{"id":3268,"date":"2016-10-25T13:16:13","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T18:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=3268"},"modified":"2016-10-25T13:16:13","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T18:16:13","slug":"fungus-foray-at-simons-wood-finchampstead-15-october-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/fungus-foray-at-simons-wood-finchampstead-15-october-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Fungus Foray at Simon’s Wood, Finchampstead – 15 October 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Waterman led a fungus identification walk at the National Trust\u2019s Simon\u2019s Wood near Finchampstead on Saturday 15th<\/sup> October. The woodland has tall Scots Pines, with birch, oak, Sweet Chestnut and a few Beech trees. A number of different fungi were found close to the car park, including Brown Rollrim Paxillus involutus<\/em>, Deceiver Laccaria laccata, <\/em>Bay Bolete Boletus badius <\/em>and Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria amethystina.<\/em> Several specimens of the Parasitic Bolete Pseudoboletus parasiticus<\/em> were growing on a somewhat-deflated Common Earthball Scleroderma citrinum<\/em>. A few of the braver members of the group tried testing small fragments of the bright red Beechwood Sickener Russula nobilis<\/em> for hotness. Later in the walk, the paler pink Birch Brittlegill Russula betularum<\/em> was found growing under birch. Its cap peeled easily. A large specimen of Beefsteak Fungus Fistulina hepatica<\/em> was growing on the trunk of a Sweet Chestnut. Rarest find of the day was probably the Conifercone Cap Baeospora myosura<\/em> which was growing on a pine cone. On the eastern side of the wood, a fallen log was covered with yellow Sulphur Tuft fungi, while several clumps of Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria<\/em> added a splash of scarlet to the woodland floor. Mike cut open a brown Bolete with a pale black-speckled stem. After several minutes, when it had not changed colour, he was able to confirm that it was Brown Birch Bolete Leccinum scabrum<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The walk continued round the lake. Coal Tits were calling from the trees nearby. A specimen of the pale yellow False Deathcap Amanita citrina<\/em> was examined. The base of the stem was growing out of a cup-like volva and it had a prominent ring on the stem. A whitish fungus with a mealy smell was identified as The Miller Clitopilus prunulus<\/em>. Two different kinds of Milk-cap were found – Woolly Milkcap Lactarius torminosus<\/em> and Oakbug Milkcap L. quietus<\/em>. Small drops of white fluid appeared when their gills were cut. The route crossed a more open, heathy area, where another member of the Amanita family, A. excelsa<\/em> var. spissa,<\/em> was found. Towards the end of the walk, a number of specimens of Chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius<\/em> were found. Their thick, disorderly gills were compared with the forked gills of the False Chanterelle Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca<\/em>, which had been seen in some numbers earlier in the walk.<\/p>\n