Pat Cavanagh

Sarcoscypha austriaca can be found at any time between November and April.  It likes wet conditions and especially alder/willow carr and is apparently not worried by snow or frost.  This photo was taken some years back by Alan Outen at Oughton Head, Herts.

Skeletocutis amorpha on an old conifer log at Stockgrove Park.  From the top, this looked unremarkable, rather like a Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) but underneath the pores bruised a striking orange.  The Basidio checklist says “Common and widespread. Easily recognised especially if the pore surface has developed the distinctive apricot-orange colouration”, and I am thinking I have probably overlooked it many a time, mistaking it for Trametes; so worth looking carefully at any small brackets on a fallen conifer.

We found my very favourite fungus at Waterford Heath on 26 November – The Goblet (Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis), a beautiful, elegant speciality of late autumn/winter; photo by Claudi.

We found a pretty little Mycena,  M. arcangeliana (Angels bonnet) at Heartwood Forest a couple of weeks ago.  This fungus sometimes has a slight yellow-green look to the cap (not visible in these specimens), but the characteristic hint of violet in the stipe is apparent.  Photo by Claudi.

The well-named Felt Saddle, Helvella macropus, found at Whippendell Wood at the end of September (photo by Alison)

Chanterelles seem to be having a good year in Herts.  As well as the slightly more common Horn of Plenty (Cratellerus cornucopioides),  at Northaw Great Wood we found the Sinuous chanterelle Pseudocraterellus sinuosus, which is similar but  more frilly (photo by Claudi).

We had an enjoyable meeting at Sherrards Park Wood on 17 September,  where the highlight for me was seeing the 2 parasitic fungi on Russula nigricans (Blackening brittlegill) – Asterophora parasitica (Silky piggyback) and Asterophora lycoperdoides (Powdery piggyback).   Alison took a great photo of the latter.

At our meeting at Gobions Wood on 10 September, we found the small but strong-smelling fungus Phleogena faginea (Fenugreek puffball).  I have a dried specimen several years old, and it still retains its strong smell.

We had an interesting and productive first meeting of our autumn programme at Bricket Wood at the end of August.  Finds included 3 Cortinarius (webcaps) including Marsh webcap, Cortinarius uliginosus (pictured) a site speciality, with only one other known site in Herts.

The new meeting point is as follows:

St Stephen Parish Centre, Station Road, Bricket Wood, St Albans AL2 3PJ, grid ref. TL136021.

The calendar entry has been updated accordingly