Orchids!
Yesterday, while surveying pollinator networks in the reserve, Ian Bushell discovered a colony of bright pink pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis), an important new species for the reserve.
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Fairy rings
One of several fairy rings in Lambrok Meadow, caused by the mycelium of a subterranean fungus.
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Collybia velutipes (winter fungus) photographed in the park by Ian Bushell
Oak factoid
There are 2,300 species associated with oak, 320 of which are found only on oaks. Here is a gallery of wildlife photographed in the park’s oaks.
Header picture: Oak Bridge by DKG
Wood ear
This post was first published in January 2019
Auricularia auricula-judae is one of the few fungi that produces fruiting bodies all year round. Winter hardly seems to trouble it and we found these specimens in the strip of wood between Lambrok Meadow and Kestrel Field, in the second week of January with the early sunshine just beginning to melt the frost that had covered them overnight.
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Candlesnuff fungus
A tiny candlesnuff fungus, Xylaria hypoxylon, growing in the rotting wood and moss of the old willow tree (number 5477 ) by the footpath alongside the Lambrok Tributary.
Continue reading “Candlesnuff fungus”Mycena pseudocorticola
by Simon Knight
I was looking for fungi recently in the park, but because it’s now getting late in the fungi season, I wasn’t finding anything that interesting. I was about to head home when the moss on a nearby oak tree caught my attention.
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Sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) growing on dead wood in the copse between Sleepers and Sheep Field.
Continue readingWood Wide Web
Our trees have internet!
Amethyst deceiver
A message with beautiful pictures from photographer Simon Knight:
Continue reading “Amethyst deceiver”Fly Agaric
This is fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) found, rather unusually, under a willow tree in the park; birch and pine are its preferred partners.
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King Alfred’s cakes
Daldinia concentrica: known as King Alfred’s cakes or coal fungus grows on the park’s trees, in this case on a dead ash tree.
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The latest update on the phenomenal growth of the shaggy bracket fungus on the ash tree at Fiveways.
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03/09 
16/09
Inonotus hispidus
The shaggy bracket fungus on the ash tree at Fiveways, first reported by Clive Knight and identified for us by our Tree Officer Rich Murphy, has grown HUGE.
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Shaggy parasol
There is a group of shaggy parasols, the fruiting bodies of Chlorophyllum rhacodes, just coming up under the first oak tree as you come through the park’s main gate.
Pictures by Suzanne Humphries
Identified!
The fungus that Clive Knight photographed on the ash tree at Fiveways is Inonotus hispidus commonly known as shaggy bracket, shaggy polypore or velvet fungus. Our Tree Officer, Rich Murphy, identified it for us.
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Q&A
Question from Tom Martin:
Found this on the pavement near my house. Do you know what it is?
Half time score
It’s June and we are nearly half way through 2020. Here is the round dozen of species that have been identified in the park for the first time this year.
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Wood ear (Auricular auricula-judae) found growing on a branch brought down in one of the copses by Storm Ciara.
Tremella
This is either yellow brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) or witches’ butter (Tremella aurantia); even Wikipedia seems confused about it.
Continue readingCommon orange lichen
Our quest to identify some of the many lichens that grow in the park continues with common orange lichen, Xanthoria parietina, also known as yellow scale or maritime sunburst lichen.
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King Alfred’s cakes
Daldinia concentrica: known as King Alfred’s cakes or coal fungus grows on the park’s trees, in this case on a dead ash tree.
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Fungi
We have been more successful in 2019 at identifying some of the enormous number of fungi that grow in the park. We were able to add five new species to our rather sparse fungi list.
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1.Hypholoma fasciculare Sulphur Tuft
2. Xylaria hypoxylon Candle snuff
3.Trametes hirsuta Hairy bracket fungus
4. Fuligo septica Dog’s vomit slime mould
5. Amanita muscaria Fly Agaric
Header picture – one of the many species we have been unable to identify.
