In the summer rain

Couldn't let another rainy summer day pass by without a quick mooch around in the woods, to see what's about.

There were absolutely masses of these growing in patches in Hoe Wood, a mixed deciduous woodland of mostly oak and hazel.

Wherever I found them, they'd always be growing in groups.

Most were fairly mature, with flattened caps and a wavy margin. They all showed this pale margin, around the tan-coloured cap.

But I did find a few young ones, with waxy-looking rounded caps.

The stems were a pale tan colour, through to cream at the top.

The gills were crowded and a pale cream colour, with perhaps a hint of apricot.

Their connection to the cap looks like this (somewhere between 'adnexed' and 'free'?):

They seem like a good match for Russet Toughshank Gymnopus dryophilus. However, I've read on the First Nature website that "several other less common 'toughshanks' have pale tan-to-buff caps", so I perhaps shouldn't posit a definitive identification without checking microscopic features.

I also came across this rather elegant-looking funnel Clitocybe sp., with another slightly more slug-eaten specimen growing nearby.

I haven't come across many Clitocybe mushrooms before, and not sure how to go about getting an ID on this one.

There were also loads of these in Hoe Wood:

There are a couple of species which look like this:

• Horsehair Parachute Gymnopus androsaceus
• Collared Parachute Marasmius rotula

You need to look at how the gills are attached to tell the two apart, which I forgot to do.

And finally – some mushrooms I am familiar with – more Spindle Toughshank Gymnopus fusipes growing at the base of one of the oak trees.

Interesting that I've seen relatively few of these in Hoe Wood this year, after seeing LOADS last year (photos here).

For the record
Date: 29/07/2017
Location: Hoe Wood, Small Dole [private site]
Grid reference: TQ2113

G. fusipes entered into FRDBI 06/09/2018