interest in the subject itself, rather than just the photography.

(I now have a shelf full of flower & fungi books, and my computer "favourites" seem to be dominated by all things fungi ).

I agree that getting ID's with my level of knowledge is very hit-and-miss, and I am to a large extent reliant on, and very grateful for, the expert help from other WAB members.

I realise I'll never be an expert in any of these fields, so have to be fairly pragmatic about ID's, with a "some you win - some you lose" attitude - and from the photography side of things, there will always be the chance of a different, or more perfect specimen (of whatever it happens to be) still to be found.

Regards,
Mike.

[kiltoncomp]

Hi Jason, if you are interested in fungi, you wont need "firing up" it will just grow on you,
as the other replies say, it is very confusing at first, but it gradually gets a little easier,
even the ones you cant identify now, if you keep pictures and notes on them, then you will find that maybe you can identify them as you gain more knowledge,
my own "unknown Gallery" is slowly shrinking (but still very large) and contains some specimens that even the most novice fungi fans could probably id with ease , and i know i will never be anywhere close to being an expert, but will still keep trying to id all my finds, after all with WABs great fungi forum help is always there if you need it,
and even WABs finest fungi experts have been known to admit defeat now and then, as i am sure they will tell you themselves,

you may even find your other wildlife interests taking a back seat as the fungi gets its grip on you,
so, stick with it, i am sure you will enjoy it,

Brian.

[Jason Green]

Thanks Mike and Brian, it should give me something to focus on when the insects dissappear over the winter. Hopefully I'll see some fungi when I'm on a walk next time, make a start on IDs then.

'London's Fungi' - watch this space...

[FungiJohn]

Hi Jason

You will find fungi much easier to photograph than your usual subjects.

Armed with a good basic book such as 'Roger Phillips' or better still, our fungi Gallery and supporting forum I'm sure you will enjoy the new challenge.

Now is an ideal time to see many types and I would suggest that you just go out and enjoy this 'main season' in the photographic sense and not worry too much about what you have seen .... although this curiosity will quickly get the better of you

Enjoy!

John

[Jason Green]

Hi John,

Thanks for the reply. The book sounds good, I'll look into it. Yes, I'm sure the need to ID them will get overpowering!

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Hi all

I'm personally interested in most areas of natural history, invertebrates and ornithology being about the main area of study.

hi Jason

when you say you are interested in invertebrates what does that mean exactly?

which groups? microscopy?

cheers

Chris