Highclere Castle
Sat 23 Oct 2010
Hygrocybe pratensis var. pratensis
Photo © Paul Hugill
Field event ID HF1022
OS Grid areas: SU4560
Weather: A showery day following and overnight period of heavy rain. The previous few weeks had been relatively dry and there was one night of frost three days previously.
Report: This was the group's first visit to Highclere Castle, a place that had been noted for Hygrocybe (waxcap) species in the past. The visit was combined with members of the Thames Valley Fungus Group, continuing the joint events that have been held in recent years. The day started with an exploration of the churchyard of Highclere Church and the group were not disappointed as there were several species of waxcap and a lovely example of the orange club Cordyceps militaris which was very carefully dug up together with the pupa it was growing from by John 'JP' Parsons. The grassland by the Temple did not have as many species as previous years but there were still plenty of fruitbodies. However there were several clumps of Microglosssum olivaceum in excellent photographic condition to make up for this. In the larch plantation at the back of the Temple there were many fruitbodies of Spathularia flavida which is only the second site in Hampshire where the group has found this species, the other being Northington.
Species list: Amanita citrina var. citrina, Amanita excelsa var. spissa, Amanita muscaria var. muscaria, Ampulloclitocybe clavipes, Armillaria mellea, Auricularia auricula-judae, Bisporella citrina, Bjerkandera adusta, Boletus badius, Boletus edulis, Boletus luridiformis var. luridiformis, Calocera viscosa, Chlorociboria aeruginascens, Clavaria incarnata, Clavulina coralloides, Clavulinopsis corniculata, Clavulinopsis corniculata, Clavulinopsis helvola, Clitocybe fragrans, Clitopilus hobsonii, Cordyceps militaris, Crepidotus cesatii, Cystoderma amianthinum, Dacrymyces stillatus, Dermoloma cuneifolium, Exidia thuretiana, Ganoderma australe, Gliophorus psittacinus, Gliophorus psittacinus, Gymnopus dryophilus, Gymnopus erythropus, Gymnopus fusipes, Hydnum repandum, Hygrocybe coccinea, Hygrocybe colemanniana, Hygrocybe colemanniana, Hygrocybe conica, Hygrocybe pratensis var. pratensis, Hygrocybe punicea, Hygrocybe russocoriacea, Hygrocybe virginea var. virginea, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, Hypholoma fasciculare var. fasciculare, Laccaria amethystina, Laccaria laccata, Lactarius blennius, Lactarius chrysorrheus, Lactarius glyciosmus, Lactarius turpis, Lycoperdon nigrescens, Lycoperdon perlatum, Lycoperdon pyriforme, Macrotyphula fistulosa var. contorta, Microglossum olivaceum, Mycena aetites, Mycena arcangeliana, Mycena inclinata, Mycena rosea, Oudemansiella mucida, Oudemansiella mucida, Paxillus involutus, Phallus impudicus var. impudicus, Phlebia tremellosa, Pluteus cervinus, Psilocybe semilanceata, Rhodocollybia butyracea, Rickenella fibula, Russula fellea, Russula fragilis var. fragilis, Russula nobilis, Russula ochroleuca, Schizophyllum commune, Schizopora paradoxa, Scleroderma bovista, Serpula himantioides, Spathularia flavida, Stereum hirsutum, Stereum subtomentosum, Suillus grevillei, Trametes versicolor, Trichoglossum hirsutum var. hirsutum, Tricholoma ustale, Tricholomopsis rutilans