Too dry for fungi…

The mushroom season is just not happening. While flood warnings are resounding through parts of the west country and ‘up north’, the SE corner of the country is simply too dry. The autumn display by trees is usually in full flow by now, but many of the leaves are showing signs of drying, browning and curling at the edges, and some are falling to form a crisp layer underfoot. Individual trees are turning colour, but dropping their leaves quickly. Unless it rains this may become more widespread. The last week has sprinkled the surface with wet, but not really touched the problem. I may be one of the few people who have their fingers crossed for rain.

 

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Psathyrella microrhiza, Rootlet Brittlestem.

Skulking round the back of a woodchip pile I found this, a Psathyrella that doesn’t need microscope work to identify it (hooray!). The stem was rooting and grew a long way into the woodchips. The gills were white edges and below that had a band of red. Those 2 featured together make this P. microrhiza. The cap colour whent I found it was a golden cream, smooth, unstriated and not especially diagnostic. Once it had been in water, providing me with a spore print, it became brown in the center and more grey with clear striations over the gills.

Link to species notes.

Link to photos of fungi and slime molds 2011.

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Looking good for the autumn.

Abney is slowly slipping into autumn. The fungus isn’t in full spate yet, just one or two indications in the inkcaps that something is developing, and a good drop of rain will help. The trees are beginning to turn. The horse chestnuts already are suffering leaf loss but that it down the the leaf miner damage. Fingers crossed that there is more happening soon.

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