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Tag Archives: winter fungi

Rusty-gilled polypore

12 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi

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British fungi, Conifer mazegill, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, Rusty-gilled polypore, winter fungi

In Britain, the fungi with the tongue-twisting scientific name Gloeophyllum sepiarium are known as Conifer mazegills, while in North America their common name is Rusty-gilled polypore. I blogged about these same fungi, on a wooden railing on the local coastal path, two years ago (see Conifer mazegill, February 2019) but I couldn’t find them last year, mostly because the railing was too overgrown with bramble and ivy.

210212 rusty-gilled polypore (1)

This year the contractors responsible for managing the vegetation along the path have been more ruthless in their cutting and strimming, and so the fungi have once again made an appearance. In 2019, the specimens I saw were very young and hadn’t developed their characteristic bracket-like structure so I thought it was worth posting about them again to show how marked the difference is.

210212 rusty-gilled polypore (2)

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Yellow brain fungi

08 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi, winter

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British fungi, Tremella mesenterica, winter colour, winter fungi, Yellow Brain Fungus

Yellow is such a cheery colour, and the sight of these bright yellow fungi during a walk on a particularly grey, gloomy day certainly brought a smile to my face.

210108 yellow brain fungi (1)
210108 yellow brain fungi (2)

Although there are two very similar-looking, yellow, jelly-like fungi, I’m 99% sure these are Yellow brain fungi (Tremella mesenterica) because they are parasitic on the Peniophora species of crust fungi (rather than the Stereum hirsutum fungi, on which the other yellow fungi Tremella aurantia are parasitic), and you can, hopefully, just make out the Peniophora fungi (the lilac-grey crust on the wood) in the photo immediately below.

210108 yellow brain fungi (3)

I explained more about these two fungi in my blog Golden ears and Yellow brains, February 2017.

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361/365 Soggy shanks

27 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature

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British fungi, Flammulina velutipes, fungus, Velvet shanks, winter fungi

It was so misty and soggy out today that I could hear more than I could see, particularly as my specs were alternately splattered with raindrops or steamed up.

191227 velvet shanks (1)

Yet, these gorgeous fungi were impossible to miss, a burst of golden orange amongst the drab browns and greys and greens.

191227 velvet shanks (2)

These are very slippery, soggy examples of Velvet shanks (Flammulina velutipes).

191227 velvet shanks (3)

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340/365 Plums and custard

06 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature, trees, winter

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British fungi, fungi on conifers, Plums and custard, Tricholomopsis rutilans, winter fungi

In this case, Plums and custard does not refer to a tasty Friday night dessert, sadly, but rather to a deliciously named fungus with the scientific name Tricholomopsis rutilans, which certainly does not roll off the tongue.

191206 plums and custard (1)

The Plums and custard name (and the alternate, Strawberry fungus) don’t refer to taste or edibility, however – at its most vibrant, this fungus displays rich shades of a plum-like colour on its cap and its gills are a lovely custard yellow.

191206 plums and custard (2)
191206 plums and custard (3)
191206 plums and custard (4)
191206 plums and custard (5)

These wood-rotting fungi are usually found growing on decaying conifers, and you can read more about them, their habitats, and their identification features on the First Nature website.

191206 plums and custard (6)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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