I joined the Natural England Field Unit on their grassland surveys this week, recording the sites' mycological interest. This blog is not really one for 'reading', but a reminder for me of what we encountered.
On a private estate in the High Weald
There wasn't much to see on this recently cut old hay meadow; still perhaps a bit too early-season for the grassland fungi?
Just a couple of species showing... Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica.
Snowy Waxcap Cuphophyllus virgineus
Down-slope from that field it was perhaps a bit damper (looks greener, right?), with a few more fungi to be seen.
Now we're into Entoloma territory...
Collection #267: Beige with dark eye spot.
Collection #268: big blue ones. These are some great lookin' mushrooms.
I think this is the same population I had a go at identifying in 2019. Back then (here) I made them Entoloma atromadidum.
Nearby there were lots of Spotted Blewit Lepista panaeolus on show.
Collection #269: Entoloma griseocyaneum. Note the fibrillose-scaly pale brown cap and blue-grey tinted fibrillose stipe on these.
Collection #270: Entoloma sp. (with C. virgineus). Hmm.
Collection #271. Another one of those beige ones with the dark eye-spot. (Compare with Entoloma exile.)
Around lunchtime we headed over to some different fields, starting in the one near the car park.
Spotted some fine looking Entoloma porphyrophaeum.
Then it rained. A LOT. Which explains why these next mushrooms look so shiny.
Collection #267. More beige ones. Maybe more of the same?
These White Spindles Clavaria fragilis were actually submerged in rainwater by the time we found them.
Into field 109...
Collection #274. Entoloma sp. ID'd in the field as Entoloma chalybeum var. lazulinum.
Collection #275 and #276. More beige Entoloma sp. Slightly papillate, but eye-spot not noticeably dark.
Collection #277. More beige Entoloma sp.! But these ones have a very distinct dark eye-spot.
Collection #278. A lovely Spangle Waxcap Hygrocybe insipida. Beautiful decurrent gills on this specimen.
Collection #279. One of those 'yellow spindles'.
Came across a nice patch of very fresh-looking Golden Waxcap Hygrocybe chlorophana. Here's a photo for all the folks who like looking at fields.
And here's Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica in the same field.
I took this photo of some Parasols Macrolepiota procera just because I thought they looked like The Three Bears.
Field 110...
Collection #280. A very papillate Entoloma.
Collection #281. Glutinous Waxcap Hygrocybe glutinipes.
Collected these too but forgot to give them a number. Entoloma sp. (compare with E. infula?)
Into the last (top) field...
Collection #282. You can tell I'm losing interest in Entoloma spp. by this point and seem to be more focussed on photographing raffle tickets.
Collection #283. Another Entoloma ... Striate cap with dark scales in the centre. Smooth steel-grey stipe. There are a bunch that look like this, huh?
Final collection (not numbered): Entoloma chalybeum. A lovely midnight blue colour.
Cemetery
We popped into a cemetery after which had some nice grassland fungi interest.
Couldn't resist photographing this Pink Waxcap Porpolomopsis calyptriformis.
And a Star Pinkgill Entoloma conferendum. Got a collection of this so I can check out its star-shaped spores later.
It was lovely to see masses of 'yellow spindles' popping up through the mossy grass.
For the record
Date: 20 October 2021
Location: High Weald, East Sussex
Records will be submitted via the Natural England Field Unit.
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