« Back to timeline

Fungi walk at Draethen

6 November 2016

Tricholoma sp

The 6th November 2016 was everything that is great about Autumn. A carpet of leaves shushing under foot, a cloudless sky with piercing sunlight, the leaves still on the trees a spectrum of red, gold and brown, patches of warmth where the sun penetrates into a wood and a life-affirming, bitterly cold wind which makes you very proud to have a thermos of tea waiting for you in the car.

It was in these conditions that around 50 members of the Mary Gillham Project, the Cardiff Group of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and some independents joined the Glamorgan Fungus Group in the Llwyn Hir woods in search of fun(gi).

Within metres of the carpark there were brackets, candlesnuff and honey fungus and over the next few hours over 45 species of fungi were seen (and we’d only walked about 6 or 700 metres) but we’re sure that our list is not complete and we’ll be adding to it as people let us know what’s missing!

I personally have a soft spot for jelly babies, not least because they are relatively easy to identify, and I was not disappointed. There were also blewitts, woodwarts and scalycaps, discos, elf cups and turkey tail along with rusts, crusts and slimes. A list as impressive as it is expressive.

Thanks goes to the all of the participants who were extraordinarily willing to crawl on their hands and knees to find beech mast candlesnuff, kiss waxcaps or have a little nibble on a sulphur tuft.

Our embryonic species list is below – if you can add to it please leave a comment or get in touch… We’re also keen to hear of any other things you saw, plants, invertebrates, birds… Thanks also to Chris for the invert list which includes 6 snail and 6 slug species!

You can download the species list that Roy Perry, Rob and Linda Nottage and Mary Gillham from these woods here and read Annie’s report from our trip here!

Thanks also to Annie and Nat for taking the photos.

Fungi

Amanita sp. (Possibly Death Cap Amanita phalloides)
Armillaria gallica (Bulbous Honey Fungus)
Armillaria mellea (Honey Fungus)
Ascocoryne sarcoides (Purple Jellydisc)
Auricularia auricula-judae (Jew’s Ear, aka Jelly Ear or Wood Ear)
Bisporella citrina (Lemon Disco)
Bjerkandera adusta (Smoky Bracket)
Chlorociboria sp. (Green Elfcup. C. aeruginascens or C. aeruginosa)
Clavaria vermicularis (White Spindles)
Collybia sp.
Coprinus sp. (Possibly Shaggy Inkcap)
Coprinus sp. (Possibly Common Inkcap)
Crepidotus mollis (Soft Slipper Toadstool aka Peeling oysterling)
Diatrype disciformis (Beech Barkspot)
Ganoderma sp. (Bracket Fungus, G. adspersum or G. applanatum)
Hydnum sp. (Possibly Hydnum repandum Hedgehog Fungus)
Hygrocybe conica (Conical Wax-Cap aka Witch’s Hat)
Hygrophorus eburneus (Ivory Woodwax)
Hypholoma fasciculare (Sulphur Tuft)
Hypoxylon fragiforme (Beech Woodwart)
Hypholoma marginatum (Snakeskin Brownie)
Hypoxylon fuscum (Hazel Woodwart)
Lactarius aurantiacus (Orange Milkcap)
Leotia lubrica (Jellybaby)
Lepista sp. (Blewitt, possibly Lepista nuda Wood Blewitt)
Lycogala sp. (Orange slime mould)
Lycoperdon pyriforme (Stump Puffball)
Mycena sp. (Tiny white mycena on leaves)
Mycena diosma
Mycena vitilis (Snapping Bonnet)
Pholiota squarrosa (Shaggy Scalycap)
Phragmidium bulbosum (Rubus leaf rust fungus)
Phragmidium violaceum (Violet Bramble Rust)
Postia sp. (A crust fungus)
Psathyrella sp. (One of the Brittlestem fungi)
Rhodocollybia butyracea (Greasy Tough-Shank aka Butter Cap)
Sarea resinae (An ascomycete)
Terana coerulea (Cobalt crust)
Thelephora terrestris (Earth-Fan)
Trametes gibbosa (Lumpy Bracket)
Trametes versicolor (Turkeytail)
Tricholoma terreum (Grey Knight)
Xylaria carpophila (Beechmast Candlesnuff)
Xylaria hypoxylon (Candlesnuff Fungus)
Xylaria longipes (Dead Moll’s Fingers)
Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Man’s Fingers)

Invertebrates

Glomeris marginata (Pill Millipede)
Chordeuma proximum (Millipede)
Cylindroiulus punctatus (Blunt-tailed Snake Millipede)
Blaniulus guttulatus (Red-spotted Millipede)
Polydesmus angustus (A Flat-backed Millipede)
Hylebainosoma nontronenisis (Recently found Millipede species for Britain)
Leptoiulus belgicus (Millipede)
Nanogona polydesmoides (Eyed Flat-backed Millipede)
Haplophthalmus mengii (A Pygmy Woodlouse)
Oniscus asellus (Common Shiny Woodlouse)
Trichoniscus pusillus (Common Pygmy Woodlouse)
Strigamia crassipes (A Centipede)
Cryptops hortensis (A Centipede)
Lithobius melanops (A Centipede)
Lithobius variegatus ( A Centipede)
Selenochlamys ysbryda (Ghost Slug)
Arion distinctus (Slug)
Arion owenii (Slug)
Lehmannia marginata (Tree slug)
Arion flagellus (Slug)
Arion rufus (Slug)
Oxychilus allarius (A Glass Snail)
Oxychilus helvaticus (A Glass Snail)
Vitrea crystallina (A Glass Snail)
Cochlodina laminata (A Door Snail)
Cepaea nemoralis (Brown Lipped Snail)
Discus rotundatus (Discus Snail)
Microplana terrestris (A Native Flatworm)
Coelotes atropos (A Spider)
Anoplotrupes stercorosus (A Dung Beetle)