Fluted bird’s nest fungi

31 Friday Jan 2025

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Bird's nest fungi, British fungi, Cyathus striatus, Fluted Bird's-nest fungi, woodland fungi

Almost seven and a half years have passed since I first saw these fungi, the perfectly named Fluted bird’s nest fungi (Cyathus striatus) (I blogged about that sighting in More Bird’s-nests with eggs! on 11 September 2017).

Since then, every time I’ve passed this location I’ve cast my eye over the various mossy logs and branches that lie adjacent to the path, hoping to spot them again. I saw nothing until my visit this past Wednesday and, to be honest, I’m amazed I was able to see them then, as the logs were draped in Bramble, through which I had to push my way to get closer. It was worth a couple of scratches though, to see these stunning fungi again.

With their shaggy looking exterior covering and the ribbed interior, they’re very distinctive and so easy to identify, which is always a bonus with fungi. They can be found (if you’re lucky!) growing on wood, usually within woodlands.

Elfcups, at last

19 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by sconzani in fungi, winter

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British fungi, Elfcups, Sarcoscypha coccinea, Scarlet elfcups, winter colour, winter fungi, woodland fungi

I have no wildflowers for you this Sunday – there are still flowers to be found but I’ve found nothing new or particularly interesting, so today’s colour comes in the form of fungi instead.

I’ve been searching for elfcups since early December, the time of year I’ve begun to see them in the past. I used to see them in abundance at Cwm George in Dinas Powys but I suspect it’s been too wet for them there this winter, with the little stream having flooded the area where the fungi grow.

I had also looked for them in Cardiff’s Bute Park in December but seen no sign. So, I was exceedingly happy, when I visited there last week, to find good numbers had popped up on mossy logs throughout the little area of woodland.

I know from having checked samples under a microscope several years ago that these are Scarlet rather than Ruby elfcups (Sarcoscypha coccinea), and they are gorgeous.

Snowy disco

01 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by sconzani in fungi

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British fungi, Lachnum virgineum, Snowy disco, white cup fungi, white fungi, woodland fungi

Though many parts of Britain are currently revelling in their first snowfalls of the winter, here in my part of south Wales the white of a crisp frost is as close as we’ve got to that beauty and the only snow of note is a fungus, with the very appropriate name of Snowy disco (Lachnum virgineum).

231201 snowy disco (1)

Though there are other white cup-shaped fungi, this one can be distinguished by the hairiness of its short stem and the underside of the cup. That hairiness is also the reason you often see these tiny cups with miniscule droplets of water attached – the water ‘sticks’ to the hairs. Though these fungi are described as widespread and common, I don’t see them very often and, in fact, I only found these because I was picking up small logs in a woodland to check for any invertebrates beneath them. The Snowy disco was a very nice bonus!

231201 snowy disco (2)

Ride a White saddle

09 Friday Dec 2022

Posted by sconzani in fungi

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British fungi, Helvella crispa, White saddle, woodland fungi

There wasn’t a horse to be seen but there were plenty of White saddles (Helvella crispa) poking through the leaf litter. I usually fiddle with the surroundings when I’m photographing fungi, clearing away the odd leaf or grass stem to provide a clearer shot but, today, I decided to show them as they really are, an integral part of this woodland ride.

221209 white saddle

Helvella crispa

09 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi

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British fungi, fungi under Beech, Helvella crispa, White saddle, woodland fungi

I think I’m developing an obsession with these beautiful fungi, Helvella crispa, commonly known as White saddles.

211109 helvella crispa (1)

These photos were taken during last week’s cemetery meander but I’ve also found a large group of these fungi recently in the woodland at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park.

211109 helvella crispa (2)

Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I fancy I can make out forms, spooky, ghostly creatures that have emerged from the earth.

211109 helvella crispa (3)

Elvish beauty

09 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi, nature, winter

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British fungi, Elfcups, fungi, red elfcups, Ruby elfcup, Scarlet elfcup, woodland fungi

As I walked through a local woodland yesterday, in light sleet and a biting wind, I was seduced by these gorgeous elfcups, punctuating the dull greens and dirty browns with their glorious pops of bright red.

210209 red elfcups (1)

And there were lots of them: tucked under draping fern fronds, nestled amongst lush mosses, almost every rotting log and every broken branch had its cup of scarlet (or ruby) red.

210209 red elfcups (2)

I’m not sure if anyone has ever checked, microscopically, to determine whether the elfcups in these woodlands are Scarlet (Sarcoscypha austriaca) or Ruby (Sarcoscypha coccinea).

210209 red elfcups (3)

And, though it would certainly be good to add them to the local biodiversity records, it was enough yesterday to simply feast my eyes on their magical elvish beauty.

210209 red elfcups (4)

346/366 A fungal selection

11 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by sconzani in fungi, winter

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British fungi, Common grey disco, Coral spot, Frosty bonnet, fungi, Jelly ear, King Alfred's Cakes, Lemon disco, Velvet shank, woodland fungi

Today, a selection of fungi spotted during my recent walks. Although I’ve named these fungi, my identifications are not based on microscopic examination and so cannot be positively confirmed.

The fungi are, I think, Coral spot (Nectria cinnabarina), Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), King Alfred’s cakes (Daldinia concentrica), and Velvet shank (Flammulina velutipes). And under the rotting logs in the woodland: Common grey disco (Mollisia cinerea), Lemon disco (Bisporella citrina), and Frosty bonnet (Mycena tenerrima).