Hillier Gardens
Sat 27 Apr 2013
Eriopezia caesia
Photo © Stuart Skeates
Field event ID HF1304
OS Grid areas: SU3723
Weather: Spring warmth was just arriving although the 'April showers' have few and far between in recent weeks.
New Records:
New to Hamsphire: Nectria magnusiana
Report: Spring is not the time for many 'showy' fungi but with careful collecting and bit of microscopy there are some nice things to find. There was certainly a good turn out of forayers and for a while it looked as if they might outnumber the fungi but gradually things turned up. An early pale pink velvety textured resupinate raised ideas of an Aleurodiscus but although this turned out not to be the case it was Corticium roseum one of the few remaining species in that genus and rarely reported. Shortly after that a bracket was found on Syringa komarowii (Nodding Lilac) which hails from Sichuan province in China. Isn't it nice to have all the trees labelled! The fungus turned out to be Mensularia radiata (Alder Bracket) (formerly Inonotus radiatus) which has not been recorded on that host in the FRDBI (no surprise really) but there are two records of it on Syringa vulgaris (Common Lilac). Some time was spent turning over the log pile at the bottom of the hill and one of the rewards was a nice display of Eriopezia caesia for the photographers. On a nearby willow twig Alan spotted the erupting 'tarspots' of Diatrype bullata (Willow Barkspot) and when looked at under the hand lens it became apparent that the 'spots' were covered with a small red nectria fruitbodies which turned out to be Nectria magnusiana a species that likes Diatrype. Of the 74 records on the FRDBI none are recorded from Hampshire, another first. A visit was made to the cedar by Jermyn's House to see the only Hampshire site for Geopora sumneriana (Cedar Cup) which were although looking good a week ago were past their sell by date now. In Brentry woodland during the afternoon the spring classic Gyromitra esculenta (False morel) was found along with a vivid carmine fruitbody of Hypomyces rosellus. There was certainly plenty to show the staff on the desk on our way home.
Species list: Bjerkandera adusta, Calloria neglecta, Coprinellus micaceus, Coprinopsis atramentaria, Corticium roseum, Daedaleopsis confragosa, Diatrype bullata, Eriopezia caesia, Flagelloscypha minutissima, Fuscoporia ferrea, Geopora sumneriana, Gyromitra esculenta, Hemimycena tortuosa, Hymenochaete rubiginosa, Lachnella alboviolascens, Lachnum virgineum, Leptosphaeria acuta, Lycogala epidendrum, Mensularia radiata, Merismodes anomala, Mucronella calva, Mycena tenerrima, Nectria magnusiana, Neonectria coccinea, Panellus stipticus, Phanerochaete velutina, Phragmidium violaceum, Psathyrella spadiceogrisea, Schizopora paradoxa, Stereum hirsutum, Stereum rugosum, Strobilurus tenacellus, Subulicystidium longisporum, Trametes gibbosa, Trametes versicolor, Trichia affinis, Vuilleminia comedens