Sunday
Dec302012

Pink Fungus

What I think is the asexual form (anamorph) of the fungus Ascocoryne sarcoides growing on a decaying log. 

I took a small sample and it yielded the following small spores (shown at x600): 

These are about 3.5 x 1um which nicely matches the 3-3.5 x 1-2um given for the asexual spores at Wikipedia. The sexual spores are much larger (12-16 x 3-5um).

First photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-12-25.

Saturday
Dec292012

Toothed Crust Fungus

A toothed crust fungus, probably Radulomyces molaris, growing on the underside of a dead branch on a still-living oak tree (Quercus sp).

This is an older patch, dried out and cracked, from nearer the base of the branch.  It reminds me of the top of a lemon meringue pie.

And this is a younger patch, further away of the base of the branch.

I collected part of this patch and it yielded the following spores (shown at x600):

Given the image width of 86um these are about 8 x 5.5um, which is at the lower end of the range 8.3-11 x 5.5-7um given at Botany.cz.  (I think some of the spores in the above image might be pointing towards the viewer in which case my estimate of their longest dimension might be an under-estimate.)

First three photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-12-23, 2012-12-18, and 2012-12-23, respectively.   The sample which produced the spores was collected from the same place on 2012-12-23.

Friday
Dec282012

Crust Fungus

A white crust fungus, probably Byssomerulius corium, on a fallen birch branch (Betula sp).

The following image shows the meruloid underside of a fragment growing on a thin twig:

This fragment yielded the following spores (shown at x600):

With an image width of 86um, these spores are about 5.5 x 2.5um, which is consistent with the values in the region of 5-7 x 2.5-3.5um given in the descriptions listed at Mycobank.

First photo and specimen taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-12-25.

Thursday
Dec272012

Conopid Flies

A pair of Conopid flies, probably Conops quadrifasciatus (Diptera: Conopidae), mating on a thistle head.

Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-08-20.

Wednesday
Dec262012

Birch Polypore Fungus

Birch polypore fungus, Piptoporus betulinus, growing on a decaying birch log (Betula sp).  This fungus is common wherever there are decaying birch trees.

I collected the following small specimen:

The underside was covered with pores, about 3 per mm:

The specimen only gave off a few small spores.  These are shown in the following image (x600, image width about 86um).

These spores are about 4 x 1.5 um in size, which agrees well with the 3-6 x 1.5-2um given at MushroomExpert.com.

First photo taken and specimen collected in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-12-15.