Local bits and bobs

A catch up on some local stuff over the weekend before health issues buggered things up!

Friday saw Belinda and I in Diss briefly before a good walk in the sun around Wortham Ling. The reason for the stop in Diss was a curious duck that has taken up residence on the Mere. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions from the photo below but it looks have have either or both White-cheeked Pintail and Yellow-billed Pintail in it. Also on the wooden fencing at the Mere were several Red-belted Bracket specimens bursting out - the most I’ve ever seen there. 

Wortham Ling itself was quiet but I did record Clouded Funnel, Trooping Funnel, Tawny Funnel and Wood Blewit.

Then, on Saturday after visiting my Mum we called in to Jeremy’s at his kind invite to see a scarce fungi that was occupying a plant pot he’d bought at Natural Surroundings. These were Wrinkled Conecap, Pholiotina rugosa, only the 5th county record according to the Norfolk Mycota. 

                                                                                                    Definitely maybe White-cheeked Pintail

                                                                                                                             Red-belted Bracket

                                                                                                                        Wood Blewit

                                                                                                                       Wrinkled Conecap

Fungus Twitch! 18 November 2024

On Sunday evening news broke on our NFSG Facebook page that Trevor Atkins at Ladybelt CP had found the rare Cinnabar Oysterling growing on a rotting log in the country park. Not only just the 2nd county record but an absolute stunner to look at!

Armed with the detailed directions that were shared I snuck off work on Monday morning with a spurious excuse and drove to Ladybelt. Bumping into Jeremy there who had already seen it was handy as I didn’t need to search! It was also nice to meet Trevor there (as well as a lovely Green Elfcup just 2 feet away from the main attraction!)

Fairhaven Garden Trust, 17 November 2024

Despite it only being out at South Walsham I’d never been to Fairhaven before. So a Norfolk Fungus Study Group foray there with the added bonus of free entry was a great chance to put that right. 

The site consists of mixed broad leaved woodland with some impressive ancient oaks and loads of rhododendron combined with wet (flooded in some parts) alder carr with a mixture of many non-native plants.

Welcoming some more new members we had a brief introduction to the site from the owner/manager before setting off on our usual slow shuffle around the site. We found plenty of interest despite the site being dry (apart from the wet bit if you get my meaning!) and it now being quite late in the fungi autumn season. For me new species I’ve not encountered before are an obvious highlight and these featured Ochre Bracket, Mollisia amenticola (a small disco that grows on alder cones), Bitter Bracket, Blueleg Brownie, Powderpuff Bracket, Rusty Crust, Jackrogersella cohaerans, Laxitextum bicolor and Tomentella bryophila. Other goodies included Wrinkled Crust, Upright Coral, Birch Mazegill, Woolly Fibrecap, Yellow Shield, Willow Shield, Wrinkled Peach, the cup fungus Peziza micropus, Purplepore Bracket, Redleg Club, Wood Pinkgill, Purple Jellydisc, Alder Bracket, Rhododrendron Bud Blast, Dyer’s Mazegill, Blushing Bracket and the slime mould Diderma hemisphericum.

Good looker of the day was an insect however - the stunning Rhododendron Leafhopper. But that wasn’t the only insect of interest with Orange-spotted Fungus Beetle, Common Snail Hunter Beetle and Woodland Darwin Wasp all adding to a fabulous trip out. 

Stewart also brought us some specimens to look at on the car park while we were waiting for others to arrive - these included Botryosporium pulchrum, Tomentella bryophila and Polydesmia fructicola. 

                                                                                                                    Rhododendron Leafhopper

                                                                                                                    Orange-spotted Fungus Beetle

                                                                                                                             Woodland Darwin Wasp

                                                                                                                    Common Snail Hunter Beetle

                                                                                                                                Wrinkled Peach

                                                                                                                          Yellow Shield

                                                                                                                           Diderma hemisphericum

                                                                                                                               Alder Bracket

                                                                                                                               Redleg Club

                                                                                                                         Mollisia amenticola

                                                                                                                      Ochre Bracket

                                                                                                                           Purplepore Bracket

                                                                                                                          Purple Jellydisc

                                                                                                                           Woolly Fibrecap

                                                                                                                           Birch Mazegill

                                                                                                                             Peziza micropus

                                                                                                                            Blueleg Brownie

                                                                                                                        Upright Coral

                                                                                                                          Rhododendron Bud Blast

                                                                                                                            Wrinkled Crust

                                                                                                                           Botryosporium pulchrum

A new bug! 15 November 2024

Washing up at the kitchen sink can sometimes (rarely admittedly!) be enjoyable. It was today when I spotted a dark bug on the window sill. I whipped off my marigolds and grabbed my camera with the resulting photos confirming it was the seed bug Eremocoris fenestratus. Very nice to see a new species this late in the season and it also seems that it’s not common either.

Earlham Cemetery fungus wander, 12 November 2024

Jeremy kindly offered to show me some of the good fungi finds in Earlham Cemetery that were discovered on a recent ‘Friends of Earlham Cemetery’ guided walk. It was much quicker and easier than trying to follow directions and find them myself!

There was plenty to look at in both halves of the cemetery - and I was delighted to see some new species I’d not encountered before. These were Veined Shield and Veiled Conecap both together on an area of soil and woodchip, Ivory Bonnet, Ringed Milkcap, Crazed Cap and the wonderfully named Obscure Domecap. Also seen on our wander were Aromatic Pinkgill, Tan Pinkgill, Fool’s Funnel, Redlead Roundhead, Turf Bell, Meadow Coral, Meadow Waxcap, Scarlet Waxcap, Snowy Waxcap, Cushion Bracket, Deathcap and the distinctive bolete Ascot Hat (another one with a great name)

                                                                                                                         Veined Shield

                                                                                                                               Redlead Roundhead

                                                                                                                   Obscure Domecap

                                                                                                                     Veiled Conecap

                                                                                                                      Ivory Bonnet

                                                                                                                         Crazed Cup

                                                                                                                    Meadow Coral

                                                                                                                        Ringed Milkcap

                                                                                                                      Aromatic Pinkgill

                                                                                                                             Tan Pinkgill

A rare fungus double

I was privileged to be able to see 2 very rare fungi this past week.

The first was even brought to my door by friend Vicky Rusby! It was a specimen of Orange Porecap that had just been found in Bridge Wood, Orwell CP near Ipswich. This is originally a Madagascan species that first turned up in the UK in Cornwall in 2012 and has been slowly spreading since. This was the first record in East Anglia and what a stunner!

The second was the first Norfolk record of another good looker - Zoned Rosette. This fungus grows on the exposed roots of broadleaved trees and was found on the edge of Hethersett. Following a tip-off I was able to take it in on my way to Sporle on Saturday. 

                                                                                                                                  Orange Porecap

                                                                                                                                  Zoned Rosette