CCG Fungus Foray at Giggleswick October 2017

 28 October 2017

Despite a forecast of fog and 40 mile an hours gusts, 13 of us turned up to the Craven Conservation Group foray including the leaders Jane and Archie. It was actually reasonably warm. The strong winds did not materialise so it was just another typical damp Craven day...

And a typical fun, action-full, informative, fascinating fantastic foray. Thanks again Jane and Archie!  We walked from  Giggleswick  up the footpath through the fields towards Giggleswick School chapel.

So what did we find.

First - Galerina atkinsoniana (formerly Galerina vittiformis subsp. atkinsoniana) recognisable by its hairy stipe

 Galerinas are small gingery fungi that grow amongst mosses

Galerina atkinsoniana

We found several waxcaps. This white one which does not have a smell is  the Snowy waxcap  formerly Hygrocybe virginea but now Cuphophyllus virgineus. (We had earlier found Hygrocybe russocoriacea which is whitish -slightly brownish but has a smell of  cedar shavings)

Snowy Waxcap 

 
We found three examples of Hymenoscyphus. This is a tiny Ascomycete (cup fungus)

First we noticed the Ash Dieback near Settle HighSchool
That used to be called Chalara but now it is called Hymenoscyphus fraxinius.

Then we found this Hymenoscyphus sp on a pine cone. The head is about 1mm across

 Here is a view from the side. See the moss for comparison

The third one was on a dead (deciduous tree) log, along with some purple Ascocoryne sarcoides (Purple Jellydisc fungus)

Ascocoryne sarcoides

The stones on the walls of the fields were covered with the filamentous alga  Klebsormidium crenulatum. The very wet October has enabled this alga to continue growing.

Or maybe it is because there is EVEN more NOx in the air - or because this field has had lots of fertilizer applied.  Or all three.

If we peep over the Klebsormidium covered wall we see the Chapel

Here is an old Yellow Fieldcap - Bolbitius titubans (formerly vitellinus)

and here is a younger one

There was a big old Ash tree. "A bough had fallen off and bent the gate in the past" said Robert. The trunk was hollow.
Inside was Ganoderma australe - Artists' fungus. 

 This is a section of the cap but upside down.  The "flesh" part of the cap is thicker than the gills, making it australe,  (rather than G applanatum) and the edge of the cap is obtuse not acute. 

I also found this lichen on the bark of the old Ash trunk

On the slope by the cricket pitch were some Clouded Agarics or Cluded funnelcaps Clitocybe nebularis

And a beautiful tiny inkcap called Parasola

 Once the black spores are shed only the edge of the cap is dark

Beside the footpath parallel to the very steep tarmac road down to Giggleswick there was a mossy edge to the path with lots of Marchantia

And growing in the Marchantia was this bright orange Omphalina type fungus which may well be Rickenella fibula, though the larges one was over 2cm across.

Archie took this with him next day when he was visiting Roy Watling in Edinbugh. and Roy recognised it as Loreleia postii  (Formerly Omphalina postii)- which grows on Marchantia Liverwort.  Distribution Map
It is similar to Loreleia marchantiae which was spotted by Bryologist Sam Bosanquet on Twitter two weeks later in Wales.
People who came included
Diana, Geoff, Robert Starling, Julie, Ken, Jo, Christine, Maureen,Doris, Paula, myself, Jane, Archie.
We did not know it then, but this was Robert's last trip out with CCG
Jane and Archie have now sent me an updated list. I can send it to people if they ask.

Welcome to future CCG meetings.