Back at the fallen Beech

Earlier this month, on 11 February, I returned to a favourite spot: the fallen Beech in Rowland Wood.


It had been four weeks since my previous visit when I'd recorded 13 species of fungi growing on this huge hunk of dead wood. A pretty good haul, I thought. So I wasn't expecting to find much more this time.

But as I squelched my way along the woodland rides towards to the Big Beech, I realised that conditions had changed quite a bit since my last visit. The wood was wetter. Much wetter.

These conditions had brought out some jelly fungus – fruiting on the sunny southern side of the main trunk, now denuded of its bark.

See how it glistens in the low winter sun. What a beauty!

Given the tightly-lobed, brain-like form of this black-brown jelly, I reckon it's Exidia plana (related to Witches Butter E. glandulosa).

On one of the cut boughs, lying in a sheltered spot under the main trunk, I saw a smattering of tiny yellow fruit bodies. 

I'd meant to check if this was Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus but it's been a busy month and my specimens dried out before I had a chance to do the microscopy.

On the same log, towards the back of the photo above, I spotted a different kind of jelly fungus.

I wonder if this is a tiny patch of Leafy Brain Tremella foliacea? I don't think it's a species I've come across before.

So that's three new species for the Big Beech list.

Turning my attention to the northern side of the trunk, I was keen to solve the mystery of the button-shaped mushrooms I'd found popping up the month before.

They were looking a bit the worse for wear, after four weeks of winter weather, but still surprisingly in tact. Underneath the caps, where they hadn't been eaten by molluscs, these mushrooms had pores
– fairly large pores.

 
I reckon that makes these Winter Polypore Polyporus brumalis.

I wasn't expecting to get any more species from the Big Beech that day, so when Michael pointed out this crust fungus growing on one of the cut boughs I rather casually dismissed it as "probably Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum". Boring.

It wasn't until I sat down next to it with my flask of tea that I realised it was something quite different. Not boring! 

Unless I am very much mistaken, this was Crimped Gill Plicatura crispa, making itself at home. 

The books say this species has a northern distribution, but we've come across it a few times of Sussex Fungus Group forays, so I think it must be establishing itself down south.

I think that brings my complete Big Beech list to around 21 species, albeit a few are not confirmed.

1. Splitgill Schizophyllum commune (14/2/2016)
2. Beech Woodwart Hypoxylon fragiforme (14/2/2016)
3. Possible Cosmospora arxii (14/2/2016) - not confirmed
4. Porcelain Fungus Oudemansiella mucida (9/10/2016)
5. Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus (11/12/2016)
6. Beech Jellydisc Ascocoryne sarcoides (11/12/2016) - not confirmed
7. Bitter Oysterling Panellus stipticus (14/01/2018)
8. Small Stagshorn Calocera cornea (14/01/2018)
9. Jackrogersella cohaerens (14/01/2018)
10. Turkeytail Trametes versicolor (14/01/2018)
11. Birch Mazegill Lenzites betulinus (14/01/2018)
12. Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum (14/01/2018)
13. Clitopilus hobsonii (14/01/2018)
14. Wrinkled Crust Phlebia radiata (14/01/2018)
15. Smoky Bracket Bjerkandera adusta (14/01/2018)
16. Ganoderma sp. (14/01/2018)
    
17. Winter Polypore Polyporus brumalis (11/02/2018)
18. Exidia plana (11/02/2018)
    
19. Possible Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus - not confirmed (11/02/2018)
20. Possible Leafy Brain Tremella foliacea - not confirmed (11/02/2018)
    
21. Crimped Gill Plicatura crispa (11/02/2018)

Looking forward to seeing what else makes itself at home here!

For the record
Date: 11/02/2018
Location: The Big Beech, Rowland Wood, East Sussex
Grid reference: TQ514150