Abbotstone Down
Sun 23 Oct 2011
Catinella olivacea
Photo © Paul Hugill
Field event ID HF1128
OS Grid areas: SU5836 SU5835
Weather: Continuing the dry weather of the previous few weeks with dew on open grassland.
New Records:
New to HFRG: Typhula spathulata, Ceraceomyces borealis
Report: When arranging forays, the organisers try to take account of the possibility of dry weather early in the season, but by the time October arrives, even the drier sites are expected to be in prime condition. Not this year! The ongoing “Indian Summer” had dessicated the chalk downland of Abbotstone Down, which was a real pity, as the site looked very promising. The first find(s) of the day were a couple of small Melanoleuca polioleuca from the dew-soaked grassland and were among the very few agarics found. Almost everything was found on dead wood, which had retained sufficient moisture to support fruiting. Alan was in his element, with no shortage of corticioid "paint" to fill his box several times over and the paucity of other fungi encouraged even the more corticioid-ignorant to pay them some attention. We all became log-rollers, some with more enthusiasm than others and when Paul's camera-strained arms gave up on one ash log, Eric was called in to reveal a wonderful showing (smelling) of the napthalene (moth-ball) scented resupinate Scytinostroma portentosum. Sue Lambert turned over a small log with a single, small, white cephaloid fungus. Much discussion ensued and Alan took it away to only identify it as just a young Crepidotus mollis!. More notable finds were the merruliod Ceratomyces borealis on birch (a first for Alan, which says something, although most of the existing records appear to be from the New Forest), the beautiful green cup fungus Catinella olivacea, the small, red-stemmed Typhula erythropus and the last and possible best find of the day; the Red Data Listed Coriolopsis gallica on a small ash.
Species list: Amylostereum laevigatum, Bisporella citrina, Bisporella sulfurina, Catinella olivacea, Ceraceomyces borealis, Ceriporia viridans, Chaetosphaerella phaeostroma, Chlorociboria aeruginascens, Coprinellus micaceus, Coriolopsis gallica, Crepidotus mollis, Daedalea quercina, Daldinia concentrica, Diatrype disciformis, Ganoderma australe, Geastrum triplex, Gloiothele lactescens, Gymnopus fusipes, Henningsomyces candidus, Hymenochaete corrugata, Hymenochaete rubiginosa, Hyphoderma setigerum, Hyphodontia alutacea, Hyphodontia crustosa, Hypholoma fasciculare var. fasciculare, Hypomyces aurantius, Hypoxylon fuscum, Hypoxylon petriniae, Lachnum virgineum, Litschauerella clematidis, Lycoperdon dermoxanthum, Melanoleuca polioleuca, Mycena galericulata, Mycena haematopus, Mycena pura, Mycoacia aurea, Mycoacia uda, Phanerochaete filamentosa, Phlebiella sulphurea, Phylloporia ribis, Piloderma byssinum, Piptoporus betulinus, Polyporus leptocephalus, Schizopora paradoxa, Scleroderma areolatum, Scopuloides rimosa, Scutellinia scutellata, Scytinostroma portentosum, Steccherinum fimbriatum, Stereum hirsutum, Stereum rameale, Stereum subtomentosum, Trametes versicolor, Typhula erythropus, Typhula spathulata, Xylaria hypoxylon, Xylaria longipes, Xylaria polymorpha