Spring Species

[Cybershot]

Reports from the midlands area of the UK of the arrival of the season's first Morchella esculenta, Calocybe gambosa, Sclerotinia tuberosa, Disciotis venosa and Polyporus squamosus indicate that things are kicking off again albeit a little earlier than anticipated. But never the less it's a good sign

So what's happening on the fungi front in your part of the world?

David

[goosey]

Sorry nothing of interest to report in my little part of the Netherlands. I was last out 5 days ago and found nothing new.

I checked out my favourite Dutch website to see what images had been submitted this last few days, to see what luckier people have been finding. There was only-
Dumontinia tuberosa
Melanoleuca brevipes
Psathyrella piluliformis

Apart from those its just the usual suspects we have been seeing for months now.

As soon as I find anything of interest (when the wind, hail and storms subside ) have no fear - I will be posting to let you all know .

[goosey]

Originally Posted by goosey

I checked out my favourite Dutch website to see what images had been submitted this last few days, to see what luckier people have been finding. There was only-
Dumontinia tuberosa
Melanoleuca brevipes
Psathyrella piluliformis

Whoops! I have just realised that this is another case of the Dutch Latin and English Latin names being different for some fungi species.

That Dumontinia tuberosa will be known to many of you as Sclerotinia tuberosa Sorry .

[Cybershot]

Likewise this morning in my trawl of local sites (Yateley Common CP and Blackbushe Airfield) here in northeast Hampshire, UK - nothing to report. But thanks Shirley for prompting me to look up Dumontinia tuberosa only to discover that it is in fact the current preferred name for Sclerotinia tuberosa, so absolutely no apology needed. I'm the one behind the times!
David

[goosey]

I had a trip out this morning and was really disappointed in what fungi I saw - practically nothing!
This though was the most interesting - the strangest Puffball I have ever seen. It was 8cm across, the lower part all the way round was plain brown with no white coating, found on grass in a woodland opening.

[Cybershot]

One of the Calvatia species and probably C. utriformis - Mosaic Puffball (illustration in C&D is a dead ringer) which can sometimes be mistaken for a small specimen of C. gigantea - Giant Puffball. Strangely these are both summer/autumn species.
David

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

One of the Calvatia species and probably C. utriformis - Mosaic Puffball (illustration in C&D is a dead ringer) which can sometimes be mistaken for a small specimen of C. gigantea - Giant Puffball. Strangely these are both summer/autumn species.
David

Thanks for your thoughts David.
Is Calvatia utriformis the same as Handkea utriformis as they both have the same common name, the Mosaic Puffball?

I wouldn't have thought it possible to have survived the harsh winter and yet look so fresh - it has to be new, don't you think .

[Cybershot]

Further delving reveals that both Calvatia utriformis and Handkea utriformis are synonyms for the current preferred name of the species Lycoperdon utriforme; dubbed with the common name Mosaic Puffball in Britain.

[Cybershot]

Continuing in the vein of spring finds which should really be confined to summer and autumn here is a collection of specimens of what I can only pin down to Armillaria species growing today on top of a large pile of woodchips. The colour variation is baffling me especially with regard to the deep wine coloured specimens with the yellow gills. Caps were 1.5-3cm and stems 2-5cm.



Any thoughts much appreciated

David

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Continuing in the vein of spring finds which should really be confined to summer and autumn here is a collection of specimens of what I can only pin down to Armillaria species growing today on top of a large pile of woodchips. The colour variation is baffling me especially with regard to the deep wine coloured specimens with the yellow gills. Caps were 1.5-3cm and stems 2-5cm.



Any thoughts much appreciated David

I would say Armillaria species too, although tthe cap looks like Armillaria ostoyae I found way back in in October, these didn't have the yellow gills, and the Armillaria mellea I have seen had the yellow gills but the caps weren't the same colour as yours .
Have you concidered Armillaria sinapina?

[bulbosa]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Continuing in the vein of spring finds which should really be confined to summer and autumn here is a collection of specimens of what I can only pin down to Armillaria species growing today on top of a large pile of woodchips. The colour variation is baffling me especially with regard to the deep wine coloured specimens with the yellow gills. Caps were 1.5-3cm and stems 2-5cm.



Any thoughts much appreciated

David

David
These look like Tricholomopsis rutilans to me.
Mal

[Cybershot]

Originally Posted by bulbosa

David
These look like Tricholomopsis rutilans to me.
Mal

My initial thought too Mal until I actually went out and saw them in the flesh. Very densely clustered and some stems were pointed.

David

[Cybershot]

Found today In Southwood Woods, Farnborough, Hampshire UK

[Cybershot]

Yesterday's find on a woodchip pile at Southwood Wood, Farnborough, Hampshire UK has now been positively indentified as Gymnopilus dilepis

[Cybershot]

Found today on Hornley Common, Hampshire UK.

[bulbosa]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Found today on Hornley Common, Hampshire UK.

David
Have you got nothing better to do than make us all feel inadequate by coming up with such great finds
Mal

[goosey]

GOT ONE!
Yes just the one , today in the National Park a young Morchella esculenta I think? I looked for more but with no luck.



It wasn't where I found last year's single specimen, where I have searched and searched this year.

[Cybershot]

JP and I didn't find any chocolate eggs during our foray of Greenham Common, Berkshire UK yesterday but we did find plenty of spring species to whet our appetites, including these two agarics; one of which is described as 'genuinely rare' on the British Checklist and clocked up another two first time finds for me:

[Cybershot]

Originally Posted by goosey

GOT ONE!
Yes just the one , today in the National Park a young Morchella esculenta I think? I looked for more but with no luck.



It wasn't where I found last year's single specimen, where I have searched and searched this year.

Shirley, I have a sneaking suspicion this is Verpa conica - Thimble Morel, which I also saw for the first time yesterday. The distinguishing feature of the true Morels is whether or not the lower rim of the cap attaches to the stem; if it doesn't then it could also be Morchella semilibera - Semifree Morel

David

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Shirley, I have a sneaking suspicion this is Verpa conica - Thimble Morel, which I also saw for the first time yesterday. The distinguishing feature of the true Morels is whether or not the lower rim of the cap attaches to the stem; if it doesn't then it could also be Morchella semilibera - Semifree Morel

David

I have had a look and it could be couldn´t it. It was a single specimen and there was hawthorn in the area. I didn´t see the stipe at all at the time, but I will see if I can get back in the next day or two to see if it´s still there and in decent enough condition to be able to tell.

[Cybershot]

More spring time species from the Easter Day foray with John Parsons around Newbury, Berkshire UK, which brought the total to 7 of first time finds for me on the day:

[Cybershot]

Two Peziza finds from the same foray on Easter Day could not be identified to species level without microscopy:



and one spotted by JP which he knew well to be Peziza bovina:

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Shirley, I have a sneaking suspicion this is Verpa conica - Thimble Morel, which I also saw for the first time yesterday. The distinguishing feature of the true Morels is whether or not the lower rim of the cap attaches to the stem; if it doesn't then it could also be Morchella semilibera - Semifree Morel

David

Thanks David, I went back today and found it a bit more developed. It has darkened a little over the last few days and the texture is more prominent. There is a gap between the rim of the cap and the stipe, I could run my little finget tip around it, as it was the only one I didn't want to take it out of the ground just for a piccie.
What do you think ? (image 1. 10-04-2009 Image 2. 14-04-2009)



They are tiny compared to the ones I believe could be Mitrophora semilibera I found at the AWD. Morchella’s

[Cybershot]

Macroscopically the difference between M. semilibera and the rarer V. conica is that the alveoli of the former are more distinctly separated vertically and subdivided by irregular low cross-ribs, whereas the cap of the latter is described as campanulate to thimble-shaped, irregularly wrinkled, sometimes also with cerebriform to reticulate convolsions (Ref: FOS Vol 1) Thus I still believe you have found Verpa conica Shirley. A cross section would also show that the cap is joined to the stalk only at the apex, unlike Mitrophora where 'semifree' indicates the upper half of the cap is attached to the stalk leaving just the lower half/rim free.

Size-wise the finds in my recent photos were more or less the same at 115mm:
(M. semilibera are from 100-200mm tall, V. conica are 30 -130mm)

Hope that helps
David

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Macroscopically the difference between M. semilibera and the rarer V. conica is that the alveoli of the former are more distinctly separated vertically and subdivided by irregular low cross-ribs, whereas the cap of the latter is described as campanulate to thimble-shaped, irregularly wrinkled, sometimes also with cerebriform to reticulate convolsions (Ref: FOS Vol 1) Thus I still believe you have found Verpa conica Shirley. A cross section would also show that the cap is joined to the stalk only at the apex, unlike Mitrophora where 'semifree' indicates the upper half of the cap is attached to the stalk leaving just the lower half/rim free.

Size-wise the finds in my recent photos were more or less the same at 115mm:
(M. semilibera are from 100-200mm tall, V. conica are 30 -130mm)

Hope that helps
David

Thanks, much appreciated .

I believe you are right, if we did a cross section, that the cap would only be joined to the stalk only at the apex - that's certainly how it felt.