FUNGI REPORT

The beginning of the year was very mild and consequently the fungi which can be found growing on wood throughout the year when the conditions are favourable, such as the Jew’s Ear fungus, Hirneola auricula-judae, and the Oyster Fungus, Pleurotus ostreatus, were found in several localities. The cup fungus, Paxina acetabulum was again seen growing in Lead Mines Clough in April and was also found at a new location near the Yarrow Reservoir. One team on the annual Chorley Birdrace was again distracted by fungi, this time by more than ten St. George’s Mushrooms, Calocybe/Tricholoma gambosum, growing in the grassland by Bretherton Fish Ponds on 19th April. Two were also found near a stream at Rivington on 5th May. This species, whose season is traditionally around St. George’s Day, 23rd April, hence its name, is uncommon locally.

After the wet weather during June, there was a small flush of the early autumn species at the end of July and beginning of August but from then on the fungus season was abysmal. In general throughout the country, many of the common agarics did not appear or only appeared in very small numbers. It is thought that the summer was not warm enough to encourage the mycelium to produce fruiting bodies. Although the list of species from forays usually contained a good number of species, the common fungi only appeared in small numbers instead of the usual hundreds and some expected species were not recorded at all.

This was compensated for to some extent by the appearance of rare fungi in other parts of the country and locally, some species which are found only infrequently, were recorded. One of these was the Death Cap, Amanita phalloides, which had been recorded in Duxbury Woods during the early 1980’s and not seen again since then until this year on 4^th October when one was found. Likewise, Helvella crispa which had been seen at Birkacre in 1994, reappeared in the same location after a four year absence and at Roddlesworth, twelve fruiting bodies of Hypholoma marginatum were found in association with pines where the species had been recorded in 1980 but had not been seen in the intervening period.

At Rivington on 10th September, two specimens of the Scarlet Caterpillar Fungus, Cordyceps militaris, were found. Another was discovered by the North West Fungus Group (NWFG) at Roddlesworth on 11th October. This species grows on dead larvae and pupae of Noctuid moths buried in the soil, the mycelium of the fungus replacing the insides of the insect. A related species, Cordyceps sphecocephala, was also recorded at Roddlesworth by NWFG, growing on a dead wasp.

Although few agarics were again found on a foray in Cuerden Valley Park on 18^th October, this was more than compensated for by unusual species. On a stack of felled Sycamore logs were many small yellowish shell-shaped bracket fungi believed to be the rare species Crepidotus wakefieldiae and sent away for confirmation. There was a fine display of several of the uncommon tall spindle-like species Clavariadelphus fistulosa in a Birch woodland glade, the fungi showing up beautifully amongst the grass in the sunshine. This species was again found by NWFG in Lever Park at Rivington a week later but this time in the misshapen form, C. fistulosa, var. contorta, which grows on wood.

The Rivington foray produced three species of Clitocybe new to the Society’s recording area, these being C. clavipes, (the Club-footed Clitocybe), C. metachroa and C. saponaceum. The latter species is similar in appearance to C. nebularis, one of the largest Clitocybes, but the rusty cap coloration described as a distinguishing feature of Clitocybe saponaceum was evident and when the fungus was cut, the smell of soap was strong. Another fungus of note at Rivington was Basidiodendron caesiocinereum, one of the Tremellales or jelly fungi. This species forms translucent patches, but unlike the similar looking Vuillemia comedens, it is not confined to decorticated wood.

One of the small Ink Caps which grows on dung, Coprinus macrocephalus, was found in the grassland between the Waterman’s Cottage and White Coppice on 18^th October. This gave a new addition to the Society’s records, as did the discovery near the café in Astley Park on 26^th October of the Tripe Fungus, Auricularia mesenterica, on a dead stump of a felled tree, most likely to have been an Elm, as this is the most common host.

With the mild weather of late autumn, some agarics continued fruiting and in fact one member described a foray around Anglezarke on 13^th November as the most prolific walk of the autumn!

The following new species for the Chorley area were recorded during
1997:

Thanks to the following members who submitted records this year:

Tony Johnson, Joyce Riley, Dennis Weir and Nora West, plus Norman Bamforth and Peter Smith of the North West Fungus Group. A special thank you must be given to Peter Smith, one of the NWFG recorders, for providing the lists from the Group’s forays at Birkacre, Cuerden Valley Park, Rivington and Roddlesworth in 1998.

Thanks also to Carol Kellett, the Flora Recorder, for making a list of the new species as she entered the records on the Society’s recording cards.

Joyce Riley

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