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Cropton Forest Fungus Foray October 2000

[Species lists below]

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This was our last outdoor meeting of the year, and it was disappointing that the weather was raw and damp, and after several days of heavy rain it was very wet underfoot – although most of the fungi seemed to enjoy the conditions! We are very grateful to Colin Stephenson for leading our annual fungus foray again, and the 10 brave souls who came saw a good variety of different fungi: “toadstools”, brackets, jelly-fungi, rusts, even ergot growing on rye-grass. We thank Colin for sending us the list of 78 species below.

We met at the edge of Cropton Forest, near the entrance to Spiers House. This is an area of old moorland which has been afforested since the 1930s. The soil is generally poor and acid with some peat, so vegetation under the trees is mainly of heathers, purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), bilberry and mosses.

It has a rich fungal flora because of the trees, since many fungi grow in association with both coniferous and deciduous trees, especially on the roots, dead wood, leaf litter etc.

As this was primarily a fungus foray I did not make a list of the plants seen except those few actually in flower, which included all three heathers – mid-October is very late for them still to be in bloom. I counted 11 species in flower.

We did not see many birds, but heard several, including flocks of goldcrests with tits. One robin followed us for several yards, possibly hoping to catch any insects we might have disturbed; otherwise the birds kept to the tops of the trees where they were extremely difficult to see in the rather poor light.


I do not have lists of all that was found, but we did record the following:

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Plants
I did not make a complete plant list as this was predominantly a fungus-finding trip. The following were in flower: autumn hawkbit (Leontodon autumnalis), marsh thistle (Cirsium palustre), ragwort (Senecio jacobea), ling (Calluna vulgaris), bell heather (Erica cinerea), cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix), herb robert (Geranium robertianum), prickly sow-thistle (Sonchus asper), a leafy hawkweed (Hieracium sp.), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), trailing tormentil (Potentilla anglica)

Birds
Although we saw a number of fallen cones that had been attacked by crossbills we were not lucky enough to see or hear these birds.13 species were recorded: siskin, long-tailed tit, coal tit, wren, robin, song thrush, goldcrest, treecreeper, marsh tit, bullfinch, jay, pheasant, wood pigeon.

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Fungi

ZYGOMYCOTINA
Spinellus fusiger on old Mycena galopus

ASCOMYCOTINA
Pyrenomycetes & Plectomycetes
Claviceps purpurea  
Xylaria hypoxylon  

Discomycetes
Rhytisma acerinum on Acer

BASIDIOMYCOTINA
Hymenomycetes
Agaricus sylvaticus  
Amanita fulva  
Amanita rubescens  
Clitocybe clavipes  
Coprinus comatus  
Cortinarius hemetrichus  
Cortinarius lepidopus  
Crepidotus variabilis  
Cystoderma amianthinum  
Entoloma serrulatum  
Galerina hypnorum in moss
Gomphidius roseus  
Gymnopilus penetrans  
Gymnopus peronatus  
Hebeloma mesophaeum  
Hydnum repandum  
Hygrocybe conica  
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca  
Hypholoma fasciculare  
Hypholoma marginatum  
Inocybe lacera  
Inocybe rimosa  
Laccaria laccata  
Laccaria proxima  
Lactarius deterimus  
Lactarius hepaticus  
Lactarius quietus  
Lactarius rufus  
Lactarius torminosus  
Lactarius turpis  
Leccinum scabrum  
Leccinum variicolor  
Lepista inversa  
Lyophylum decastes  
Lyophylum fumosum  
Mycena filopes  
Mycena galericulata  
Mycena galopus  
Mycena leptocephala on Pinus needles
Panellus mitis  
Paxillus involutus  
Pholiota flammans  
Rhodocollybia maculata  
Rickenella fibula  
Russula betularum  
Russula claroflava  
Russula cyanoxantha  
Russula emetica  
Russula fellea  
Russula fragilis  
Russula nigricans  
Russula ochroleuca  
Russula puellaris  
Russula sardonia with Pinus
Suillus bovinus  
Suillus luteus  
Tricholoma fulvum  
Tricholomopsis rutilans  
Xerocomus badius  

Aphyllophorales
Coriolus versicolor
Ganoderma adspersum  
Heterobasidion anosum  
Oligoporus stiptica on fallen conifer
Skeletokutis amorpha  
Stereum sanguinolentum  
Tricaptum abietinum  

Hymenocetous Heterobasidiae
Calocera palidospathulata  
Calocera viscosa  
Dacrymyces stillatus  

Gasteromycetes
Rhizopogon luteolus  

Uredinomycetes
Coleosporium tussilaginis on T.farfara
Melampsoridium betulinum  
Pucciniastrum vaccinii on V.myrtillus

DEUTEROMYCOTINA
Hyphomycetes
Ramularia rubella on R.obtusifolia

Colin R Stephenson
Recorder for Mycology
Scarborough Field Naturalists’ Society

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Page last modified 24th November 2000. Site maintained by APL-385