Rambling Ray

Some glorious looking Bristly Haircap Moss Polytrichum piliferum on the sandy Heathland at Roydon Woods, New Forest. Lovely Scarlet and Orange Sporophytes which grow to around 10cm. Leaves have White hair extensions. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Thrilled to catch a Rare glimpse of Mealy Pinkgill Entoloma prunuloides NT Longshaw Estate, close to where I found Big Blue Pinkgill last year. Robust creamy Ochre caps, Ochre flush top of stipe. Good indicator species of high quality waxcap grassland #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Whilst completing the Circular 3.2 mile Butterfly walk last weekend around NT Clent Hills NR (No Butterflies found!), I popped into 12th Century St Leonard's Churchyard Clent on route. Glossy looking Parrot Waxcaps on the lawn, lovely Bottle-Green stem #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Interesting find on a Blusher at Bolehill Quarry, White Mold I will declare as Hypomyces spp. BMS suspect that although Hypomyces hyalinus which specialises in consuming Amanitas is still not officially recorded in the UK, it's probably now here tbc. #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Real treat on what was The oldest Tree in Clent at NT Clent Hills NR, a 250 year old Ancient Beech tree felled by a 2023 storm. Beautiful distant spaced adnate gills of Porcelain Fungus Oudemansiella mucida, glossy Porcelain caps are pretty good too! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Impressive array of colour Leics WT Ulverscroft NR today. Lovely Russet Red-Brown caps of Common Rustgill Gymnopilus penetrans which are anything but. Plus a most Beautiful Golden Scalycap Pholiota aurivella despite squirrels reaching them first! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Rare opportunity NT Ashridge Estate Beech Woodland, to examine the Base of Saffron Dropbonnet Mycena crocata. Lovely Saffron Orange to Velvet-Red stems, whilst the Hairy White mycelial threads on young caps provide a Caterpillar-like appearance #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Lovely aromatic waft across Pooley Hall Colliery floor today from Aniseed Funnel Clitocybe odora, although quite Rare to see one with a large umbo! Equally Uncommon, When Small Stagshorn are exposed to strong sunshine, they suddenly turn Flame Orange! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Finally first sightings at Pooley Hall Colliery of Woolly Milkcap Lactarius torminosus. Much later this year, lack of rain appearing soft Orange rather than usual Salmon-Pink. Nice to see some newly emerged Birch Milkcaps Lactarius tabidus too #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Star of This afternoons visit to Pooley Hall Colliery, Extremely Rare glimpse of Woolly Fibrecap Inocybe stellatospora, just 292 National Records. Distinctive Woolly Cap and Stipe Fibres, clay-Brown scales, Dark umbo. Amongst White Fibrecaps on Colliery floor #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Rare Glimpse at Bolehill Quarry of The Grisette Amanita vaginata. Beautiful Grey-Brown caps with comb-like striated Radial ridge margins. Whilst Nearby, much more common Tawny Grisette Amanita fulva has a distinctive Amber-Brown to Tawny-Orange cap #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Lovely to see Rooting Shank Hymenopellis radicata along Damp Riverside margin at NT Hardcastle Crags. Described as Tall and Graceful, caps become sticky when moist, Silky when dry. Ivory Bonnet Atheniella flavoalba loves damp Mossy environments too! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Some Extraordinary Honey Waxcaps Hygrocybe reidii on Kerridge Hill too. Rich Orange Caps, Beautiful Gills I could Admire all day. One of our Biotrophic endophytes, hyphae grows inside roots and tissues of Mosses, exchanging vital Nutrients & Sugars to each other #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Astounding Parrot Waxcaps Gliophorus psittacinus on display at Kerridge Hill. From the younger Bottle-Green variety to an Incredible looking mature Purple-Brown, Blue-Grey and Yellow-Green Individual, with widely spaced Elegant upturned Gills, Mind-blowing! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Impressive looking Golden Waxcaps Kerridge Hill Hygrocybe chlorophana. Initially viscid dome shaped before flattening out, retains a Beautiful Golden Mango colour. Typically twice the size of Glutinous & Butter Waxcaps, reaching 7cm in both Height and Diameter #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Kerridge Hill truly is a Waxcap wonderland, eight species on display this week. Lovely Glutinous Waxcap Hygrocybe glutinipes, appears dripping Orange or Viscid Lemon Yellow. Classic Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica, Orange, Red Yellow & Black Witch's Hat! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Thrilled to see soft Orange tones of Apricot Club Clavulinopsis luteoalba at Kerridge Hill, has tapered White tips (Yellow Club are blunt). Plus Glorious White Spindles Clavaria fragilis, worm-like Fairy Fingers, so brittle they break in your hand #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Some imposing characters at Cheshire WT Kerridge Hill this week. By far the largest Fly Agaric I've seen this year almost twice their regular size. Plus an impressive Lilac Pinkgill Entoloma porphyrophaeum, lovely fibrous Lilac-Brown cap and stipe #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Although caps are usually Biscuit Brown on Suede Bolete Boletus subtomentosus, very occasionally you find this lovely felted Yellow colour. Plus the most enormous Penny Bun Boletus edulis I recall seeing at Bolehill Quarry, 25cm plus like a Baked Crusty Roll #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

You really do get full value from the Blood-Red colour on Bloody Brittlegill Russula sanguinaria NT Longshaw Estate Pine Forest, plus Remarkable Milk White Brittlegill Russula delica, Caps grow underground and develop hypogeously pushing soil upwards with them! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Wonderful sight here of a Mature, fully intact Whitelaced Shank Megacollybia platyphylla, they really do look Quite Magnificent at NT Ashridge Estate. Initially Bluish Grey-Brown, they develop radial streaks split from the margins. Named after White Mycelial laces #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

The stars of Bolehill Quarry yesterday were undoubtedly The Blusher Amanita rubescens with around 200 seen, this one naturally passing Pink bruising test. Plus Impressive Guttation on this Beefsteak Mushroom bitter sour droplets designed to deter nibbling insects #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

After not seeing any across six Scottish Reserves visited last weekend, so Happy to see my first Fly Agarics Amanita muscaria this year at Bolehill Quarry yesterday, well worth the wait too! Lovely contrast of Sun-Blushed and Cherry-Red individuals #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Thrilled to find Nationally Scarce Beech Gall Midge Mikiola fagi NT Ashridge Estate this week. Large Galls Males 5mm Females 10mm. Start Yellow Barrel shaped, become Cherry Red Lanterns. Thought to have been extinct in UK for two decades, now recent resurgence in SE England #galls #diptera

Two Extreme Rarities here, found along Birnam Riverside close to the Historic Birnam Oak. Beech Knight Tricholoma sciodes Dark Grey central caps with Lilac tints & Dark cap flecks. Earthy Webcap Cortinarius hinnuleus (Tawny-Cinnamon) has a strong Earthy smell #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Lovely to see both the regular and Rare White form of Pink Purslane Claytonia sibirica, Almondell & Calderwood SSSI West Lothian. Occasionally has Purple veins vice Pink. Thrives in damp Woodland. Plant unusually rich in Omega Oils @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Thrilled to find Magnificent Humpback Brittlegill Russula caerulea South Annsmuir Wood Fife. Initially glossy umbonate Purple turning vinaceous, they develop the Right Hump as they mature and grow old! Another Scots Pine specialist, caps peel easily #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Attractive looking Slippery Jack Suillus luteus Heatherhall Woods Fife. Luteus means Muddy as per Cap appearance. Young Pores covered in White veil which forms a skirt, unusual for a Bolete. Most common North of the Border due to symbiotic arrangement with Scots Pine #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Impressive looking White Saddle Helvella crispa Inver Riverside path, appears to have a Double Saddle with a Side-Saddle rest too, yee-haw! Nice looking Deceivers Laccaria laccata, various shades of Apricot-Orange with a reflective White Bloom #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Other notable New NT Hardcastle Crags Location finds this week. Lovely looking Tapioca Slime Mould Brefeldia maxima on a rotting Beech tree, plus amazed to see a Scarletina Bolete Neoboletus luridiformis with its Bay Brown Cap and Barrel-shaped dotted Red stem #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Thrilled to find Wrinkled Shield Pluteus phlebophorus NT Hardcastle Crags. Amber-Brown caps noted for vein-like wrinkles around Cap centre and Yellow stipe. Lovely Deer Shield nearby, caps are more smooth and Fawn coloured with longitudinal stipe lines #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

What a start to Woodear season Auricularia auricula-judae. An Absolute Beauty of Dr Spock proportions at Hardcastle Crags this week! Keeping with Pale Pink theme, some Lovely looking Beech Jellydisc Neobulgaria pura maturing into their Ascomycete Cup form #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

NT Hardcastle Crags at its Finest this week after heavy rainfall. Most Beautiful Yellow Stagshorn Calocera viscosa with perfect Golden Yellow Antlers wet, turns Orange-Red dry. Impressive Small Stagshorn Calocera cornea too, usually a Paler Yellow with tapered tips #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mycology

Special find NT Hardcastle Crags this week, Pale tussock moth Calliteara pudibunda. Beautiful Scarlet tail, beware when Black body markings appear! Once called Hop Dogs in SE England, as many a Hop Picker has suffered severe skin irritation from their Bristly hair #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Rare glimpse of Twin-spot Centurion Sargus bipunctatus NT Erddig Park. Our largest Sargus species 10mm, named after two White spots near antennae. Vastly under-recorded September species on another Riverside Rarity Horsemint Mentha longifolia @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Always a delight to find attractive Coastal Chalk Downland WildFlower Hound's-tongue Cynoglossum officinale lovely Burgundy-Red member of the Borage family. Often overlooked but equally Beautiful Sea Rocket, a Pioneer species where shingle meets sand @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Other Uncommon Dawlish Warren NNR Dune Slack finds, Rare glimpse of a Late Michaelmas Daisy S. × ⁠versicolor, first seen Wild in Britain in 1817. Great to see Saltmarsh specialist Parsley Water-dropwort Oenanthe lachenalii, now Near-Threatened inland @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Lovely to see most Beautiful vibrant Orange Bog Asphodel #seedheads Gentleshaw Common peat Bog this week. Plus uncommon sight Dawlish Warren NNR, Alder Wrinkle Taphrina tosquinetii, Gall Fungus that Blisters Alder leaves, coats them in White ascospores @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Extra Special find Gentleshaw Quarry this week. Rare glimpse of Heath Rustic Xestia agathina. Moth Species of Conservation concern under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, declined 73% in recent years. Left photo at rest, they habitually feign death in daylight #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Great to see at least a dozen pristine condition Painted Lady Butterflies all feeding on Hemp Agrimony (aka Raspberries and Cream) on Whitehawk Hill Brighton. Vital energy source ahead of a long migration, when they cruise at 30mph, flying at 500m plus altitudes @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Lovely to see Rare White form of Devil's-bit Scabious Succisa pratensis Cors Goch NNR this week, Pollinators can't get enough of it! Real bonus to see Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris Pale Pink three-lobed margins Purple centre @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Two Magnificent sights at Cors Goch NNR this week. An alluring Grass-of-parnassus has drawn in some Beautiful Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella. Just 4mm has metallic Copper sheen & Black wing spots. Loves wetland Meadows full of Buttercups @bsbibotany.bsky.social #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Special visit this week to Anchor Bottom, Where BC Sussex Recorded 2148 Male Adonis Blue Butterflies a day earlier with estimated 8-10k across vast Chalk Downland. Saw hundreds myself, their Magnificent Sky-Blue colour really does catch your eye! @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Wonderful camouflage on Wall Brown Butterfly Cors Goch NNR this week. Designed to blend into Rocks, Stones & walls, clearly Boardwalks work well too! No such issue with a Beautiful Small Copper, Happy to bask in a nearby Wildflower Meadow @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Wonderful to see Nationally Scarce Round-headed Rampion Phyteuma orbiculare, aka Pride of Sussex at Beachy Head. Lovely curved globular Flowers with unusual anchors on stigma tips. Grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris Ainsdale NNR @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Another absolute Beauty Cors Goch NNR. Ruby-Red flowers of Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre, pointed star-shaped sepals much broader than inner petals. Roots stay submerged underwater. Regarded as Great Nectar rich source for Bees @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Lovely to see Beautiful Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella Cors Goch NNR Anglesey Fens. Lilac-Pink round petals with Red veins. Gregarious plant of Fens & Bogs, growing alongside Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata with its pretty Whiskers @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Special find Cors Goch NNR Anglesey Fens. Nationally Scarce Bog Waxcap Hygrocybe coccineocrenata. Brilliant Orange-Red Caps, key ID Feature Dark Cap scales. Appears only on Sphagnum moss. Most Records June to August in North Wales Bogs & Catfield Fen Norfolk #FungiFriends

Drama Whitehawk Hill Brighton last week, Enormous 22mm Female Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi crawling up my trouser leg! Popped her onto my hand, found secluded vegetation to feed on favourite delicacy, Crickets & Grasshoppers! Lovely Long-tailed Blue too @savebutterflies.bsky.social #InsectThursday

Great to have an Extremely Rare glimpse of a lovely Marbled White Spot Moth Protodeltote pygarga Cors Goch NNR Anglesey Fens, Nocturnal North Wales species. Plus a Magnificent looking Rhubarb and Custard Moth Oncocera semirubella aka Rosy Knot-Horn Dawlish Warren NNR #Teammoth #Mothweek #MothsMatter

Thrilled to catch a Rare glimpse of Red Poplar Leaf Beetle Chrysomela populi Dawlish Warren NNR last week. She was having a snooze after recent egg laying. 12mm Adults feed entirely on Willow & Poplar leaves. Mainly found around Southern & Wales Coastline #WildWebsWednesday #InsectThursday