Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

Snetterton/Eccles, 31 October 2023

Fellow fungi nut Jane Adams kindly gave me directions to a Whiskery Milkcap that she had found close to her house on Heath Road between Snetterton and Eccles. As this is an unusual looking species and only the 3rd Norfolk record I wa keen to see it so popped over on a morning off work.

I found it easily using 'What3words' and afterwards set about having an explore of the surrounding area to see what else I could find. The road (track) to the west of the level crossing goes through a massive extended woodyard where thousands of tree trunks have been dumped to rot - a mycologist's dream! Without leaving the track I found Freckled Dapperling, Stump Puffball, Sheathed Woodtuft, Deathcap, Wet Rot, Burgundydrop Bonnet, a big and spectacular Wrinkled Peach, Upright Coral, Yellow Shield, Smoky Bracket, Bleeding Broadleaf Crust, Yellow Stagshorn, Candlesnuff, Silverleaf, Turkeytail and more Sulphur Tuft than I've ever seen before (literally thousands of fruiting bodies). A curious bracket that was bleeding red is yet to be id'd - a sample is being obtained. Whatever it turns out to be it was quite an appropriate one for halloween!

I was also able to show and id some of the finds for Jane, many of which she'd seen previously but didn't know the id.

Whiskery Milkcap

Freckled Dapperling

Sheathed Woodtuft

Wrinkled Peach

Wet Rot

Burgundydrop Bonnet

Yellow Shield

Upright Coral

Mystery bracket - to be id'd

Stump Puffball

South Norwich and Dunston Wood, 29 October 2023

A roadside nature reserve in the south part of Norwich has long been a site for the rare and rather strange fungus Sandy Stiltball. Having only seen the species once and never at this site I learned that 3 were 'up' so ventured along on Sunday for a look. They're not small so proved an easy find with a few other bits of interest along the same stretch of banked verge namely - Pale Poisonpie, Scaly Wood Mushroom, Ivory Woodwax, Wood Blewit and Witches Butter. A Beefsteak fungus was on an oak trunk just over the road.

With time on my side I then went for a wander in nearby Dunston Wood which is around the back of Dunston Hall. Initially I didn't find much but then hit some hot spots with Wood Cauliflower, Dog Stinkhorn, Stinkhorn, Chicken-of-the-Woods, Tawny Funnel, Sulphur Knight, Alder Bracket, Sulphur Tuft, Brick Tuft, Birch Polypore, Coral Spot, Candlesnuff and Sycamore Tar Spot.

After a pretty grim couple of days personally it was good to get a bit of natural therapy.

Sandy Stiltball

Ivory Woodwax

Scaly Wood Mushroom

Pale Poison Pie

Wood Blewit

Tawny Funnel

Dog Stinkhorn

Alder Bracket

Wood Cauliflower

Brick Tuft

Chicken-of-the-Woods, well past the edible stage!

Back to Outney Common and a 1st for Suffolk! 27 October 2023

Readers of my last blog entry about Outney Common will have noticed I mentioned a strange russula sp that had everyone scratching their heads. Well, Jeremy kindly offered to analyse a specimen if I could get hold of another (my original one has now deteriorated and is useless). Hence this return visit...

I was dismayed to find the area has completely flooded since my last visit so signs weren't good. With a little bit of effort (and wet feet!) I managed to get around the back of the same rough area in the hope I might find some that weren't under a foot of water - and luckily I stumbled upon a small group growing under a waterside willow about 30 meters from my original spot. More on the analysis later.

While sploshing about I also found some nice Elfin Saddles, White Fibrecap, Sulphur Knight, Variable Webcap and Golden-banded Webcap, Cortinarius saniosus. On the grass was also a recently deceased Rudd presumably 'displaced' by the recent flooding.

Back to the mystery russula - I dropped the specimen off with Jeremy the following morning and he did the necessary microscopy and chemical analysis. To summarise - mild taste (no heat), bruises light brown, blackish-green reaction to FeSO4 and blue with guiac, spores pale ochre with warts and a few connectives, smell very slowly developing to something resembling crab paste. The cell structure of the cap cuticle was also looked at. All of these factors and the fact that it was associated with willow point to it being Russula subrubens and therefore a first for Suffolk!

Russula subrubens

Elfin Saddle

White Fibrecap

Golden-banded Webcap

Rudd

A long weekend in Hellfire Corner! 20 - 22 October 2023

To celebrate Belinda's birthday we had a long weekend in east Kent, the area known as 'Hellfire Corner' in WW2! We stayed in a lovely little Airbnb in the village of Ringwould about 3 miles SW of Deal.

The weather was wet on Friday morning and all day Saturday but Friday afternoon and Sunday were bright and sunny. Regardless of the weather we got out and about to make the most of our time.

The highlight from a natural history point of view was a visit to an old friend Nigel Jarman in Kingsdown on Saturday afternoon as he'd offered to share the contents of his fridge with us - moths that is! He'd trapped a few goodies - Oak Rustic (of 2 colour forms), Pearly Underwing, Vestal, Gem, Satellite, Old World Webworm, Olive-tree Pearl, Brick and Scarce Bordered Straw - all of which I gratefully photographed. For me the star of the show however was a lovely Mottled Shieldbug he also had. This rare species was only discovered in the UK in 2010 and is still confined to parts of South London and Kent.

A few bits of botanical interest were seen during the weekend with Golden Samphire, Rock Samphire, Narrow-leaved Ragwort and Carline Thistle the best.

Birds weren't much to write home about with a few Rock Pipits and Ravens at Dover and St Margaret's and a flock of Siskins over Kingsdown.

On Sunday morning quite a few Small Whites were on the wing along the clifftops but check as I did I couldn't find one of a southern persuasion!

Mottled Shieldbug

Oak Rustics

Gem

Old World Webworm

Olive-tree Pearl

Pearly Underwing

Satellite

Golden Samphire

Rock Samphire

Carline Thistle

Small White

Outney Common, 18 October 2023

While out and about in the Bungay area I opted for a wander around Outney Common that lays in a loop of the River Waveney.

Mooching about in the willows and alders surrounding the fishing lakes and various oak and birch copses I found plenty of fungal fruiting bodies. Oakbug Milkcaps, Ugly Milkcaps and Blackening Milkcaps were exceptionally numerous but I also turned up some more unusual stuff. A curious chestnut-brown Russula sp under willows and sallows was distinctive to look at but may never be id'd without microscopy. Variable Webcap was another goodie with Witches Butter, Sulphur Tuft, White Dapperling, Brown Birch Bolete, Tuberous Polypore and Scurfy Deceiver being the best of the rest.